Naturally, Son Do-won couldn’t help but be intrigued.
How could the Team Leader of the Detection Departnt not be interested in a thod to distinguish Gate Shock and accelerate gate openings?
“…So, if you inject the mana of a player with a Red stat into the S-rank gate, it speeds up the opening process?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“And during this process, if the player is calm, there’s no Gate Shock. If there’s discomfort or pain, the chance of a Gate Shock increases?”
“Yes, that’s what I’ve heard.”
“Hmm.”
Of course, this was a lie.
But there was no need to reveal the truth.
There was no way for them to verify it right now.
‘Just like during the previous test with the Detection Departnt.’
Son Do-won narrowed his eyes and said:
“Well, if you put it that way, it’s not completely accurate. Given that situation, it seems a bit risky to gamble with uncertainty, don’t you think?”
“From a safety standpoint, yes. But there are instances where this thod has been tested overseas. Therefore, we also need to gather our own data through experintation. After all, such data isn’t easily shared, and we still lack sufficient data and technology here in Korea.”
“That’s true…”
Son Do-won hesitated for a mont.
But ultimately, he knew he would have to approve Su-ho’s proposal.
As a mber of the Detection Departnt, he understood better than anyone that Korea still lagged in data and systems compared to other countries.
He finally asked:
“So, Su-ho, you’re planning to inject the mana yourself?”
“Yes, I’ll do it if you give permission. My mana stat is Red, and I’ve been curious about this for so ti.”
At Su-ho’s response, Son Do-won glanced at Jeong Cheol-min.
Jeong Cheol-min furrowed his brow.
“Why are you looking at ?”
“He’s your subordinate.”
“That’s true, but... I don’t actually have the final say here. If Su-ho wants to do it and it’s not too extre, my job is to approve it.”
“Well, that’s a good boss.”
“If I were incompetent, I’d at least let you do whatever you wanted.”
Son Do-won shifted his attention back to Su-ho.
“You heard him, right? Go ahead.”
“Thank you. Shall we start now?”
“Well, do you need any preparation?”
“No, there’s nothing specific to prepare. After all, I’m the one going in for the exploration, so even if I get suddenly pulled into the gate like last ti, it won’t matter.”
“Wow, you’re really full of confidence…”
Son Do-won almost wanted to say, "Hunters like him often die young," but he kept it to himself.
So things are better left unsaid.
Having received permission, Su-ho finally approached the gate.
Unlike the previous test, this ti he confidently injected his mana into the gate in front of everyone.
Everyone watched him intently.
As soon as Su-ho began injecting his mana, the mana-detection machines, which had been signaling at a steady rhythm, started ringing rapidly.
The people around them buzzed with excitent.
“Is this... really happening?”
“The charging speed is increasing fast?”
“Is this the Fast Opening technique?”
“How does he know about this? I always check the overseas forums…”
Su-ho continued to inject his mana, undeterred by the growing chatter.
Then, from a distance, Son Do-won urgently called out:
“Su-ho! It’s almost at 100%! How does it feel?”
“It feels great. Not a bit of pain!”
“Really?”
The fact that there was no pain ant that the probability of Gate Shock was low.
But despite that, everyone remained tense.
Everyone except Su-ho.
Su-ho wasn’t nervous.
He knew.
The Yeongwolru Gate had never caused a Gate Shock.
And finally, when the gate’s charge reached 100%, a burst of light erupted.
A bright flash.
At the sa mont, a system notification appeared in front of Su-ho.
[Gate has been created.]
The gate was successfully opened.
As the light faded, everyone could see the portal opening smoothly, without any shocks.
The onlookers couldn’t help but murmur in awe.
“Wow…”
“Crazy…”
“He really did it…”
“Is this really happening?”
The Detection Departnt staff shivered with excitent.
It was inevitable.
This thod of reducing the gate opening ti was sothing that had never been seen before—sothing that no one had ever even thought of trying.
Son Do-won was shocked, while Jeong Cheol-min showed a slight expression of disbelief, as though thinking, This crazy guy, I knew he’d cause trouble again.
Su-ho, seeing their surprised faces, flashed a light smile and waved with a victory sign.
“Shall we begin the exploration now?”
“R-right now?”
“Isn’t that the planned course of action?”
“Well, yes, but... wow... Team Leader Jeong, is he normally like this?”
“…Every ti I see him, I’m still mystified and amazed.”
Jeong Cheol-min shook his head, as though resigned.
Su-ho spoke with determination:
“I’ll enter right away.”
“Be careful.”
“Got it!”
Su-ho gave a salute with his hand before stepping into the portal.
As he entered, the gate information appeared before his eyes.
[Entering the Gate.]
[Loading Gate Information.]
[Wonryeongnaru]
– Entry Condition: Level 100 , at least one Red stat.
– Max Entry: 5 people or fewer.
Wonryeongnaru.
The true na of the Yeongwolru Gate.
Seeing the na, Su-ho smiled in satisfaction and stepped into the gate.
***
[Entering Wonryeongnaru.]
A system notification appeared that Su-ho had never seen before.
When the entry condition requires a minimum level of 100, the gate is considered a 1-star gate.
And from a 1-star gate, there are changes in both big and small aspects, including the notifications.
Su-ho checked the system notification and then surveyed his changed surroundings.
‘So, this is where I’ve ended up.’
Wonryeongnaru.
This was a surprisingly famous gate.
It made sense, though, because Wonryeongnaru was where a certain Crusader, a famous paladin player in his past life, obtained the power tied to his identity.
Su-ho looked up.
The sky above looked like a navy blue storm cloud.
But it wasn’t the sky.
It was a river.
What he was standing on wasn’t stone or concrete—it was dirt.
In other words, this place existed beneath a river, with the river wrapping around the space instead of a sky above it.
Su-ho then lowered his gaze and observed the surroundings.
Though this place was beneath a river, the floor wasn’t muddy.
It wasn’t sand, either, but rather a fine soil, colored between dark soil and yellow earth.
However, the reason the soil had this color was that it had been contaminated with Corpse Poison—a toxic substance from dead bodies.
‘So this is Wonryeongnaru.’
At that mont:
[The lingering resentnt in the riverbed reacts to the vitality and awakens.]
A system notification.
At the sa ti, sothing black began to wriggle up from the black soil beneath Su-ho.
– Black Remnant Spirit Lv.112
– Black Remnant Spirit Lv.110
– Black Remnant Spirit Lv.114
……
Black Remnant Spirits.
As the na implied, these were beings made of lingering resentnt, existing in a black, shapeless form.
– I can't forgive...
– I will kill...
– Grr...
The Black Remnant Spirits... The Crusaders had referred to them as Remnant Plague.
This was because they were filled with nothing but lingering resentnt, reacting only to vitality, becoming enraged, and targeting the living, their sole purpose being to kill.
‘Considering their backstory, they’re truly pitiful creatures.’
But Su-ho knew better than to sympathize too quickly.
Their sole purpose was to rip challengers apart and kill them.
Su-ho clicked his tongue as he looked at the Remnant Plague that filled the riverbed beneath him.
“There sure are a lot of them.”
According to records, before the Crusaders appeared, Wonryeongnaru was one of the most difficult gates to clear.
One reason for this was the sheer number of Remnant Plague. But another reason was that only five people could enter the gate at once.
Perhaps that was why?
As the Remnant Plague gathered together like sothing created from darkness, it looked like a black wave.
But the difficulty of clearing Wonryeongnaru wasn’t solely due to the large numbers of Remnant Plague and the restricted number of entrants.
The real challenge began when they started to prepare for an attack.
The first sign of this was their transformation.
[The Black Remnant Spirits mimic your appearance.]
[The Black Remnant Spirits mimic your appearance.]
[The Black Remnant Spirits mimic your appearance.]
……
The alerts poured in.
And it was as it seed.
The Remnant Plague began to perfectly replicate Su-ho’s appearance.
Soon, black-and-white versions of Su-ho filled the area, and astonishingly, despite their appearance, they weren’t Undead.
They were ghost-type monsters with only the Evil attribute.
Su-ho, seeing the creatures mimicking him, clicked his tongue.
“They’re like Doppelgangers.”
Su-ho had cleared a Doppelganger Gate several tis before.
But Remnant Plague was a different feeling altogether. It wasn’t exactly pleasant.
In fact, it was eerie and disturbing.
Anyone would feel uncomfortable seeing countless creatures that looked just like themselves.
Because of that, Su-ho decided to take care of them quickly.
This wasn’t about granting them salvation.
They were far beyond the point of salvation, consud entirely by resentnt. No matter what Su-ho did, they couldn’t reach salvation.
Su-ho had already prepared for this when he learned about Wonryeongnaru.
He activated one of his skills.
[Blessing is activated.]
The first part of his preparation was Blessing.
Su-ho’s stats imdiately increased, and he quickly used his second skill.
[Holy Enchant is activated.]
The second skill was Holy Enchant.
Su-ho used Holy Enchant a second ti.
The first one was cast on his blood sword, and the second on his body.
A pure white light enveloped Su-ho completely, and amidst the black-and-white Remnant Plague, only the original Su-ho shone brightly in white.
Finally, his preparations were complete.
Su-ho smiled as he moved forward.
“Co at slowly; I won’t dodge.”
That was the signal.
– I will kill!
– Kill!
– Grahh!
The Remnant Plague surged toward him all at once.
They looked like moths diving into a fire.
Su-ho didn’t dodge their attacks. Instead, he raised his sword and gently blocked their strikes.
And the mont his sword touched them:
[Holy Enchant effect activates Exorcism.]
A burst of light exploded.
At the sa ti, the Exorcism effect embedded in Holy Enchant triggered, and the Remnant Plague, ghost-type monsters with the Evil attribute, turned to ashes and crumbled away like dust.
But that wasn’t all.
The mont Su-ho’s sword touched them, and even when their swords touched him, light exploded.
[Holy Enchant effect activates Protection.]
Su-ho’s protective Exorcism version activated.
So, their attacks couldn’t hurt Su-ho.
From that mont on, Su-ho laughed brightly and slowly moved forward.
With a playful swing of his sword, he erased the Remnant Plague with every strike.
Among the black Remnant Plague, there was no one who could stop him.
It was the mont when the disaster of Wonryeongnaru descended upon them.
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