Suho also saw the notification appear before him.

[The gate has been cleared.]

[MVP of the gate clearing: 'Ahn Suho'.]

[Additional experience points granted for MVP selection.]

[1 bonus stat awarded for MVP selection.]

[For achieving a remarkable feat, the system grants you an additional 5 bonus stats.]

[Your level has increased.]

[All stats have increased by 1.]

[1 bonus stat acquired.]

Suho glanced at the notifications floating before him. His level had increased, which seemed like a typical outcome. However, this time, something was different—there was no notification of Bulgasal being defeated.

Yet, there was no trace of Bulgasal around him. Instead, Suho shifted his gaze to the marble-sized orb in his hand. It was the 'Dominion Orb' he had previously acquired from Malayon. Remarkably, Bulgasal was now curled up and slumbering within this orb.

‘So, it really can be tamed.’

It wasn’t exactly capture; rather, it was a form of "taming" rooted in domination. Suho recalled his last clash with Bulgasal. The creature had charged at him with all its might, and Suho had met the charge head-on without dodging, using the Steel Cutter technique.

The result was Suho’s victory. His Blood Sword, imbued with Hogongryu, managed to slice Bulgasal at an angle. However, Suho hadn’t aimed to kill it; his purpose had been to tame Bulgasal from the start. So, he deliberately cut at an angle, not a direct blow, and then poured magic into the Dominion Orb, casting it onto the ground.

Before the orb even touched the ground, Bulgasal had been sucked into it with a burst and summoned again within the orb.

[Bulgasal has been summoned.]

The summoned Bulgasal appeared much smaller. It had used up all the minerals it had consumed in its final assault against Suho, and its state wasn’t the best, likely due to the capture occurring right after its injury. But Suho wasn’t worried.

After all, Suho’s current class was not a warrior but a healer.

He reached out to Bulgasal and activated a skill.

[Heal is activated.]

The healing light, now upgraded and more potent, carried Suho's magic and swiftly began to restore Bulgasal. As the warmth of the healing spell enveloped it, Bulgasal’s eyelids drooped, and soon it fell into a comfortable sleep.

Suho continued to pour his magic into the creature until its wounds were fully healed. Finally, when Bulgasal’s recovery was complete, Suho spoke.

“Bulgasal.”

“Bul-bul.”

Upon hearing its name, Bulgasal instantly woke, standing to attention. The disciplined stance made it clear that it was now under the spell of domination, a subservient creature to Suho.

Suho issued a command.

“Begin.”

“Bul-bul!”

Bulgasal responded eagerly, starting to gather and consume the minerals and magic stones it had once lain upon like a makeshift bed.

Suho watched the spectacle, nodding in approval.

‘Good worker.’

Bulgasal, a legendary beast who feeds on iron and is vulnerable to fire, could convert consumed minerals into power. When Bulgasal first appeared as a summoned creature rather than a monster, people called it something else.

‘The world’s best miner, Bulgasal.’

It wasn’t an exaggeration. Even Earthkeeper Kobolds or mining-mad dwarves couldn’t compete with a creature like Bulgasal, whose primary diet consisted of minerals. Suho checked Bulgasal’s information window.

[Bulgasal]

- Lv. 99

- Traits

└ <Dominion Orb><Spirit Beast><Dominated Creature>

- Skills

└ <Fear><Colorful Steel><Iron Consumption><Steel Spit><Storage><Regeneration><Overpower><Hyper Spin><Fire Resistance><Earth Affinity>

The list of skills filled the screen. As a spirit beast and a dominated creature, Bulgasal was ranked as an S-level summoning creature.

‘That’s why I used my one-time Dominion Orb on Bulgasal.’

Suho had chosen the twisted forest gate specifically to use the Dominion Orb, as it was the only way to obtain Bulgasal at this point. Watching Bulgasal work, Suho recalled the previous owner of Bulgasal in his past life—a player known as Gaia, nicknamed the Earth’s Avatar. Gaia had used Bulgasal extensively for mineral gathering, which Suho now commanded Bulgasal to do.

With a Level 99 Bulgasal, Suho’s mineral gathering capacity would far surpass that of the Nexus team’s.

Not long after, Bulgasal, now several times larger with a belly full of minerals, approached Suho, proudly patting its stomach. Suho took Bulgasal and activated one of his item skills.

[Entering the Subspace House.]

The item skill transported them to Suho’s Subspace House. Inside, he instructed Bulgasal to release all the minerals it had stored. Its body shrank back down as it emptied its haul, and Suho repeated the process.

‘Once we leave, we won’t be able to return here. I have to make the most of this while I’m in.’

He had no intention of breaking his agreement with Bae Dong-hyuk. The Nexus mining team had already reached their maximum collection capacity, so anything gathered after that belonged to Suho.

Of course, he didn’t plan on reporting this to Bae Dong-hyuk, as he had entered as a combatant, not part of the mining team.

***

“It’s taking a bit too long...”

Near the fork in the passageways, Banshee’s team and the mining group were all waiting for Suho. Despite the notification that the gate had been cleared, the MVP, Suho, was nowhere to be seen, making them anxious.

Head Miner Ahn Sung-won voiced his concern.

“Maybe… something happened to him inside? Like he got injured during the raid...?”

From their perspective, it was a reasonable worry. Sung-won felt that they might need to search the interior soon, and Kang Dae-han hesitantly expressed his own concern.

“It’s not that I don’t trust the team leader, but... I can’t help but worry. What do you all think?”

Kang Dae-han looked at Gu Yeon-hwa and Seo Gi-won. Gu Yeon-hwa hesitated, wondering what if, by some slim chance, Suho was trapped somewhere without a way out.

Seo Gi-won finally spoke up.

“No, he’ll definitely come back.”

To Seo Gi-won, Suho was almost like a religious figure—a leader he trusted implicitly. He believed it was his duty as a team member to wait, trusting in Suho’s words.

Gu Yeon-hwa nodded.

“Let’s wait a bit longer, as instructed. After all, the gate has already been cleared.”

“Understood.”

Though Gu Yeon-hwa wasn’t following Suho out of personal trust, she respected his capability. For the sake of team unity, she felt she should believe in him. After all, as Banshee’s leader, it was her role to support their new leader.

Thus, despite her own worries, she decided to wait the full twelve hours, as Suho had requested. Then, with about thirty minutes remaining on the clock, a loud crash resounded through the mine.

*Boom!*

One of the blocked tunnels collapsed, and a familiar silhouette emerged through the settling dust.

Seo Gi-won shouted out, “Leader!”

“Yes, it’s me,” Suho replied.

Everyone recognized his silhouette immediately. Dusting off the dirt from his clothes, Suho appeared without a scratch. Seo Gi-won rushed over.

“What took you so long! Do you know how worried we were?!”

“You could have come looking for me if you were so worried.”

“But you told us not to! Do you know how awkward it was, having to keep the mining team from going in to search for you?”

Suho chuckled at Seo Gi-won’s enthusiasm.

“Well done. Keep it up.”

“Absolutely!” Seo Gi-won beamed with pride, and even Gu Yeon-hwa couldn’t hide her smile.

Suho turned to her and remarked, “You were quite patient, weren’t you?”

“Who else would we believe if not our leader?”

“Exactly. That’s the spirit of a good teammate. Well done.”

“But why were you so late? The gate was cleared hours ago.”

“Just some... business to take care of.”

“Business?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

Gu Yeon-hwa gave him a bewildered look, but Suho only responded with a knowing smile. Turning to Ahn Sung-won, Suho addressed the mining team.

“Thank you for waiting. Now, shall we all head back?”

“Yes!”

“Absolutely!”

With the raid team following, Suho led them toward the gate’s exit.

***

“He’s taking a bit too long…”

“What’s going on?”

“The gate was cleared, but… he’s still not out.”

“Did something happen in there?”

Outside the gate, the Nexus Guild members were also growing anxious due to Suho’s delay. Initially, they had expected him to finish quickly, but hours had passed since the gate’s clearance notification.

‘Could something have gone wrong...?’

Bae Dong-hyuk was especially nervous. Suho was not only a rising star in the nation but someone marked by the Great Hunter Association. If anything serious had happened to Suho, it could affect his own standing.

The moment Bae Dong-hyuk’s worry peaked, someone shouted, “Look! He’s coming out!”

Emerging from the

 gate, almost like a victorious general, was Suho.

“Hunter Ahn!”

Seeing Suho, Bae Dong-hyuk hurriedly rushed out of the control room, running towards him.