RAAGOAT 09

Episode 9

The second floor of the Association building.

It was a floor lined with Chaos Gates—places where absolutely nothing should go wrong once you stepped past the safe zone. The quest contents were usually laughably simple. For example, ‘Survive for 7 hours’ or ‘Catch three monsters!’. They were filled with nothing but these mass-produced, tutorial-level quests you wouldn’t even see in mobile games.

‘This is a bit messed up.’

I had naturally assumed the Awakened test would be conducted on the 3rd or 4th floor.

Even if it’s the lowest grade, wouldn’t a glimpse of hidden potential emerge in a crisis?

How on earth are they supposed to gauge an Awakened’s aptitude in a space so boring it makes you yawn? No doubt about it, this has Team Leader Yoo’s personal feelings written all over it…!

The team leader was being too transparent. I guess that really got on his nerves.

‘…Incompetent…’

Fine, let’s say, for argument’s sake, they followed procedure and assigned me to the 2nd floor. Okay, that’s all well and good.

‘But is this really the quest content?’

Survive as long as possible.

They’re telling me to just hold out.

“Unbelievable.”

Survive as long as you can on a desolate plain with no water or food. Moreover, for someone like me suffering from chronic anemia, this is practically poison.

I’d rather have actual monsters to fight—at least I could level up and hold out that way.

Whoosh.

The moment of capture.

And even now.

I’m having trouble believing my eyes.

‘Is that… is that really a monster?’

With the pitch-black darkness receding, the revealed backdrop was a lush green meadow. A pastoral scene so peaceful you could just take a nap.

At its center lay a soft, gelatinous mass. It trembled twitch when the wind blew.

‘A Slime.’

Chaos Gates are paradoxical gates. While embodying the attribute of ‘chaos,’ they also strictly adhere to ‘order.’

If the quest difficulty is disproportionately high for its grade…

Then the monsters that appear are the opposite—low-grade.

This situation is a prime example.

“Slime.”

I uttered it several times, unable to believe it.

I approached it cautiously. It didn’t move a muscle the whole time.

Only when I cautiously reached out my hand did it tremble twitch in fine convulsions.

What the… Why is it cute? It’s the size of a mountain, yet it’s the one shaking. I’m the one who should be trembling, why are you making a fuss!

Sigh…

Maybe it’s because I was just grinding against Goblins yesterday. Its very nature and appearance were undeniably underwhelming.

‘Letting my guard down would be the death of me, right?’

Thanks to years as a porter, I’ve compiled my own mental monster encyclopedia. Low-grade Awakened like E-ranks have to learn monster knowledge through physical experience, after all.

The guild bastards and the Association keep the weaknesses and characteristics of magical beasts completely secret. That’s their wealth. But that doesn’t change the fact they’re selfish jerks.

Anyway.

This giant water droplet is still a magical beast. Especially that liquid trapped inside its epidermis—it’s a highly toxic substance.

Ingesting it by mistake might not kill you, but it’ll cause severe internal bleeding. I’ve seen people mistake it for jelly, get their stomachs pumped, and raise hell.

Come to think of it, back then I had entered an Abyss Gate shaped like a cave too. Unable to withstand the hunger, I ate a slime and suffered greatly.

‘Not gonna work, right?’

Let’s just give it a try.

I poked the slime bloodstain with the knife brother gave me, Blood Shadow. No reaction.

So I stabbed it.

Swoosh.

I felt only slight resistance from the skin; the slime obediently allowed the knife’s invasion. It was slippery.

When my arm was submerged up to the elbow, I pulled the knife out with all my might. Swinging my arm, the slime’s bodily fluid left blue stains on the weeds.

‘Okay.’

I knew it, but confirming it anew solidified my conviction.

One thing became crystal clear.

This quest is screwed.

Cutting attacks are useless against a slime.

───〈Quest Item 4〉───
· To earn additional rewards, consecutively defeat the monsters inside the gate in the shortest time possible! Greatly affects clear grade! (Please note this is optional.)
───────────

I practically had to give up on the grade.

‘If I were a magic-type ability user, there might be a chance, but…’

Unfortunately, all I know and have learned is how to wield a blade.

“Of all things, it had to be you…”

I muttered while stroking the slime. Even an S-rank beast can be cut by a blade. It’s just that they usually deflect it.

‘Just when I finally got Blood Shadow…’

I received a weapon beyond my station, only to face a monster with the worst possible compatibility. How can my luck be this bad?

Getting pessimistic is exhausting, but this is reality…

Growl.

Damn it. Worrying made my stomach grumble already.

No, seriously, it hasn’t even been an hour since I ate?

“Ah…”

A piercing static shock.

I focused on the quest window again.

───〈Quest Item 1〉───
· Time inside the gate passes significantly faster than in reality. One day here is 30 minutes in the real world. However, biological time follows the external world.
───────────

The final clause.

‘Biological time aligns with the world outside the gate.’

My biological clock is synced with the real world.

It’s quite confusing.

‘So that’s how Chaos Gates are.’

No wonder this gate’s grade records are generally rated low. Let’s take a look at the rankings.

I took out the Hunter Pad Team Leader Yoo gave me before leaving and checked.

=======================
STAND / NAME / TIME
1ST / Jaegal** / 39’46”.07 B+
2ND / Jeong** / 30’23”.18 B
3RD / Lee** / 29’54”.39 C+
…….
=======================

“The grades are segmented in roughly 10-minute intervals.”

In theory, holding out for just 1 hour would grant an A+ grade.

‘Hmm.’

Seeing it laid out like this sparks a bit of hope.

No matter how low-grade the dungeon, the reality that no one has achieved above an A-grade stirs a competitive spirit in those who challenge it. Especially for someone like me, whose goal in registering as a Hunter is to ‘draw attention,’ it’s even more encouraging.

However, this was purely idealistic. Even the top ranker couldn’t last 40 minutes and fled. Less than 20 minutes is a definite D-grade or lower.

It’s not that those people lacked willpower. Even Awakened, proud of their robust physiques, are merely weak humans before starvation.

‘Some of them probably ate smile and failed in a flash.’

Drinking seawater when stranded at sea is useless.

It’s good that I know better.

‘The key points are Items 1 and 4.’

First, I need to deal with this hunger somehow…

Sighl!

‘Damn it.’

My stamina is draining in real-time.

It hasn’t even been 20 minutes, yet I’m starting to feel lightheaded. On top of that, I suffer from blood deficiency anyway.

…..

Huh? Wait a minute.

‘Why am I worrying about blood deficiency?’

The red thread with Hyeok was severed the moment we got on the elevator. The 1st-floor lobby is a space isolated from the upper floors containing the Chaos Gates.

That means…

‘Unless Hyeok is circling the Chaos Gates, the red thread shouldn’t exist.’

But it does.

Even if I rub my eyes, the red thread is there.

“…It’s a bit thinner than before.”

I’ve seen this thickness before. Recently, in fact. Well, ‘recently’ goes back to the day before yesterday in my past life, so anyway.

‘This is…’

That bastard.

My sworn enemy.

It happened in an instant.

〈Lifetime Contract: Devotion Activated〉
Han Bi-yeol → Seo Won-seok
Experience Transferred: +1,055

“……??”

It didn’t stop.

Status windows announcing experience devotion popped up one after another.

For some reason, Han Bi-yeol was feverishly active within my range.

‘Is he trying to make up for the experience he couldn’t gain during yesterday’s Gate Break…?’

That seems likely.

Unlike Abyss Gates, which appear sporadically, Chaos Gates are always accessible. Quite a few Hunters visit them for training purposes.

For reasons unknown, Han Bi-yeol is desperately thirsty for growth. He wasn’t exactly heaven-sent in talent, yet he became Korea’s first S-rank. Han Bi-yeol was a hardworking bastard.

‘Is there a reason?’

I shook my head.
There’s no reason for me to know.

Just then, a status window announcing a level-up cut through my thoughts.

Huh?

I patted my stomach.

The hunger was gone. My stomach wasn’t grumbling.

Leveling up had naturally restored my stamina.

Han Bi-yeol’s devotion had bought me at least a 15-minute reprieve.

15 minutes ago, Association Lobby.

While Team Leader Yoo continued to hover around Hunter Seobo Seok , a group of imposing figures passed through the revolving door.

“Senior, aren’t you being too diligent? Even if things went wrong because of you, taking a day off should be fine, don’t you think?”

“Precious junior, if you run your mouth one more time, I’ll punch a hole in your chin.”

It was Han Bi-yeol and his sly-eyed junior Hunter.

“Haha. I’ll watch my mouth… Huh!”

The sly eyes widened dramatically. Han Bi-yeol was also startled a beat later. For various reasons, there was a Hunter present he absolutely shouldn’t be linked with right now.

“W-why is Hunter Seo here?!”

Han Bi-yeol hurriedly covered his junior’s mouth. He ignored the dampness on his palm.

Why?

Hunter Seobo Seok was supposed to be holed up in the Association…!

“Don’t tell me.”

His gaze automatically went to the display board. Thanks to Team Leader Yoo—unintentionally—drawing attention, Seo Hunter didn’t notice him.

2 F 266. Seo XX : Sityletr-66

That’s him.
Even if he did a side roll, it’s him.
The surname ‘Seo’ was blurred, but ‘Seo’ is a rare surname.

The term ‘Seo Hunter’ didn’t become fixed as a moniker for Seobo Seok for no reason.

“……!!”

The pieces fell into place.

Han Bi-yeol whispered into the sly-eyed one’s ear.

“Hey, you keep an eye on Hunter Seobo Seok here.”

“And Senior…?!”

“I need to run some Chaos Gates on the 2nd floor.”

I must meet him.
That guy who has some connection with Hunter Seobo Seok

I must confirm his Awakened ability. If this continues, I’ll die from sleep deprivation. If that’s the case, I’d rather risk death and ask him.

‘When he’s separated from Hunter Seobo Seok

For instance, if that ability is indeed the <Instant Death> I’m thinking of…

‘I have to get out of this plan no matter what…!’

I refuse to die a dog’s death.

As Han Bi-yeol from my past life said, I don’t have any major personal grudge against Hunter Seobo Seok

“This is your specialty, right? Go try to strike up a conversation with the great Hunter Seo.”

Han Bi-yeol spoke to a staff member and went up to the 2nd floor. Though the sly-eyed junior was reluctant, he saw it as a chance to talk to Seobo Seok and stealthily approached.

After that, Han Bi-yeol repeatedly entered the lowest-grade Chaos Gates on the 2nd floor. Yet, he couldn’t reach the gate containing Seo Won-seok.

-44 Luck was blocking the ‘Experience Synergy Effect’. Suffering from a chill in his heart, Han Bi-yeol relentlessly ran Chaos Gates. Literally, every single one he came across.

…This concludes the situational report on how Seo Won-seok came to enjoy an untimely experience trickle-down effect.