‘When I close my eyes and open them, it’s a different world. How ridiculous’

 

I didn’t know this until now, but when I looked closely, I realized that this was the inside of some kind of building.

 

A high ceiling that feels like a mythical giant will pass by. And the white hallway.

 

The back and sides are blocked by walls, and the straight road points only to the front. 

 

“Is it really inside the gate?”

 

How does a weak creature that can’t even use fire magic overcome these difficulties?

 

‘Please save this alien…’

 

First of all, I don’t want the worst case scenario of encountering a monster at a dead end.

 

I began to walk while trembling. 

 

After some time, I finally arrived at some unusual place. 

 

“Uhm?”

 

A square room with four crossroads.

 

The road ahead was blocked by a huge door that couldn’t be pushed even with the strength of a man.

 

The remaining three roads are clear. For reference, one is the one I just passed by.

 

“There’s something written there.”

 

However, the thing that draws my attention the most is the monument that is stuck in the middle of the room.

 

I bent down to examine the mysterious monument.

 

At the same time, footsteps began to be heard from both sides of the passage.

 

‘Hiik!’

 

There is another creature here.

 

Sometimes it is comforting to know that I’m actually not alone. On the one hand, it is a source of fear.

 

So I flinched for a moment… 

 

‘Huh? These are the footsteps of Earthlings, right?’

 

Tak, tak, tak.

 

Not long after, the main character of the footsteps appeared. 

 

The one on the left is a large man who appears to be in his 30s.

 

While the one on the right path is a person with a neat impression who seems a little younger than Kiryeo. 

 

Fortunately, one of the two is familiar.

 

“Kang Changho?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

I called his name without thinking. Then Kang Changho gave a light hand greeting.

 

Aside from why Kang Changho is here. Then there’s one more person left.

 

‘Black hair, black eyes. It’s typical.’

 

While I was guessing who that person who appeared in the path on the right might be, Kang Changho suddenly came forward.

 

“Ah, Jung Haseong!”

 

He greeted the person standing on the other side warmly.

 

“I heard you’re in Singapore?”

 

“I returned home today.”

 

But if the answer is that stiff, aren’t the two of them not that close? 

 

“Do you know each other?”

 

I walked toward them and asked them a simple question.

 

However, the two people who were talking heard me and turned their heads in surprise.

 

No, what’s wrong?

 

“Hunter Kim Kiryeo. “I’m just asking, just in case, don’t you know Jung Haseong?” 

 

It’s my second week on Earth, do you get it? 

 

There’s no way I can give that answer. I closed my mouth.

 

Then Kang Chang-ho laughed as if he saw something funny.

 

“Haha! Do you see that? He really doesn’t know you.”

 

“….”

 

“I guess you need to work harder on this. Look, the hunter in front of you is acting like he doesn’t even care what Jeong Ha-seong is doing.” 

 

Who in the world is he to react this way?

 

As someone who doesn’t know the situation, I had nothing to say, so I stood with my back to him for a moment, but as the mutual introduction continued, a cold sweat broke out.

 

“Anyway, if you don’t know each other, just calling each other by title is troublesome, so let’s introduce ourselves in advance, shall we? Now, this is Jung Haseong.” 

 

“….”

 

“He is ranked first in the Korean hunter rankings.”

 

Shit. 

 

“You can hear people outside calling him a national hero, but since you don’t know who he is, ignore that.”

 

He’s a much greater person than I expected.

 

What if I’m discovered to be an alien? Feeling worried, I glanced at the person named Jung Haseong. 

 

But the other person just keeps a cold face and remains silent.

 

“And Jung Haseong, this is Hunter Kim Kiryeo. His rank is F-Class.”

 

“Ah, hello.”

 

“Yes.” 

 

Jung Haseong’s gaze stayed with me for quite some time.

 

And he asked a short question.

 

“Are you two suddenly dragged to this place?”

 

After seeing us nod, Jung Haseong seemed to be pondering for a moment and briefly manipulated the clock on his wrist.

 

Then surprisingly… 

 

“Huh.” 

 

A square blue screen appears in Jung Haseong’s vision. 

 

It looks like a hologram, and anyway I’m sure it’s made of light.

 

[Unidentified gate]

[Description: There is no gate information.]

[Grade: EX]

 

Could that be an analyzer too?

 

‘This is the technology of the Earth…’

 

I had no idea there was such a sophisticated looking analyzer.

 

I was amazed as I peeked at the screen, and Jung Haseong nodded his head as he read the words written there. 

 

“First of all, it is clear that it is inside the gate. The rank is Extra. It’s troublesome.” 

 

What is EX-rank? 

 

I took the device out of my pocket and tried to search for a word I didn’t know.

 

But the cell phone didn’t work properly; the screens were rainbow-colored and there was noise.

 

“Oh my, I also came in without a protection case. If you don’t get out quickly, your phone will be ruined due to interference.”

 

From what Kang Changho said, it seems that it is difficult to use general electronic devices at the gate.

 

‘Then is there no way to contact Ahn Yoonseung?’

 

I swallowed dry saliva and carefully placed my cell phone in my pocket. 

 

There was silence for a moment.

 

“Would you please come here? There’s something written on the stone tablet.”

 

It was Jung Haseong who broke the silence.

 

Kang Changho and I followed the call and approached the object in the center of the room. The following was written on the strange sculpture there.

 

< It will become a symbol and key of true faith. >

 

The meaningful message…

 

“Is this a hint needed for the attack?” 

 

Looking at it, it seems that this place isn’t just about defeating monsters.

 

“I think the only way to proceed is through that door, so let’s go first.”

 

If I open my mouth for no reason, it will only be revealed that I have an empty mind.

 

I was forced to become a quiet person and followed Jung Haseong, and the next place I arrived was this room.

 

‘It’s the same as before, right?’

 

I escaped from the white room and found myself in another huge white room.

 

However, the detailed structure is different.

 

Only one exit. And something placed instead of a stone tablet.

 

Looking closely, I saw that it was a statue of a lion’s head with its mouth open.

 

It looks like there is a round opening inside the mouth.

 

“It’s just a hole big enough to fit a person’s arm into.”

 

Kang Changho, who was standing behind the statue, said something, but no one tried to put a hand on it.

 

Are you crazy enough to put your hand into the lion’s mouth? I feel uncomfortable because I’m already inside the gate. 

 

“…Hunter Kang Changho. Please help me for a moment.”

 

“Me?”

 

But then.

 

Standing at the doorway to this room, Jung Haseong calmly asked for help.

 

It may not have been a big deal to him, but what followed was shocking.

 

“The door can’t be opened by my own strength.”

 

S-Class Hunter, do you know about what kind of beings S-class hunters are on Earth? 

 

These magicians, who had exceptional talent among humans exposed to magical power, boasted literally monstrous abilities.

 

But now… two such S-Class Hunters have gathered together.

 

‘Crazy.’

 

I can’t believe he said he can’t open the door.

 

A few minutes later.

 

After thinking about it, we decided that Jung Haseong would use explosive magic on the door as a last resort.

 

‘You can’t open it with force!’

 

So what should we do to open it?

 

As all methods failed, attention naturally focused on one place.

 

‘Don’t tell me…’

 

We looked at the lion statue located in the center of the room.

 

This room is an empty plain, so the only thing worth trying is that lion statue.

 

“Shall we destroy it?”

 

Several attempts were made after that, but we were isolated without being able to scratch the lion statue or open the door.

 

That’s how 10 minutes have passed.

 

‘I came here without any preparation, so if it’s continued like this, the food…’

 

As I thought of Kim Kiryeo’s cause of death, I was sensitive to the approaching risk of starvation.

 

It seems that Jung Haseong also had the same thought. As if he had made up his mind, he took a step forward in front of the lion statue.

 

And then, he secretly put his hand into the hole of the lion statue …

 

“….!”

 

At that moment, the lion’s eyes, which were white, turned red.

 

Soon, the heavy door that had not budged slowly opened.

 

“Oh.”

 

“It’s open.”

 

But, huh?

 

Jung Haseong’s expression looks strange when he takes his hand off the lion statue.

 

He looks somehow…surprised.

 

“What’s wrong with you?”

 

When I looked closely, I saw that his hands had red teeth marks, as if they had been bitten by an animal.

 

Jung Haseong said while showing the wound on his hand.

 

“It sucked my blood.”

 

“What?”

 

“I was so shocked that I tried to pull my arm out without realizing it, but it wouldn’t come off no matter how hard I tried. It would have been quicker to cut off my shoulder.”

 

Fortunately, the amount of blood sucked is small. He moved on to the next room as if it didn’t matter.

 

I somehow feel like a guinea pig in a huge laboratory. Everything is white.

 

However, the appearance of the next room was ridiculous.

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

Jung Haseong and I were at a loss for words when we saw the sight beyond the door.

 

Why? That’s because the same lion statue I saw earlier was stuck in the center of the room.

 

‘Does it mean to do that again?’

 

I guess the gate maker was very impressed by Roman Holiday?

 

‘Ugh.’

 

Anyway, Jung Haseong put his arm in without dragging his feet, as if he had no intention of staying in this dungeon for a long time.

 

The door opened again.

 

‘Phew, but thanks to him, I’m somehow moving forward.’

 

If you put your arm into the lion statue, the door will open.

 

It’s easy and simple. It’s a puzzle that even a rat can solve.

 

“Oh, there’s a lion statue in the next room as well. If we repeat the same actions, will we be able to get out?”

 

Maybe that’s why I’m relaxed.

 

“Hunter Kang Changho, I have something to say to you for a moment.”

 

However, due to Jung Haseong’s next few words, the atmosphere here began to flow with an air current that could explode at any moment.

 

“Can you open the next room for me?”

 

“Why?”

 

“How much blood the statue takes in has changed.”

 

“….”

 

“The first time was fine, but the second time I felt a little dizzy.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“And for these dungeons, the demands usually increase gradually.”

 

Let’s take turns.

 

He suggested in a polite tone. Kang Changho answered sarcastically.

 

“Well, you’ve been doing well so far, but why don’t you just take the lead until the end?”

 

In response, Jung Haseong calmly said as if he expected it.

 

“So you’re uncooperative in the attack.”

 

“Don’t you know my Hunter ranking?”

 

“Because I’ve never been interested in useless titles that line up people based on the number of gate closings.”

 

Whoosh. A sharp metallic sound rings out from somewhere.

 

This was the sound of Jung Haseong pulling out the sword he was wearing around his waist, and Kang Changho watched it loosely.

 

“I ask one more time. Hunter Kang Changho, let’s take turns.”

 

“If I don’t want to?”

 

“Would you like to see if a severed arm can open the door?”

 

Uhm.

 

At this rate, they’ll start fighting.

 

“Excuse me…”

 

I tried to stop them, but I held my breath at Hunter’s words that followed.

 

“Jung Haseong, please consider my position too. What if I take turns opening the door and end up getting life-threateningly blood-sucked in my turn? First of all, you should give me the authority to choose the timing so that we don’t end up being unfair to each other, right?”

 

Yeah. Why didn’t I think of this all this time?

 

Everyone in the room had slowly realized the significance of this gate.

 

This place has a structure where you can move forward by offering human blood. And the hole through which blood is collected is just big enough to fit one person’s arm. 

 

In other words, the solution to this dungeon is for one person to become a sacrifice.

 

I belatedly remembered how dangerous EX-Class was.

 

Yeah. I saw an article by chance. So, the survival rate statistics are probably around 60%.

 

In conclusion, there are no monsters here. However it was never a safe place.

 

Perhaps, as Kang Changho said, he could die by having his entire body’s blood eaten by a lion.

 

Then there’s a small problem now.

 

“Uhm.”

 

I am now trapped in ‘a gate that forces the sacrifice of one of the people I entered with’.

 

What was the awakening rank of those people?