"Erosion" was a term used to describe the phenomenon of the blue mist that spilled out the gates, acting to contaminate its surroundings. Tainted areas transformed by the magic of the otherworld became more hospitable environments for magic beasts.
If the other side of a gate was called a "dungeon," then the tainted areas around gates were referred to as "field-type dungeons." Places contaminated this way were no different from a dungeon, meaning, the Hanguk University's art gallery was essentially a land of death.
"It seems that student..." The hunter's words trailed off, but it was obvious to anyone what they were about to say next.
***
Meanwhile, Suho was still coming to terms with his discovery.
[Level up!]
Is this what I think it is? He was captured in awe as the message floated in front of his eyes.
The game-like system from his dreams long ago had appeared in real life.
My goodness, could this be another dream?
Far from it—he wasn't dreaming this time. The air brushing up against his skin was proof enough. Moreover, the fatigue he'd felt vanished completely the moment the message appeared, even the minor burns caused by the mist burn were completely healed. The rest of the message continued to catch his eye.
[Secret Quest: You have met the completion requirements of "The Courage of the Helpless."]
[You have an unread message.]
The level-up system in Suho's dream had only displayed the level. There had been no messages. The message box automatically expanded when he looked at the message.
[You have two unread messages.]
[Congratulations on becoming a "player" in real life.] (Unread)
[You have a new quest.] (Unread)
"A player... In real life?"
Suho continued by checking his first message.
[Secret Quest: The Courage of the Helpless
You have proved yourself by earning experience points in a non-awakened state.
You have awakened from level 0 to level 1, allowing you to check your status window.]
[Information]
This system supports the growth of the player. Also, a reminder that this is no longer the "tutorial mode." In reality, you only have one life, so please be cautious.
Tutorial mode? Is it by any chance talking about that dream? Suho instinctively realized that the dreams he had when he was a teenager were practice games, and the real game had truly started. And just like a real game, additional features were added that weren't a part of the tutorial. For example, the status window.
[Status Window
Name: Sung Suho
Level: 1
Job: None
Title: None
HP: 100/100
MP: 10/10]
[Stats
Strength: 10
Health / Stamina: 10
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 10
Sense: 10
(Available Ability Points: 0)]
[Skills
Passive Skills: None
Active Skills: Ruler's Authority - Level 1]
The status window displayed some basic information about Suho, just like a game would. He immediately moved on to the next message.
[Quest: Rescue the Survivors.
There are people nearby waiting for you to rescue them.
Please rescue as many of them as possible.
The rewards will vary based on the number of rescued individuals.
- Current Survivors: 52
- Rescued: 0]
The second message opened a quest window. This quest was also a system feature that Suho had never experienced in his dreams.
Rewards vary depending on the number of people rescued… It felt like a real game, but he reminded himself that he was in cold, hard reality. He was aware that people were dying with each passing moment.
[Current Survivors: 52 → 51]
[Current Survivors: 51 → 50]
The changing numbers of survivors snapped him out of his thoughts before a familiar sight interrupted him once more.
"Grrraaaaaah!"
I forgot about them!
Suho was admittedly too distracted by the status window. The mist burn had dangerously crept up on him and was about to attack.
"Damn it!" Suho swung his arm hastily.
Thwack!
He was surprised by what happened next.
Crack! Suho's fist made contact with the mist burn, forcing it to bounce backward in agony.
"What?"
More surprised at himself than anything, Suho looked down to examine his hand. Despite hitting the blazing blue smoke with his bare fist, he felt no sense of burning. During the momentary pause, another mist burn lunged toward him from behind. Without any hesitation, Suho immediately threw another punch. Crack!
"Arrgh!"
The result was the same. A simple punch from Suho sent the mist burn flying back without mercy.
"Grrraah?"
The mist burn looked perplexed, realizing that Suho had changed. To them, he looked like an ordinary human, yet his punches were extremely painful. But that was the extent of their deduction as mist burns acted solely on instinct.
"Aaargh!"
Following the roar of a mist burn, its fellow beasts nearby rushed toward Suho, who despite the danger, remained completely unfazed by the menacing sight. He had come to an important realization: The creatures posed no real threat to him, and it was time to counterattack.
Wham! Suho wasted no time and charged at the creatures.
"Krah!"
"Grrraaaaaah!"
The situation was completely different from a typical raid. Normally, the strategy would involve calmly assessing the monster's strength, with the tank blocking up front while the damage dealer unleashed their attack. Suho chose to ignore convention and began brawling with the magic beasts, swinging his fists wildly. The results were devastating.
[The mist burn has been defeated!]
[The mist burn has been defeated!]
[The mist burn has been defeated!]
Suho continued forward, defeating them one by one.
[Current Survivors: 37 → 36]
Meanwhile, the number of survivors continued to dwindle, which meant that more mist burns were being formed.
More of these creatures means that the rate of people dying will exponentially accelerate. Suho knew he had to hurry, he thoroughly searched every corner of the building to find survivors.
"Hurry, this way!"
He showed every survivor he found a way out.
[Rescued: 12]
***
"What's this? How are they all managing to escape?"
The hunters outside the art gallery were surprised. Just as they were finishing checking their equipment and getting ready to enter the building, survivors started coming out one by one
"Someone inside saved us."
"It was a student!"
The hunters grew even more surprised by their statements.
"Are you saying that someone is fighting the magic beasts inside?"
"Did a hunter already enter the building?"
Dogyoon tilted his head, looking as puzzled as the hunters. "That's unlikely. There are no hunters among the students, and the other hunters haven't arrived yet."
Eavesdropping, Daehyun chimed in with a hopeful voice.
"Could it be Suho?"
"Suho?"
Dogyoon and the hunters exchanged looks of doubt, stumped by the suggestion, The probability of an ordinary person surviving in a field-type dungeon was exceedingly rare. But it was too difficult to tell Daehyun that his friend had most likely perished. Luckily, one of the survivors that had just come out knew of Suho.
"That's right! Suho saved us!"
"What?!"
"Suho saved you? How on earth did he do that?"
"He was beating the magic beasts with his bare hands!"
"With his bare hands?"
The hunters pitied the survivor after hearing their story. They were certain that fear had made them see false visions. Engaging in combat against a mist burn using only your bare hands was an incredibly dangerous endeavor.
Your hands would be burnt to a crisp. It's practically suicide.
Unless a hunter was capable of imbuing magic into their fists, they needed at least a pair of gauntlets to protect their hands from burns. Nonetheless, one thing was certain—a student named Suho was alive and rescuing people.
The hunters murmured with serious expressions.
"Perhaps that student... has awakened."
"Suho? Awakened?" The implication forced Dogyoon's focus back to the art gallery.
Meanwhile, survivors continued to escape the building thanks to Suho's rescue efforts. The hunters were also ready to enter the building, having finished their preparations.
"Team leader, the mana measurement is complete. It appears to be a D-grade dungeon."
"I see. More reason to hurry."
The mention of a D-grade dungeon brought a determined gleam to the hunters' eyes. If it was a D-grade dungeon, there would likely be magic beasts much stronger than mist burns. Even if the student Suho had just awakened, no one could guarantee how long an inexperienced rookie like him would be able to hold out.
***
Hiss...
[The mist burn has been defeated.]
Having crushed every mist burn in his sight, Suho took a moment to take a heavy breath.
It's almost over. His tired body cried out for sleep, but his mind remained sharp. Then, suddenly… Ding!
[Level up!]
His entire body was enveloped in a transparent light and vitality surged through him.
I can keep going at this rate!
Just as Suho was about to find the remaining survivors… Boom! An explosion erupted from above. It caused the ceiling to collapse, with an enormous amount of dust and debris scattering in all directions.
He was taken by surprise and he tried to dodge, but couldn't avoid the debris completely. Despite having healed all his wounds upon reaching level 1, blood now trickled down Suho's forehead. But that wasn't the only issue, a gigantic wolf had descended from the hole in the ceiling.
The wolf howled ferociously, and the powerful presence of the beast snapped Suho's mind back to the task at hand.
There's no way I can win this. He knew it as soon as he saw it. His survival instincts, universal to all life, rang alarm bells. Compared to a mist burn, the primal fear he felt was on a different scale.
The enormous wolf snarled and looked down at Suho with arrogance, as if he was a wounded, helpless prey.
Suho felt like he was being crushed by an immense sense of danger, but he gathered himself—he'd come too far to succumb to fear. He had to make the best choice possible given the circumstances.
If I can't escape, then I'll strike first!
Suho grabbed a nearby rock and hurled it directly at the giant wolf. However, the massive wolf nonchalantly raised its front paw and brushed aside the attack.
Here's my chance! Suho rushed forward. He struck the creature with the very fist that had destroyed dozens of mist burns, but it still wasn't enough.
The wolf let out an agitated howl, and its jaws clamped down on Suho's shoulder.
"Urgh!"
Suho bit back the pain and began to strike the creature's head repeatedly, but his efforts were lacking once more. In the end, he found himself sprawled helplessly on the ground, defeated. The massive wolf's front paw pressed down on Suho's body insolently.
It was a lost cause from the start. Knowing how it would end, the wolf savored its victory like a mere formality.
Just as the wolf's savage fangs were about to tear into Suho's throat… A miracle occurred.
A single bolt of black lightning, as dark as the distant cosmos, struck down from the sky. The ceiling was blown out by the impact, and the space between the wolf and Suho had split in two. Enveloped in black steam, the figure that rose from the settling dust was the Ant King.
[Beru: Max Level]
Commander Beru flattened the wolf's jaws to the ground with one hand as he towered over Suho.