Episode 11
#11
I descended to the sparsely populated surface with the robots.
The moment I set foot on the surface, I gave orders to the robots.
"I'm going to close the Gate nearby. All of you, go inside the Gate first and wipe them out."
[[[["Yes, understood."]]]]
Those words marked the beginning.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The ground around us shook.
Alt and Meradon pounded the earth as they charged toward the Gate.
I, too, followed behind them with a leisurely gait.
Honestly, the reason I was trying to close the Gate wasn’t because I had some grim resolve.
It was simply that now I had the strength, I was attempting to do what should have been done all along.
Of course, I also intended to take whatever benefits I could gain in the process.
"Man, it’s huge…."
This thought came to me as I arrived before the Gate.
Even if they said it was on the smaller side, a Gate was still a Gate.
Its size was comparable to an apartment building nearby.
It was then.
Ding-.
[The Constellation 'Fairy of the Benevolent Gentle Breeze' cries out in confusion at the robots' actions.]
[The Constellation 'Fairy of the Benevolent Gentle Breeze' warns you that place is dangerous.]
The Fairy of the Benevolent Gentle Breeze, that Constellation, had warned me of the danger as I stood before the Gate.
It was a surprisingly kind Constellation.
Constellations had no reason to casually warn a human they had just met—a human who wasn’t even their contractor.
It was then that Constellations with familiar names began watching my actions.
[The Constellation 'Fairy of Pure Flame' shows interest.]
[The Constellation 'Seeker of Free Knowledge' shows interest.]
[The Constellation 'Wing of the Leisurely Spring' worries about you.]
[The Constellation 'Lion of the Silent Forest' shows interest in you.]
[The Constellation 'Little Fairy of Winter' shows interest in you.]
[The Constellation 'Ruler of the Noble Tower' shows interest in you.]
[The Constellation 'Shadow of the Sky Hidden by Light' watches you with intrigued eyes.]
Yes, I knew standing in front of the Gate would draw attention.
From the moment I descended to the surface, there was no way to avoid their gaze.
Of course, it didn’t really matter.
As long as they didn’t find out I was the 'Nameless Constellation.'
I entered the Gate without hesitation.
* * *
Inside the Gate was a forested space.
A door leading to another world—the Gate.
To close this Gate, I had to kill the demon beast that served as its power source.
The so-called boss monster common in games.
And, as expected?
'Just as I thought….'
The Gate wasn’t of a very high rank.
Just looking at the demon beast corpses scattered around, they were at most Rank 9 to Rank 7.
By my estimate, the boss monster here was probably only Rank 6.
Of course, you never knew.
There could always be variables.
For instance, Irregular monsters that had undergone mutations.
Irregular monsters referred to demon beasts that had undergone strange mutations even among their own species.
Roughly speaking, they were like those who sprouted wings despite being of a species that couldn’t fly.
Anyway, such a demon beast could be serving as the boss monster here.
I looked around the surrounding forest.
"They made quite a spectacle."
More precisely, I surveyed the place that used to be a forest.
Trees had been swept away by some impact, and demon beast corpses were strewn everywhere.
In the sky, the demon beast Predaton was crashing to the ground thanks to Aria.
They were robots, not humans.
This was the spectacle caused by their limitless mobility.
Kuwaaaah!!!
It was then.
A massive roar spread in all directions and shook the earth.
It was the most savage and ferocious roar I had heard from a demon beast yet.
Without a doubt.
This was the roar of the Gate’s boss monster.
I ran toward the direction of its roar.
There, four Alt units and two Aria units were clearing the surrounding demon beasts, while the remaining Alt unit, one Aria unit, and Meradon were attacking the presumed boss monster.
I knew that demon beast.
Rank 6 demon beast, Gigantrono.
I knew it from the game, but it was still a grotesque-looking demon beast.
A headless, massive body with one enormous eye, and six tree-trunk-like legs supporting its frame.
Its massive maw was located between its six legs.
That was why the ground shook when it roared.
'Still, that’s fortunate.'
There was probably no Rank 6 demon beast as easy to raid as Gigantrono.
Its weakness was far too obvious.
Of course, that was assuming one possessed a body on par with Rank 6.
It was then.
Kuwaaaah!!
Its ferocious roar shook the ground once more.
A Rank 6 demon beast, and even though it was before my eyes for the first time, my heart didn’t waver in the slightest.
I wasn’t scared, nor was I trembling.
Stat enhancement was synonymous with physical growth, and with Mental Strength around 100, a mere roar couldn’t cause a disturbance in my heart.
Above all, I was certain I could kill that demon beast.
I probably felt that way because it was me.
All the raid information about the game—demon beasts, specifically—was in my head, and I currently surpassed its physical abilities.
I gave orders to the robots raiding Gigantrono.
"Aria and Alt, draw its attention. Meradon, take the left legs."
[[["Yes!"]]]
Those words marked the beginning.
Aria and Alt began drawing its attention, and Meradon charged at its left legs.
I, too, kicked off the ground and lunged at the legs on the opposite side.
Weapons were unnecessary.
My body was a weapon more than capable of tearing its limbs apart.
Thud!!
-Kuwaaaaah!!
Its savage roar turning into a pained scream happened in an instant.
My punch had shattered its tree-trunk-like leg.
Its severed leg began tilting to the side with a heavy thud!
This was a body capable of hunting Rank 5s alone.
It wasn’t a level that would struggle against a mere Rank 6.
It was then.
[The Constellation 'Fairy of Pure Flame' opens her mouth at your strength.]
[The Constellation 'Seeker of Free Knowledge' widens her eyes.]
[The Constellation 'Wing of the Leisurely Spring' blankly opens her mouth.]
[The Constellation 'Lion of the Silent Forest' doubts her own eyes.]
[The Constellation 'Little Fairy of Winter' wonders where on earth such a human came from.]
Was it because they had witnessed human strength impossible to display in the early days of the Apocalypse?
The human they assumed had entered to commit suicide was creating an unbelievable situation, so the Constellations watching me began to express shock.
Ignoring the Constellations' notification messages, I focused on the boss monster before me.
Closing the Gate took priority right now.
* * *
As impossible situations continued to occur, it seemed the Constellations were left speechless.
The ones who had been sending messages earlier had gone quiet.
And no wonder.
"Phew… is it over?"
Only ten minutes had passed since entering the Gate, yet it had already been cleared.
I looked at Gigantrono, writhing with its core exposed.
Even so, if there was one annoying trait befitting a Rank 6, it was that the creature would regenerate endlessly as long as its core remained intact.
Of course, Meradon and I had poured attacks on it tirelessly, so the situation ended easily.
If I shattered that core now, the Gate raid would be complete.
However, the reason I hadn’t destroyed it immediately was to clean up the remaining demon beasts wandering nearby.
After all, they were all points, too.
Of course, it didn’t take long.
The roars of demon beasts that had been audible earlier were no longer heard.
All the robots that had been hunting demon beasts around us returned to me.
It meant the cleanup was finished.
Without hesitation, I slammed the boss monster’s core with my fist.
At that moment.
Ding-.
[A Low-Grade Gate has been cleared.]
[Low-Grade Gate Clearance Points are being calculated.]
[1,948,230 Points are awarded as compensation.]
The points had come in.
Points had been calculated upon clearing the Gate.
But that wasn’t all.
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
My level, which had remained unmoving until now, was rising.
The Tower of Enhancement strengthened everything; the one thing it couldn’t strengthen was leveling up.
That was why I felt a thrill I had never experienced before.
A sensation of what it felt like to level up.
I checked my status window.
Name: Kim Hancheol
Level: 10
Unique Skill: EX-Grade Sky Island
Strength: 115 (↑15) Agility: 116 (↑16) Stamina: 118 (↑18) Defense: 115 (↑15) Mana: 115 (↑15) Mental Strength: 115 (↑15) Divine Power: 0
My level had shot up to 10 at once.
Well, no matter how high my physical stats were, I was Level 1 and had hunted a Rank 6 demon beast—a boss monster at that—so it was bound to rise like that.
'Well then, shall we head back?'
The moment the boss monster died, it transformed into particles of light, and a small Gate opened at its center.
That was probably the Gate escape route, and the moment we exited, the Gate would disappear.
I approached the escape route with the combat robots and stepped outside.
"As expected, it’s gone."
Outside was the exact spot where the Gate had stood.
Of course, that massive Gate had vanished without a trace.
With the Gate gone, at least this vicinity would now become a demon beast-free zone.
It was then.
[You have achieved the Achievement 'First Gate Clearer.']
"Ah!"
The First Gate Clearer.
Naturally, I was the only one who had cleared a Gate at this point in time, so it was certain I was the first.
Honestly, I had attempted to clear the Gate partly for this very achievement.
Originally, achievements were the only way to raise Divine Power.
Achieving roughly three of them granted the opportunity to raise the Divine Power stat.
Of course, I was also surprised for another reason.
'I ended up taking the achievement the protagonist was supposed to get….'
The achievement the protagonist of Myeolsokhoe obtained by being the first to clear a Gate.
I had wondered if it might fall into my hands, and now it had.
As I was briefly gazing at the achievement in admiration.
[The Constellation 'Fairy of Pure Flame' proposes a contract.]
[The Constellation 'Seeker of Free Knowledge' proposes a contract.]
[The Constellation 'Wing of the Leisurely Spring' proposes a contract.]
[The Constellation 'Lion of the Silent Forest' proposes a contract.]
[The Constellation 'Little Fairy of Winter' proposes a contract.]
[The Constellation 'Ruler of the Noble Tower' proposes a contract.]
The Constellations swarmed in and began proposing contracts.
Well, it had only been five days since the world’s destruction; there would be no other human who had achieved this much.
A human who appeared suddenly achieving a feat on just the fifth day of the apocalypse—it was only natural they would come flocking eagerly.
Even the Constellation who had worried about me before I entered the Gate was saying this:
[The Constellation 'Fairy of the Benevolent Gentle Breeze' asks if you are perhaps a god of this world.]
It was the highest praise a Constellation could give a human.
For a being known as a Constellation to ask a human if they were an existence equal to itself.
Of course, a few asked somewhat troublesome questions.
[The Constellation 'Fairy of Pure Flame' asks what your relationship with the Nameless Constellation is.]
[The Constellation 'Seeker of Free Knowledge' asks if you have already contracted with him.]
They were difficult questions to answer, but I couldn’t completely ignore these Constellations' questions.
Even Constellations belonging to the good faction were still Constellations.
If a mere human ignored their words, they wouldn’t take it kindly.
Moreover, I wanted to form amicable relations with them.
I politely opened my mouth toward the Constellations.
"If you are speaking of the Nameless Constellation, I have not signed a contract."
Saying I hadn’t signed a contract would solidify the Nameless Constellation's standing.
It showed that he still hadn’t contracted with a human, yet possessed the caliber to withstand the regulations.
It was a misunderstanding born from coincidence, but since it had come to this, I decided to use it.
"Also, I have nothing to say regarding the 'Nameless Constellation.' As you can see, I did receive help, but he dislikes revealing himself."
In a sense, this would serve as a warning to them.
A warning not to pry into the Nameless Constellation.
Well, they should understand well enough.
As proof, no further messages appeared.
Leaving the robots behind, I returned to the Sky Island.
Now that my form had vanished in an instant, the Constellations were simply bewildered.
[The Constellation 'Fairy of Pure Flame' looks around with wide eyes for the human who achieved the feat.]
[The Constellation 'Seeker of Free Knowledge' makes a blank expression.]
[The Constellation 'Wing of the Leisurely Spring' looks around the surroundings with a puzzled face.]