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Chapter 22
It was the first truly peaceful sleep he had enjoyed in a long time.
For weeks, every time Soo-hyuk drifted into a light sleep, he had been tormented by relentless nightmares.
“Seriously, why the hell did you stick your nose into Cheolsu Gang’s business, idiot?”
The mocking voice slithered around his ears like a snake.
Then came the horrifying sensation of an icy blade repeatedly tearing through his abdomen.
He would always wake up gasping for air, drenched in cold sweat as the phantom pain lingered.
But tonight was different.
Not a trace of the nightmare remained.
After all, Kim Tae-soo—the knifeman from the Cheolsu Gang who had stabbed him—and even Iron Mask, the mastermind behind everything, had all been thrown into the pillars of hellfire.
He lazily got out of bed late in the afternoon.
After taking a hot shower, he threw together a simple meal.
Outside the window, the crimson sunset had already settled over the city, leaving the streets wrapped in twilight.
Leaning comfortably against the sofa, Soo-hyuk summoned his status window.
[Name] Han Soo-hyuk
[Class] Grim Reaper of Hell
[Level] 5
[Status] Mark of Hell
[Skills]
- Reaper’s Eye
- Punishment of Judgment
- Hell Shop
- Reaper’s Body
- Threads of Sin
- Reaper’s Step
- Echo of Hell
- Slash of the Dead
- Karmic Return
- Shackles of Sin
[Hell Points] 50
His skill list had become impressively full.
After pouring a huge amount of Hell Points into purchasing Karmic Return and Shackles of Sin, he had completely unlocked every skill tree available in the Hell Shop.
“Now my skill set is pretty stacked.”
Only one item remained in the Hell Shop.
Enhancement Stone (Judgment) — 500 Hell Points.
“I hope the next achievement doesn’t require buying several Enhancement Stones…”
It was entirely possible.
He had already spent 500 Hell Points evolving his ragged Reaper’s Robe.
Not only had its appearance become much cooler, but he’d personally experienced its overwhelming power during last night’s battle against Iron Mask.
“Next, I should upgrade the Reaper’s Scythe.”
Honestly, it still looked like nothing more than an ordinary farming sickle.
Considering how dramatically the Reaper’s Robe had transformed into the Judgment Robe, the scythe would probably evolve into something worthy of a true Grim Reaper—far more sinister and impressive.
“Hmm… so where should I collect more Hell Points?”
His thoughts raced.
The Cheolsu Gang had been completely wiped out.
From top to bottom, they had essentially ceased to exist.
The Yaksha Gang wasn’t much better.
Dozens of their strongest members—including both the boss and vice boss—had been reduced to dust in the parking garage.
They wouldn’t dare make a sound for quite some time.
That only left one remaining pile of trash.
The Black Moon Gang.
The problem was…
He had no idea where their headquarters was.
He had been able to attack the Yaksha Gang because the battle reported on the news had taken place near his neighborhood, where he knew the area well.
But he knew absolutely nothing about the Black Moon Gang.
“No choice.”
“I’ll squeeze the remaining Yaksha underlings until they tell me where Black Moon is.”
Since the Yaksha Gang had been preparing for war after Black Moon’s surprise attack, they naturally had to know where Black Moon’s hideout was or at least where they operated.
The decision took only seconds.
The action came immediately afterward.
Soo-hyuk left his apartment without hesitation and climbed onto his scooter.
His destination…
The Yaksha Gang’s territory once again.
Vrrrrr!
He was speeding through downtown when—
A shrill emergency siren suddenly split the air.
Immediately afterward, an urgent announcement blasted through the loudspeakers.
“Emergency Disaster Alert! Emergency Disaster Alert! Gate activity has been detected on the roadway in OO District, OO-dong! All nearby civilians are instructed to stop their vehicles immediately and evacuate to the nearest shelter!”
Screeeech! Bang!
Startled by the blaring sirens, drivers slammed on their brakes.
Collisions erupted throughout the street.
Amid the chaos, Soo-hyuk frowned and pulled his scooter onto the roadside.
RUMBLE!
At the center of the road—
A tremendous wave of magical energy swirled violently.
The asphalt split apart with a deafening crack.
Space itself distorted.
Then a massive rift opened.
A Gate.
“A Gate?”
Back when he had still been an ordinary civilian, he had occasionally seen Gates appear in the middle of the city.
Whenever one did, he had simply fled with everyone else.
But now…
As an awakened individual standing among the panicked crowd, his heart beat not with fear—
but curiosity.
Judging from its size…
At least Rank B.
Maybe even Rank A.
Normally, Gates required a party of at least five people before entry was permitted.
Furthermore, only licensed Awakeners who had completed official registration were allowed to pass inspection and enter.
However…
The emergency alarm had only just sounded.
It would take time for the Hunters dispatched by the Awakeners Association to arrive.
The military would also need time to establish a security perimeter.
Walking against the tide of fleeing civilians, Soo-hyuk quietly reached into his pocket.
His hand was already gripping the Pocket of the Dead.
Rustle.
The moment he took out the Judgment Robe and draped it over himself—
His entire existence vanished from the world’s awareness.
Sight.
Sound.
Attention.
Everything.
“Let’s take a look.”
It would be his first time entering a Gate.
And he was doing it completely illegally.
But there wasn’t a single person capable of stopping someone they couldn’t even perceive.
Without hesitation, Soo-hyuk stepped straight into the shimmering curtain of the Gate.
His vision briefly went black.
Then it brightened again.
He found himself inside a dark, damp cavern.
A powerful stench of mold mixed with the metallic odor of blood assaulted his nose.
“So this is a dungeon-type Gate.”
He calmly stopped.
Extending his right hand—
The Reaper’s Scythe materialized from the darkness with a cold metallic gleam before settling heavily into his grip.
“I wonder what kind of monsters live here.”
A hint of excitement crept into his voice.
The deeper he walked into the cave, the worse the smell became.
The thick odor of mold.
The nauseating stench of countless corpses rotting together.
Pulling the hood of the Judgment Robe lower over his eyes, he advanced cautiously.
Soon…
A grotesque sight filled his vision.
The ceiling.
The walls.
Even the floor.
Everything was covered in dense, pale spider webs that formed a horrifying labyrinth.
And scattered throughout those sticky threads—
Pairs of glowing red lights shone in the darkness.
Spiders.
Enormous spiders the size of humans clung to the walls and ceiling.
Each possessed eight glowing crimson eyes that constantly scanned their surroundings.
Disgusting bugs.
Soo-hyuk frowned.
These were the first genuine monsters he had ever encountered since becoming an Awakener.
Seeing them up close for the first time…
What he felt wasn’t fear.
It was instinctive revulsion.
The Judgment Robe truly was incredible.
Although dozens of giant spiders were standing guard throughout the cavern…
Not one of them noticed Soo-hyuk standing near the entrance.
His body heat…
His breathing…
Even his footsteps…
Everything had been perfectly erased.
Feeling reassured, Soo-hyuk took a light step forward, intending to slip deeper into the cave.
Then—
The sole of his sneaker lightly brushed against a single strand of web lying across the floor.
Snap.
An almost imperceptible sound.
A tiny vibration spread through the web.
SHAAAAAAK!!
Instantly—
Dozens of giant spiders attached to the walls whipped their heads toward him.
Hundreds of glowing red eyes locked precisely onto the spot where Soo-hyuk stood.
“…?!”
A chill ran down his spine.
Pshhh! Fwooshhh!
The spiders spat balls of acidic venom-webs.
Like a torrential downpour, they bombarded the exact location where the vibration had originated.
Soo-hyuk instinctively kicked off the ground and leapt backward.
Sssssizzle!
The instant the acidic webs struck the stone floor where he had been standing—
The solid rock melted into black sludge, releasing thick clouds of poisonous smoke.
Remaining outside the attack’s trajectory, Soo-hyuk silently observed what the spiders would do next.
But…
No follow-up attack came.
After confirming that the floor had dissolved, the spiders simply curled back against the walls as though convinced the intruder had been eliminated.
They didn’t detect my presence.
His mind immediately began analyzing the situation.
The Judgment Robe had completely fooled Iron Mask and Kim Tae-soo.
It had even concealed him from an Awakener’s supernatural perception.
No matter how sharp a monster’s senses might be, they couldn’t possibly surpass the authority of a Judgment-class item granted by the System.
It’s the webs.
Their behavior made everything clear.
They weren’t locating invisible enemies through scent or presence.
They relied solely on the physical vibrations traveling through the countless spider webs spread throughout the cave.
The Judgment Robe perfectly concealed his appearance and presence.
But it didn’t allow him to ignore physical interactions like a ghost.
Soo-hyuk stared deeper into the cave.
From floor to ceiling—
Every inch was covered in thick sticky webs.
There wasn’t a single place to step without touching one.
There’s no way through without stepping on the webs.
Unless he could fly…
Entering deeper into the cave would inevitably create vibrations.
Stealth had been impossible from the very beginning.
So that’s its weakness.
As expected…
Nothing in this world was truly perfect.
Then I’ll just kill them all.
He tightened his grip on the Reaper’s Scythe.
Disgusting insects.
Without the slightest hesitation, he swung the blade at the nearest giant spider.
“Slash of the Dead.”
An invisible force—visible only to Soo-hyuk—shot from the tip of the Reaper’s Scythe, slicing through the air.
A black slash imbued with the authority of Punishment of Judgment.
He was certain it would pierce the spider’s thick shell and devour its life force.
Swoosh!
The black energy struck the giant spider squarely.
But…
Nothing happened.
The creature didn’t even twitch.
As though nothing more than a gentle breeze had brushed against it, it remained crouched on the wall.
—Punishment of Judgment has no effect on beings that are not sinners.
Soo-hyuk’s eyes widened.
“…What?”
