Once more tearing open a violet rift, Castorice reappeared above Korea.
The faithful Death Dragon caught her, and together, they followed the fading magical traces toward the outskirts.
Her sudden appearance stirred immediate attention.
Some thought a monster had escaped from a dungeon; others, privy to information through various channels, recognized her—after all, she'd summoned the Death Dragon in plain sight both at the Hunter Association headquarters and before that red gate.
The Death Dragon's speed far exceeded sound. After the initial, slower ascent witnessed by many, it became little more than a dark blur streaking across the sky.
But upon reaching her destination, her expression grew complicated.
This was a forest on the city's edge. Before the gate, there were no Association staff—instead, there were many… idle Hunters.
It wasn't their refusal to enter the gate that made them seem idle. Part of Castorice's unease came from the gate itself being another red gate.
The reason they appeared idle was the scene before her: barbecue grills, tents, fishing rods, even a speaker system.
This looked less like a raid team preparing to conquer a dungeon and more like a camping trip.
She noticed them, and they, in turn, heard the sonic boom from the sky.
The sight of such a massive dragon overhead sent the Hunters sprawling to the ground in terror. Only when the Death Dragon descended and they spotted Castorice astride its back did they relax.
"What are you all doing here?" Castorice inquired.
The absence of Hunter Association personnel meant this wasn't an assigned mission. It had been bid on by a guild or Hunter group. In such cases, non-bidding parties shouldn't have been here.
But if they were the bidders… why were they still outside?
"You… you're that one! The new S-Rank Hunter who can enter red gates!"
A well-informed Hunter finally placed her.
In truth, not much time had passed since Castorice emerged from the last gate. Official reports hadn't spread widely yet, but rumors travel fast among Hunters.
Castorice glanced at the red gate. The magical signature—the one that had dragged a soul back from the realm of the dead—was inside.
Seeing the Hunters' mix of panic and confusion, she decided questioning them further was pointless. Time to get to the heart of the matter.
She leapt from the Death Dragon, then suddenly realized something and sharply looked down.
Just as she expected, the lush green grass beneath her feet was rapidly withering and turning yellow.
Though the phenomenon lacked sentience, this palpable rejection by living things still caused her expression to darken.
She could only truly interact with that which belonged to the underworld.
With an internal sigh, Castorice stepped wordlessly into the red gate.
"Sh-she really went in…"
Watching her disappear into the red gate, the gathered Hunters exchanged disbelieving looks.
"Wait, what's on the ground…?"
Eagle-eyed Hunters noticed the dead grass, their expressions turning puzzled, but they quickly dismissed it.
An S-Rank Hunter was here now. Their wealthy client should be safe, right? A gig that paid this well just for camping out was a one-of-a-kind deal…
One moment, she was in a vibrant forest; the next, she stepped into a vast, blank white snowfield. The stark contrast was immense, yet Castorice felt a wave of relief.
This gate was rich with mana, but its intensity suggested an A-Rank dungeon.
A team of four or five A-Rank Hunters, supported by some B and C-Ranks, could probably scrape through. A full team of A-Ranks would manage easily.
It was slightly stronger than the last gate she'd cleared.
But… that wasn't the point…
She stretched out her magical senses once more, locking onto that familiar signature.
It was close to S-Rank in strength. And beside it… another signature, around D-Rank level.
Orienting herself, Castorice moved swiftly toward the target.
Meanwhile, deep within a snow-dusted grove, Sung Jinwoo was grilling meat from a recently hunted Ice Bear with his… well, he supposed he could call him a friend, D-Rank Hunter Yoo Jinho.
Suddenly, a system window popped up before him.
Now? What's happening?
A flicker of confusion crossed Sung Jinwoo's mind as he looked at the window. The next instant, his pupils constricted sharply.
[System Alert: Stay away from the dangerous target. Leave the dungeon alive.]
What? Dangerous target? Where?
In Sung Jinwoo's experience, this was the first time the system had given him a warning to simply 'leave alive.'
In other words, the system judged he stood no chance of winning?
A wave of crisis and tension washed over him, forcing him to his feet into a defensive stance, eyes sharply scanning his surroundings.
This wasn't right. Mere Snow Goblins or Ice Bears wouldn't trigger such an urgent alert from the system. Had the dungeon's boss wandered nearby?
He knew the value of Perception, which was why he'd diligently allocated points to keep all his stats balanced, never letting Perception lag. But…
Right now, he desperately wished his Perception were higher. He couldn't sense a thing.
"Jinwoo-hyung?!"
Yoo Jinho was baffled by the sudden change in the usually calm and reliable Sung Jinwoo. But he wasn't a fool; he knew something was wrong.
He immediately dropped his skewer and grabbed the sword and shield beside him.
He might not be much help, but having equipment in hand at least offered a sliver of security.
[System Alert: Dangerous target approaching! Evacuate immediately!]
[System Alert: Dangerous target approaching! Evacuate immediately!]
[System Alert: Dangerous target approaching! Evacuate immediately!]
The incessant alerts even changed the window's color from black to a warning red. Sung Jinwoo understood the danger, but where could he run?
As long as they were in this dungeon, a confrontation was inevitable. And if the target was likely the boss, there was no leaving without defeating it.
Rather than flee blindly… it was better to test the waters, gauge the gap between them, and look for any opportunity to level up and close that gap!
"Igris."
Shadows spread from Sung Jinwoo's feet like spilled ink. Dozens of armored warriors and Ice Bears surged forth from the darkness—all of them, without exception, were the reanimated dead.
Among them, the most striking figure was the one clad in a tattered cape, a long red plume streaming from his helmet.
[System Alert: Dangerous target approaching! Evacuate immediately!]
[System Alert: Dangerous target approaching! Evacuate immediately!]
[System Alert: Lower the dangerous target's hostility. Leave the dungeon alive.]
Despite his recently reinforced Shadow Army, fresh from hard-won battles, the system's relentless warnings drained any sense of security from Sung Jinwoo.
As he maintained peak alertness, Igris's motion—raising his sword—caught his attention.
Following Igris's gaze, Sung Jinwoo saw a figure walking slowly toward them.
Was it a monster? Or… a human?
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.