One day, in the early morning near the outskirts of the city, a patrolling team stumbled upon a new "F-class gate" that had not been cleared yet.
After assessing the situation, they quickly reported it to their superiors, and a hunter team was dispatched to clear the gate. The team successfully cleared the gate, and the gate disappeared immediately after.
The team did not come across any high-tier artifacts, elixirs, or skills, but instead, they discovered some advanced low-tier artifacts and remains of monsters.
Despite their lack of significant findings, the team did not suspect any foul play or miss anything crucial during their clearing of the gate. They deemed the mission successful and left the area.
However, there was one magical thing in the gate that has the power to make it boil - ['The Growth Elixir.']
At first glance, some might dismiss it as a low-class elixir that only aids in faster growth for individuals with low ranks. However, that is only partially true.
The version of the [Growth Elixir] Rain took during his training was a low-quality one that only worked for individuals under the D rank.
However, the advanced version of the [Growth Elixir] is available now and has a much broader scope.
It works for all individuals under the C rank and has an extended duration of one week, compared to the previous elixir that only worked for three days.
The power of the Growth Elixir is not to be underestimated. With its ability to enhance one's skills and abilities, it has become a highly prized possession in the fantasy world.
Warriors and adventurers would be willing to go to great lengths to obtain this elixir, and its scarcity has made it even more valuable.
Then you might think - the people who discovered the object might have fought over it or sold it. But this was not the case. In fact, the hunting team that stumbled upon it didn't even bother to take it.
They considered the object to have a foul smell and discarded it immediately, without even touching it.
However, their assumption that the object was not of great significance was incorrect as it turned out to be an item found in an undead monster-type gate, which would explain the putrid smell emanating from it.
At that time, many readers felt that the author's so-called easter egg description was a bit redundant.
After all, what's point of mentioning something that didn't appear in the whole book after that?
However, many readers felt that it might have something to do with follow-up story or sequel of the novel.
In the given scenario, a reader posed a question to the author out of curiosity, asking about the contents of a bottle.
However, the author casually replied that the bottle contained an advanced version of the [Growth Elixir]. This response left the readers laughing at the stupidity of the hunter team.
Still, Rain wasn't focused on this.
'There were many easter eggs like this? what is the reason?'
It was almost like author was giving these hints to someone. More bizzare thing was, he didn't even edit these details after completing the novel. Neither let Rain's company remove them during adaptation.
'I wish I could meet that author.'
Rain lay hidden in a secluded spot, a short distance from the gate, using his Hawkeye to monitor the surroundings for any signs of movement. Soon he saw a movement.
As he watched, his heart quickened with anticipation. The gate began to creak open slowly, and excitement surged through him.
He knew that this was his chance, and he couldn't waste any time.
He sprinted towards the gate, his heart pounding in his chest.
He slipped inside, relieved that he had made it in unnoticed. He allowed himself a moment to catch his breath, knowing that the hard part was still ahead.
As soon as Rain entered the gate, he was struck by the eerie and unsettling atmosphere.
"This place gives me the creeps," he muttered to himself, his voice muffled by the face mask he had retrieved from his space ring.
The air was thick with the stench of decay and rot, making it difficult to breathe.
But Rain was okay as his mask also had the functions of a gas mask.
The darkness was almost impenetrable, but Rain was prepared.
He activated the night vision on his face mask and peered into the distance. 'If I use guiding light function of belt, I might attract too many mobs and I don't know if I can handle them.'
Even though Rain was E-ranker now, it might be hard for him to handle hundreads of F-class monsters at same time.
"There it is," he said under his breath, spotting the massive structure in the distance.
It was made of dark, rough stone that looked ancient and weathered as if it had been standing there for centuries.
Rain knew that this was his destination, the place where the boss monster resided.
The terrain inside the gate was desolate and barren, with no signs of life or vegetation.
'What a depressing place,' Rain thought to himself as he navigated the rocky and uneven ground.
The only signs of any animals or creatures were the occasional carrion birds circling overhead, ominously looking for their next meal.
'The author didn't explain much about this gate, but he did mention that there are undead monsters and the boss monster is an E-class undead monster Dullahan.'
Rain's heart started pounding in anticipation. He wanted to test out his new sword and the skills he had been honing for a long time.
He reached into his space ring and pulled out his new sword, which gleamed in the dim light.
With a deep breath, Rain unsheathed his new sword, Nandaka, and took a step forward.
Creak Creak
Dozens of hands started to break through from the soil.
Tsk
Rain clicked his tongue, as he saw these zombies.
"Keep yourself underneath, no need to come out." Rain stabbed zombies's heads as they started to crawl out. It was like whack-a-mole game. It didn't take much time to clear them. After all, they will die if you injure their brain.
***
After some time, a strange scene happened in the gate.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
It wasn't sound of music. It was just Rain hit skeleton's bones too hard.
Huoooo
Ouoooo
►[Host, they sound like crying. Did you hit too hard?]
'Not my fault, they were too irritating.'
In past hour, Rain met hundreds of monsters. And fighting them wasn't as simple as he thought. They didn't care much about their lives. Becuase they didn't feel pain.
'And what the hell is this human wave tactic?'
With a quick flick of his wrist, he sliced through their flesh, sending their limbs flying in all directions.
The stench of rotting flesh filled his nostrils, but he pushed on.
As he continued to move through the dungeon, he encountered another group of skeletons that rose from the ground.
Their bony fingers grasped for him, but Rain was quick to evade their attacks.
He used his sword to strike their bones, shattering them into pieces before they came out..
Next, he faced a swarm of rats that rushed at him from all directions.
He swung his sword in wide arcs, cutting through the vermin with ease.
The rats squealed in terror as they met their end at the tip of his blade.
As he moved deeper into the dungeon, he faced even more terrifying creatures - bats that screeched and swooped down at him from the ceiling.
However, Rain killed the bats with ease using his Thunder Eagle skill.
He felt that his aim had also become more accurate since his mastery in Marksmanship was now at the Elementary level.
Soon, ghouls emerged from the shadows, their gnarled teeth bared in hunger. But Rain killed them in the end.
Looking at these horrors made him feel like he was trapped in a horror game. 'This is insane.'
'That bastard author! Is this grave? Why not call this graveyard or undead forest!'
Rain was grateful that he had a calm mind and was able to keep his cool. Otherwise he would have started 'greeting' mother and father of the author.
***
'Phew..' Rain glanced at his watch. Two hours had passed since he had entered the gate. There were only two hours left before patrol team would notice this gate and dispatch the team.
Fortunately, Rain had already killed most of the monsters in the gate except Boss monster.