Chapter 47: Our almighty god has sent a hero!

Muncheol opened the hospital room door and bowed his head as he entered.

Perhaps it was because he couldn’t attend the coming-of-age ceremony.

His protruding lips were so pouted they nearly touched the floor.

Taehoo smiled.

“Put your lips back in.”

“But I trained again with Master just to join the coming-of-age ceremony. This isn’t fair…”

As soon as Taehoo spoke, Muncheol burst out, as if speaking in tongues.

He must have felt deeply wronged.

But what could be done?

He had no authority to select personnel.

[If you don’t have the decision-making power, why does the Firstborn have it?]

That was the difference between the eldest, who had already secured his place in the family, and the youngest just stepping in.

Because of that, Taehoo had to make good use of the few people he had.

That was why he had called Muncheol.

“This time, it’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing we can do. Instead, I have one favor to ask of you.”

“A favor?”

Five people were selected to attend the coming-of-age ceremony.

Jiho and Muncheol himself, Seongcheol—who had served Jiho since childhood—and two hunters selected by the family.

Among them, Muncheol must have been even more frustrated that Seongcheol, who served Jiho, was attending the ceremony.

However, since Muncheol was publicly known as Nachal’s disciple, Taehoo couldn’t do anything about it.

There was no justification to insist on bringing Muncheol along.

‘If anything, that makes it easier to ask Muncheol for a favor.’

Until now, Muncheol had seemed unrelated to Taehoo to outsiders.

Even if Taehoo gave orders, people would mistake them as Nachal’s commands.

Including the Firstborn Jiuk.

He was the perfect candidate to avoid the eyes watching them.

“This favor will greatly help with the coming-of-age ceremony. It’s actually a relief for me that you’re not involved in this.”

Taehoo emphasized the importance of the matter, and Muncheol’s pout immediately disappeared.

“I’m ready to follow your orders anytime. There’s no need to even ask.”

His reply was immediate.

Knowing Taehoo’s abilities better than anyone, he had no reason to hesitate.

Looking at Muncheol, who showed absolute trust, Taehoo smiled contentedly once more.

“That’s excellent. Then take the information I’m sending by mail now and head to Ganghwado.”

It had already been three months since leaving Ganghwado.

And during those three months, Juhyeok hadn’t wasted a moment.

He reported the family’s progress by mail every fifteen days, and Taehoo could see meaningful development.

Of course, Taehan’s assistance was a factor.

‘Fortunately, he’s doing better than expected.’

An intelligence agency that operated independently from the family.

It was created with a view toward the future, but the time to take on its role came sooner than expected.

Given Juhyeok’s current growth, he could fully meet Taehoo’s expectations.

“This is…?”

Muncheol immediately recognized the mail he received as the personal information of those attending the coming-of-age ceremony.

“Tell Juhyeok to investigate thoroughly and as soon as possible. There’s no one else I can entrust this to. You’ll handle it, right?”

Moved by Taehoo’s firm request, Muncheol’s expression softened.

‘When I first saw him in the Sanctuary, he was only wary… Now, the honest side he shows only to me warms my heart.’

“It might take some time, though.”

Taehoo would have to leave for the dungeon as soon as his health improved.

That could mean leaving as soon as tomorrow.

Muncheol was worried about that.

“Don’t worry about that. You trust me, right?”

[Ugh.]

Receiving Taehoo’s flirtatious remark alongside Baal’s reaction, Muncheol found no words to reply and left the room.

After Muncheol left,

Taehoo leaned back on the bed’s headrest and gathered his thoughts.

‘So, how many days will I need now?’

Slowly counting the days, Taehoo picked up the phone by his bedside.

A brief ring, then a nurse answered, and he voiced the queasiness stirred by his previous words plainly.

“Ugh… Nurse, I have a headache… and maybe some stomach pain too…”

It was a feigned illness to test the waters.

“What? You’re in pain? Headache and stomachache?”

After hearing Taehoo’s condition, Jiuk chuckled.

Taehoo had hidden the fact that he had acquired a skill from the family.

Namjin had also quietly cooperated.

Thanks to that, Jiuk believed Taehoo was still lying in the hospital room without having gained any skill.

The other brothers thought the same.

“Getting scared as the date approaches, huh? After standing up to Grandfather like that…”

A sneer appeared on Jiuk’s lips.

Seongcheol had already been placed in the team, and Taehoo had failed to learn the only variable, Namjin’s skill.

The situation was going according to plan, and he was satisfied.

Still, something felt off.

‘No matter how I think about it, it looks like stalling.’

As if Taehoo had some scheme in mind.

Jiuk didn’t like that.

‘But even so, he’s only fifteen now. No matter how much Grandfather acknowledges him, he can’t figure out my plan all at once.’

Besides, Taehoo had no allies within the family.

Naturally, the information he could obtain inside the family would be limited.

‘Wait a minute…’

A chill ran down Jiuk’s spine.

Could it be that someone was planted there? That Taehoo had gathered enough information?

‘No. That can’t be.’

No matter how he thought about it, that was an overestimation.

How could someone plant a person inside the family during the time Taehoo was away?

Though he thought this, Jiuk could not be certain.

‘Better to keep watching for now.’

He decided to hold off on judgment.

The time Taehoo gained through his feigned illness was exactly one week.

Thanks to that time, Taehoo was able to fully prepare for the coming-of-age ceremony.

Once ready, Taehoo informed the family of his improved condition, and the order to depart soon followed.

His first dungeon—across both past and present lives.

A small expectation and excitement took root in one corner of his heart.

How wonderful it would be if this were simply an ‘adventure’ in the purest sense.

“All right, everyone’s here.”

In front of the family’s private jet,

Taehoo looked at those who would join him for the coming-of-age ceremony.

Jiho, Seongcheol, and the twin hunters who would assist.

‘Which one of these three did Jiuk assign?’

Recalling the information Juhyeok had sent, Taehoo examined the hunters’ faces.

“These are Woobin and Woojin, who will be accompanying us for the coming-of-age ceremony.”

The twins greeted first.

Here was Candidate One,

‘Boys picked by the family at a younger age than now.

Candidates like Taehoo, just two years older rivals.

It was rare but not unheard of for siblings to join the family simultaneously.

Genes were a fearsome thing.

‘However, there were suspicious points about their backgrounds lacking clear records and no activity history within the family.

Normally, when recruiting someone, the family examined every detail of their past thoroughly.

But according to Juhyeok’s information, there were definitely omissions in the twins’ histories.

That suggested some hidden reason.

‘There’s no connection to Jiuk. For now, that’s what matters.’

There were suspicions, but uncovering Jiuk’s spies was more important, and more evidence was needed to turn speculation into certainty.

Without showing any signs of these thoughts, Taehoo accepted their greeting.

And then,

“It’s an honor to serve you, young masters! For both of you, I will fulfill my duties even if it costs my life!”

Seongcheol, who stayed close to Jiho, gave his greeting.

Here was Candidate Two.

‘Same age as the twins. Family hidden on Ganghwado, disappeared after a Nam Clan member visited recently.’

That alone was suspicious enough.

Unlike the twins, whose histories were entirely missing, this was a suspicious movement.

‘Besides, his younger sibling was said to be ill.’

A family who couldn’t even move easily vanished after the family’s hunter visited.

‘The head of that family is right here.’

If Jiuk had assigned any one of these three, it would definitely be Seongcheol.

The twins must have had some other reason.

‘Juhyeok filtered the necessary information well. Glad I entrusted him.’

“He can be a bit much sometimes, but he’s not a bad person.”

Jiho added beside him.

“Ha, as expected of the young master! The person who thinks of me is definitely…”

“Oh, come on!”

Jiho’s shout made Seongcheol finally shut his mouth.

“All right, enough with the greetings. Shall we go?”

When Taehoo took the lead to wrap up the situation, the group finally moved.

All five boarded the Nam Clan’s private jet.

Though they were sending two family bloodlines, there was no farewell party.

No pomp or ceremony, just strict evaluation of results—the Nam Clan’s family style clearly on display.

‘No matter.’

Taehoo wore the coat given by Namjin. Along with Juhyeok’s information, he had more than enough support.

India.

A vast land with a large population, once considered the next China in the future.

That was, until Gates opened and changed everything.

After monsters poured out, the entire country of India fell into chaos.

Despite its vast territory, few places had been developed, so there were few star signs to appear.

Thus, Gates were left unattended, multiplying like mushrooms after rain.

When dragons even appeared amidst that chaos, the nation was pushed to the brink of destruction.

That was decades ago.

Now, most dangerous Gates had been cleared, and the country was stabilizing, but many Gates still lay abandoned in remote rural areas.

In other words, there were plenty of Gates where the family’s children could hold their coming-of-age ceremony.

Knowing this, the destination of the private jet was a small village in India.

A truly rural village that required several hours’ drive from Dimapur, once well-known as a tourist spot.

Now a forgotten ruin.

The party who disembarked from the jet stood at the village entrance.

Bone fragments rolled on the ground, and the stench of rotting corpses stung their nostrils.

No life grew within several hundred meters of an open Gate.

So nothing but decay remained.

As pollution worsened, the foul smell was inevitable.

“Is it there?”

Between half-destroyed, weathered buildings, a purple Gate rippled in midair.

Gates typically grew darker in color the higher their difficulty, from purple to deep black.

The purple hue meant the difficulty was low.

‘Of course, that’s just data, not something to blindly trust…’

Except Taehoo, everyone looked visibly tense.

All present were first-time dungeon hunters.

The coming-of-age ceremony was a test of leadership and achievements for the family’s bloodline, so they were assigned average hunters.

“Don’t be nervous. We’re blood of the Nam Clan. They wouldn’t send us somewhere to die.”

At times like this, emphasizing what they wanted to believe was the best course.

Actually, knowing the Nam Clan’s nature, they wouldn’t show mercy just because someone was family.

But the nervous ones hadn’t gotten that far in their thoughts.

The tense expressions on Jiho and the two hunters eased.

Except for Seongcheol, who had other intentions.

Of course, that was visible only to Taehoo; no one else noticed.

All necessary information was gathered.

There was no hesitation.

“Let’s go in.”

Everything began once they entered the dungeon.

No need to waste time scheming or rush into action.

If they tried to eliminate or check someone prematurely, they risked being accused of misconduct.

‘No one wants the stigma of killing a Nam Clan hunter.’

Therefore, action would come only after entering and observing the situation.

‘Especially since he’s close to Jiho, we need to be even more cautious.’

Jiuk had put a lot of effort into various angles.

This wasn’t someone to take lightly.

And whenever Taehoo looked at Seongcheol, one thought hardened.

‘Nam Jiuk… since when did you plan to kill your brothers?’

Considering Jiuk attached a spy to Jiho, he must have plotted Jiho’s death before the succession fight even started.

The more he thought about it, the creepier it became.

[He’s more dangerous than expected.]

Taehoo felt the same necessity and entered the Gate while turning over many thoughts.

As the view blurred and changed,

The dead street with its stench transformed into a quiet lane, and the half-ruined buildings became medieval-style structures.

And in front of Taehoo’s eyes after crossing the Gate…

‘What the… a sheep?’

A sheep lay split open.

In front of it, a staircase, and beneath that, people kneeling with bowed heads.

‘What is this…?’

While Taehoo assessed the situation, the other four crossed the Gate as well.

Then, they wore stunned expressions.

A brief silence.

One woman who had been bowing her head lifted it.

Her eyes widened like lanterns as she looked at the five standing on the sheep’s blood.

“Our almighty god has sent a hero!”

With that one phrase piercing everyone’s minds,

[Quest has arrived!]

A message rang out simultaneously.