The "Woodcutter" Bang Dueok.

This was the nickname he earned during his infamous career in human trafficking.

The reason for this nickname was simple. 

Since long ago, human traffickers had referred to the people they abducted as “logs,” and Bang Dueok cut down so many people, he became known as the Woodcutter.

‘But was that guy part of the Union?’

In the future, Bang Dueok would be arrested by the Special Unit of the Grand Association and sentenced to life imprisonment.

However, during the process, no records were found linking him to the Union.

That’s why Suho found it a bit strange.

Suho asked, “Is he the gate owner?”

“Yes.”

Apparently, Bang Dueok was the gate owner.

This was information even the Library of Memories didn’t hold.

It was reasonable, considering all Suho had known was that Choi Yun had managed the Twisted Forest.

Bang Dueok approached the two and looked at Suho, then let out a chuckle.

“Wow, you really are Hunter Ahn Suho, aren’t you? What brings such a famous person all the way here?”

Before Suho could answer, Choi Yun spoke up for him.

“Why else? He’s here for the gate, of course. As we discussed earlier, you can let him enter now, right?”

“Sure, he can enter, but…”

Bang Dueok narrowed his eyes and gave Suho a once-over.

“I thought about it… Usually, selling entrance tickets makes sense. But if the challenger is Hunter Ahn, who’s cleared two sealed gates on his own… the math doesn’t add up.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, think about it. Why would a gate owner sell entrance tickets? Because they don’t expect the gate to be cleared, right? But if Hunter Ahn is the challenger…”

He wasn’t called the Woodcutter for nothing; his mind was sharp in such matters.

His words hit close to home, as Suho had indeed planned to clear the gate with only the entrance fee paid.

But so what?

Isn’t that the risk he was taking by selling entrance tickets to the gate?

Suho was about to speak when Choi Yun cut in.

“So, you’re planning to raise the price on the spot?”

Her arms crossed, she stared Bang Dueok down with a steely gaze.

Bang Dueok chuckled slyly and backed off.

“No, I’m just saying that it doesn’t quite add up… I wouldn’t dare to raise the price on the spot.”

It wasn’t fear of Choi Yun herself that kept him in check—it was his awareness of the Union to which Choi Yun belonged.

Suho noted her handling of the situation with a nod.

‘As expected of Choi Yun. She mediates like a seasoned broker.’

Thanks to her, he didn’t have to step in himself.

If things had gone south, Suho would’ve simply cut down everyone present.

They were just criminals, after all.

And even if things got complicated, Piseongyeol would take care of the aftermath.

Choi Yun nodded and said to Suho, “It’s settled. Shall we pay and proceed?”

Suho handed her a bag of money, and she counted it in front of Bang Dueok, taking two bundles of bills as her share.

“This is my commission.”

“Twenty percent is a bit steep, isn’t it?”

“The safer the platform, the higher the fee. Look on the bright side—you didn’t even have to advertise this gate, yet here’s your customer.”

“But that customer is Ahn Suho…”

She responded with a slight smile, then turned to Suho.

“Everything is ready. I’ll be waiting outside until you return, so please proceed.”

The reason she waited outside was for the safety of her clients.

Sometimes, lowlifes would ambush failed challengers as they exited the gate.

Gate brokers needed not only skill and information but also the strength to ensure their clients’ safety and fairness in transactions.

‘That’s why reliable gate brokers are rare.’

As Suho nodded, Bang Dueok took out an item and activated it.

The hidden gate suddenly appeared before them.

Bang Dueok flashed a grin, exposing his yellowed teeth.

“Good luck in there.”

Suho gave Choi Yun one last look and nodded before stepping toward the gate portal.

[Entering the gate.]

[Loading gate information.]

[Twisted Forest]

- Entry Requirement: Level 99 or below.
- Maximum Entry: Up to 8 people.

The gate information appeared, just as he remembered from his past life.

After confirming the entry requirements, Suho stepped into the portal without hesitation.

---

As he entered, the surroundings shifted.

A lush green expanse.

Or, more accurately, what once had been lush greenery.

The massive jungle-like area looked similar to a tropical forest, but a closer inspection revealed signs of decay.

After all, this was the Twisted Forest.

‘I never thought I’d see the Twisted Forest in person.’

While he’d never been here himself, he knew about this place well enough.

Someone had made a name for themselves here with items they discovered.

And Suho had come here for the same purpose.

Summoning his spear, Guiyeongchang, Suho moved forward slowly.

After a short while…

*Creeeak—crack!*

The sound of wood splitting filled the air.

Suho halted and scanned his surroundings, then activated a skill.

[Activating Mana Detection.]

With Mana Detection active, he noticed an odd greenish aura entwined around some trees.

These weren’t ordinary trees; they exuded a strange mana.

They were moving, making creaking noises as they did—tree-like monsters known as Ents.

“Grrr…”

Like zombies, the Ents rose slowly, their twisted faces peering out from behind yellow eyes.

- Twisted Ent Lv. 91
- Twisted Ent Lv. 90
- Twisted Ent Lv. 93

Ents with a minimum level of 90.

There were three of them initially.

Suho activated a skill on Guiyeongchang.

[Holy Power Activated.]

As the holy power surged, a radiant white light surrounded the spear.

He hurled Guiyeongchang at one of the rising Ents.

[Spear Throw Activated.]

*Crack!*

With a swift throw, Guiyeongchang struck the Ent’s forehead squarely.

Simultaneously, Suho summoned Blood Weapon, gripping the blood-red sword in his hand.

“Axe might be better for chopping wood, but you’re not just any trees.”

At that moment, two Ents, enraged by the preemptive strike, charged toward Suho with a guttural roar.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

Massive trees, over four meters tall, stretched out claw-like hands as they came at him.

Suho gripped his blood sword with both hands.

He didn’t imbue it with holy power; he wanted to test something first.

When the closest Ent swung its massive hand at him, Suho swung his sword vertically with all his might.

[Decapitation Activated.]

*Slash!*

The sword cut through the air in a crescent arc.

However, the blade stopped near the Ent’s thick wrist.

The wooden arm was simply too solid.

“Hmm.”

Suho promptly retrieved his sword and swung again.

This time, it sliced cleanly through the Ent’s wrist, severing one of its massive hands.

“Graaaah!!”

The Ent howled, not in pain—since they felt none—but in rage over losing a limb.

Another Ent, slower to arrive, thrust both hands at Suho like spears.

*Boom!*

The ground where Suho had been standing caved in.

But Suho had already moved, evading the attack.

Taking several steps back, Suho furrowed his brow in thought.

‘At level 90, they’re not so easy to cut down.’

His level was currently 59, while the Ents’ levels were at least in the 90s—a gap of over 30 levels.

And if he remembered correctly, the creature ruling over the Earthkeepers' mine was even higher in level and sturdier than these Ents.

‘Time to prepare.’

Even though this world now functioned like a game, it wasn’t an actual online game or virtual reality.

If any variable arose, even beings with far lower stats could defeat him in this world.

Just like in the nameless swordsman gate.

With that in mind, Suho advanced again, purposefully not using holy power.

What he needed now was to complete his training without any supplementary skills.

---

How much time had passed?

Suho continued forward slowly, using every creature in the Twisted Forest as practice dummies for his sword.

He refrained from horizontal or diagonal slashes, focusing solely on vertical cuts, training his *Decapitation* skill.

As a result, his pace through the gate was much slower than usual.

But that was fine.

Patience bore fruit, and what he sought was worth the effort.

And he was confident he would obtain it, for he had once reached this level before.

Suho checked his status window.

[Suho Ahn]

- Lv: 63
- Class: Healer
- Trait: New Blood
- Strength (R): 42
- Stamina (R): 25
- Mana (R): 25
- Perception (R): 25
- Bonus Stat: 0

He’d leveled up four times just from defeating monsters, and all bonus stats were allocated to Strength.

The rewards didn’t stop there.

Upon reaching level 60, he gained a new Healer skill.

[Heal]

- Rank: F

# Light of Healing A → Heal F

# With Light of Healing reaching its highest rank, it has

 evolved into the more potent skill, Heal.

# Consumes mana to quickly restore a designated area with minor regenerative effects.

The new skill was named “Heal,” an upgraded version of Light of Healing. While it returned to F rank, its power far surpassed its A-ranked predecessor.

‘Up to level 40, I received individual class skills. At level 50, they all upgraded to A rank… and from level 60 onwards, the skills improve sequentially.’

At level 100, a major choice awaited him—a pivotal career path shift.

With a satisfied nod, Suho resumed his advance.

Before long…

[A boss monster has appeared.]

Suho finally came face-to-face with the master of the Twisted Forest.