Chapter 556

A sigh escaped me as I scanned my surroundings.

The interior of the cave was damp and chilly. Narrow passages twisted like a maze, and jagged stalactites hung from the ceiling. Exhausted faces filled with fear were everywhere.

‘Just like back then.’
Three years—no, four if you counted the time I spent in the Murim.

That day’s incident had left a scar on my heart that I could never erase, like a brand seared into flesh. Even now, after getting my revenge, I still couldn’t forget it.

“Shit, this brings back memories.”

While I muttered bitterly, Skeleton King chuckled with satisfaction.

“I feel the same. This must be what you people call returning to your hometown.”

That’s not it, idiot.

Clearly, we were remembering very different things.

Maybe this guy was the very Skeleton 1 I encountered back when I was still struggling through lower-grade Gates.

Anyway…

Rumble rumble rumble!

‘The magical energy is way stronger than I thought.’
Good thing I happened to be nearby. Otherwise, twenty innocent lives might’ve been wiped out.

I gestured toward the stunned Hunters staring blankly in my direction.

“It’s dangerous, come this way.”
The man who looked like the team leader, probably in his late twenties, blinked at me.

“W-What?”
“Come on. Hurry.”
“W-Who are you?”

It was too dark inside the cave. From that distance, with their low skill level, it’d be impossible for them to recognize my face.

Feeling awkward, I scratched my chin and opened my mouth.

“I’m… Uh, look behind you.”

“Huh?”
Too slow. Instead of replying, I snapped my fingers.

Swish. Boom.
With a faint shockwave, green blood splattered everywhere. A rusted axe dropped powerlessly from the hand of the goblin that had been sneaking up behind one of the Hunters.

Its decapitated body crumbled like a rotting log.

Thud!

“Behind you! Watch your backs!”

“W-What the hell?!”

What else? It was [Finger Wind].

While muttering internally, I watched the flustered Hunters scramble to reform their ranks and realized something anew.

‘It’s faster for me to go to them than wait for them to come here.’
Even setting aside that they were struggling against goblins not even halfway in, it was obvious these were low-rank Hunters with barely any experience.

Skeleton King swept his blond hair back and put on a serious expression.

“Hoo. It’s time for me to step in.”

“Stay put. Don’t try to show off.”

Now that I had a task, there was no reason to hesitate. I walked toward them—neither rushed nor leisurely.

Step.

At the same moment, ten streaks of [Finger Wind] shot out from my outstretched hands, tearing through the air.

Swish. Pop pop pop pop!

Once more.

Shhh! Swish!

Another explosion.

Starting with the Hobgoblin that looked like the leader, the thirty goblins were all reduced to headless corpses in the blink of an eye.

And then…

Step.

With my third and final step, a [Light] spell cast by some nameless magician illuminated my face.

Fwoosh.

Invisible shock and confusion swept through the cave.

Everyone stared blankly at my face, stunned—until the dam burst and shouts erupted everywhere like panicked screams.

“Si… Sibaljwa!”

“Sibureoljwa!”

“Ji… Ji… Jin Taekye… Actually, the last one sounds the best.”

Sure, the name had grown to six syllables, but compared to the nicknames, that was practically a blessing. It was like being called a royal official.

And honestly, it suited the situation pretty well.

The shaking, growing stronger by the second, had turned into a full-blown [earthquake] now.

Rumble rumble rumble rumble!

Skeleton King casually strolled over, dodging falling stalactites as he muttered,

“For it to be this intense… something’s not right.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

At most, this was supposed to be an E or F-rank Gate. The magical energy here was on a whole different level—like comparing Hanam to the underwater palace of the Southern Barbarian Region.

Clicking my tongue, I gestured again to the Hunters still frozen in shock.

“As I said earlier, it’s dangerous, so you should come thi—”

Thud thud thud thud!

“Whoa. That startled me.”

“An undead—holy crap!”

What is this, [Blink] magic?

Fame really does have its perks.

Even some old lady from a remote countryside village might’ve heard my name, so for Hunters in the same profession, it must’ve been that much more familiar.

Before I could even finish speaking, twenty Hunters dashed toward me at the speed of light, eyes filled with awe and trust.

“Sir! I’m a huge fan. Seriously!”

“Kyaa! Oh my god, oh my god!”

“…Thanks, but are you all in your right minds?”

How could they spout this nonsense in the middle of all this?

Shaking my head in disbelief, I looked for the team leader.

At least he seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. With a solemn expression, he rummaged through his pocket and handed me something.

“Could I get your autograph? If you could write ‘Go Hunter Lee Seungyeop!’ on it…”

“Please. I plan to pass this down as a family heirloom.”

Ah… Shit. I’m speechless.

Feeling utterly drained, I scribbled my name on the briefing board he held out.

Then, the team leader cautiously added,

“And if it’s not too much to ask… Could you swear? Just once?”

“Huh?”

“Swear at me. It’s my lifelong wish.”

“…You son of a—”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“I meant it.”

And then there was one… no, one monster who looked on with intense envy.

“You’re quite popular, wicked human. They say when humans take a dump, they get famous and people applaud them.”
Something feels backward about that logic. Sure, you’d probably get famous for taking a dump in public, but applause? More like a slap across the face.

But I didn’t have time to correct Skeleton King’s warped view of the world.

Just as I opened my mouth, the violently trembling cave suddenly shifted, like an earthquake had struck.

Rumble, crack!

The ground split open, and the ceiling fractured with spiderweb-like cracks. One of the Hunters muttered under their breath like a groan.

“Collapse…”

Half right, half wrong.

While everyone stared up at the ceiling, ready to crumble at any moment, I was the only one paying attention to what was happening beneath our feet.

Crunch, crackle—
From the rocky floor, a sprout broke through.

Dark red in color, it grew rapidly even as I watched.

It grew thorns, bloomed buds, and the scattered seeds spread in every direction.

Crackkkk!

“W-What is that?!”

“Kyaaaaah!”

“Urgh!”

“Cut it! Chop it down!”

Finally noticing what was going on, the Hunters jumped into action.

But screaming and slashing the spreading growth was pointless.

Because this wasn’t just happening here.

Even if Skeleton King and I stepped in, there was no way we could sweep through the entire Gate in time to stop it all.

‘This isn’t a simple collapse. It’s a transformation.’

The entire Gate was evolving into a new form.

‘A literal mutation. That’s what this is.’

As everyone looked on in horror, the mutated Gate approached the final stages of its transformation.

Rumble… boom!

The cracks across the ceiling deepened, and the fissures yawned open like a mouth. It was as if the massive egg that was this cave had finally broken.

And then—

Crack!

From beyond the ceiling—where nothing should have existed—emerged a shape cloaked in red light and dusky mist.

A vast space, incomparable to the cave. Thick undergrowth. Sweltering, sauna-like humidity.

“What…”

“A… a jungle?”

Everyone stood speechless in shock, and that’s when Skeleton King whispered to me alone.

“Wicked human. My power is growing stronger.”

Though he was currently hiding his true appearance behind illusion magic, Skeleton King was, after all, a monster. That his strength was growing meant only one thing.

‘The amount and density of magic power…’

I couldn’t see it. But I could feel it.

Whoooosh—

An overwhelming wave of magic engulfed everything.

The jungle groaned under the weight of this swelling, explosive energy.

Even in A-grade Gates, it was rare to feel this level of magic. Ordinary low-rank Hunters stood no chance against it.

“Hnngh. I… I can’t breathe…”

Eyes losing focus. Legs buckling.

Not a single one of the twenty Hunters remained standing. As they rapidly collapsed one by one, Skeleton King frowned at my passive expression.

“Wicked human. You…”

“This is better.”

“What?”

“There’s no point in having them awake.”

Skeleton King’s identity had to stay hidden. So long as they weren’t in mortal danger, knocking them out from the start was the best course of action.

The fewer witnesses, the better.

Thud.

As the last person fainted, Skeleton King nodded at my signal and snapped his fingers.

Crack!

Countless bones surged up from who-knows-where, surrounding the Hunters without leaving a single gap. Looking quite pleased with himself, Skeleton King declared,

“It is done. I have personally acted, and thus the safety of these humans is guaranteed.”

I stared carefully at the small dome formed by the bones and muttered,

“Hmm. I think you’ll need to reinforce it more.”

“Tsk, tsk. You truly are a wicked and distrustful human. At this level, even a horde of Ogres wouldn’t scratch it.”

Ogres, regardless of rank, were always known for their top-tier brute strength.

Still, Skeleton King’s confident claim didn’t change my mind.

“Ogres would be fine. But those things… they look a little different.”

“Huh?”

Following my gaze, Skeleton King turned his head, a dumbfounded look on his face.

There, rising slowly from the jungle floor, was a massive being.

A towering figure at least 20 meters tall. Its limbs were thicker and longer than the giant trees around it. And then—

A single, enormous eye gazed down upon the land.

A Cyclops.

A mythical giant wrapped in mist, its lone eye locked onto us.

Then came the chilling voice, booming like thunder.

—Intruders. Humans. Kill them.

And the next moment—

Ding.

You have been forcibly transported into a Mutated Gate!

A surprise quest, [Forest of the Giant], has been generated.

Rumble!

As the system alert rang in my ears, the jungle shook.

No—more like it began to move.

Flutter!

Under the flapping wings of some unidentified birds soaring above, the ones rising with shrieks were none other than hundreds of trees.

The ancient tree spirits of countless tales. The Ents had awoken and were roaring in rage.

—Gwooooooh!

—Guuuuuuuuhhh…

And among them, silently watching the scene unfold, stood one monster—who quickly changed his mind.

“…I will reinforce the human barrier.”

Uh-huh. Sure.

Crack!

An explosion of bones surged up—far more than before—layering into dense, reinforced walls.

Having completed his reinforcement work with extra caution, Skeleton King stared solemnly at the advancing jungle.

“Are you ready, Jin?”

“Of course, King… Wait, where the hell did you even learn that?”

“Internet. Very amusing.”

“You bastard. When we get out of here, I’m confiscating your phone.”

Scowling at him, I muttered quietly,

“Inventory open—summon.”

With the command, a familiar weight settled into my palm—the shaft of the [White Flame Spear].

It had been a long time since I’d felt this sensation.

As I looked around at the battlefield forming around us, a faint smile curled on my lips.

‘Let’s go.’

Fwoosh.

The [Scorching Yang Energy] drawn up from my lower Dantian surged like a fire dragon, coursing through my entire body.