A muscular monster with three heads and six arms.
That was the appearance of the monster that had emerged from the black gate.
“Pshhh… pshhh…!”
The creature glared at Lee Tae-sung with ragged breaths.
It held an axe in each of its six arms.
As Lee Tae-sung met its gaze, the sheer intensity of its bloodlust nearly made him break out in a cold sweat.
*Swoosh!*
“!”
In that instant, an axe flew toward him like a bolt of lightning.
Tae-sung quickly activated his Bihwapok to dodge.
A shallow explosion erupted beneath his feet, and he narrowly avoided the axe as it grazed past him.
‘It’s fast!’
It was stronger than any monster he had encountered in a mission or seen in the Dream World.
Tae-sung, whose confidence had soared after learning the Flame Tide Wave Sword, was immediately brought back to a state of high alert.
*Whoosh!*
He unleashed the Flame Tide Wave Sword, sending out a wave of fire.
The successive surging tsunamis of flame engulfed the three-headed monster.
However, the creature’s skin was incredibly tough.
It endured the flames with its bare body and swung its axe.
*Boom!*
Even though the axe was swung from a distance, a shockwave took physical form and flew toward him.
The flames created by the Flame Tide Wave Sword flickered around him, but the shockwave cleaved right through those waves.
Startled by its power, Lee Tae-sung raised his Sword Qi to block it.
*Clang!*
His palms stung from the vibration.
‘I blocked it with Sword Qi, and it still feels like this?’
For Lee Tae-sung, who was still at the level of a first-class master, manifesting Sword Qi was a significant burden.
Since the impact continued to accumulate, he had to use it only for short-term decisive battles.
Lee Tae-sung changed his strategy.
“Ashaka!”
He used his footwork to widen the distance and summoned Ashaka.
He continued to fire waves of flame with the Flame Tide Wave Sword while Ashaka fired rays of white light.
“Graaaah!”
The creature blocked the waves and rays with its many arms, but it let out a monstrous roar as if it was becoming annoyed.
Tae-sung intended to keep the fight strictly at a distance, not knowing what would happen if he got too close.
By now, Tae-sung had acquired many techniques that allowed him to intercept opponents from afar.
The monster tried to close the gap by running, but it could not catch Lee Tae-sung as he utilized the Flying Flower Explosive Shadow.
The creature began to stumble under the relentless assault.
‘I wonder if I can take him down before my mana runs out.’
Although the Flame Tide Wave Sword was an efficient sword style, his mana would be depleted quickly if he kept unfolding it like this.
Furthermore, since Ashaka’s skills were being used outside of the Dream World, they were also continuously consuming mana.
Finally, Lee Tae-sung made a decision.
“Whew. I’ll see you next time.”
He turned around and began running toward the Dimensional Barrier.
It was a strategic retreat.
No matter how strong the monster was, it could never break through the Dimensional Barrier during its duration, so there was no need to worry.
“Graaaaaah!!”
The creature let out a monstrous screech.
It had been beaten relentlessly, and now that its opponent was running away, it was utterly infuriated.
However, Lee Tae-sung’s retreat speed was impossibly fast, and it was not something the creature could follow.
The monster kicked the ground a few times to vent its anger, then turned around, huffing.
A black gate appeared once more, enveloping the creature, and soon it vanished.
***
— Guild Leader, thank you.
Thanks to you, we were able to safely overcome a crisis that almost hit the Republic of Korea.
The Association will provide a plaque of appreciation along with various rewards and benefits at a later date.
Lee Tae-sung, who had returned home after finishing the Ranking Mission, received a text from Section Chief Song Sang-yeop.
Tae-sung had played the biggest role in repairing the Dimensional Barrier and had even defeated a significant number of monsters beyond it.
There would be no need to worry about the Gate Incident for the time being.
However, Lee Tae-sung was not particularly happy even after reading the thank-you message.
He was surprised by the strength of the monster he had encountered this time, and he had many questions regarding the black gate it had emerged from.
To find out more details, he had to keep moving forward.
‘One retreat is enough.’
The next time they met, he would make sure it was a fight to the death!
Thinking that, Lee Tae-sung lay down in the capsule.
His vision shifted, and he logged into the Dream World.
Now it was time to depart for Jiryong Mountain.
The place where another fortuitous encounter left by the Flame Emperor was located.
“Yes.”
Since the only thing in the Guryong Bookstore was a sword style, Abeson had no interest in it at all.
Therefore, he held high expectations for Jiryong Mountain.
Afterward, Lee Tae-sung arrived at the Red Magic Tower.
Unlike other times, he planned to use the teleportation service operated by the Magic Tower.
This service, which supported rapid travel between cities, could cover even the longest distances in the blink of an eye.
Until now, he had mostly traveled on foot, but Jiryong Mountain was too far away and would take too much time.
He intended to leave via teleportation, but the problem, of course, was the price.
“If you’re going near Jiryong Mountain, Cheoun City is the closest. It is 65 gold for a one-way trip to that location.”
“……”
Lee Tae-sung was speechless.
If the person in front of him hadn’t been an official mage belonging to the Red Magic Tower, he might have grabbed them by the collar.
Since he hadn’t even gathered a similar amount before spending real money, the price felt even more staggering.
But what else could he do?
Lee Tae-sung nodded his head.
“…Sigh. I’ll pay.”
“Welcome, customer.”
The mage, who had been expressionless, finally beamed with a wide smile upon realizing that Lee Tae-sung was a paying customer.
“It will take about 3 hours to prepare the Magic Circle. Would you like to wait in the lounge?”
“Yes.”
As Lee Tae-sung walked toward the customer lounge, it happened.
“Oh? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
A woman walking in from the outside with her robe fluttering spoke to him.
“Lady Serina. It’s been a long time.”
Serina Eldore.
She was the Responsible Mage of the Red Magic Tower and Jang Xuan’s master.
“What brings you here?”
“I’m here to use the teleportation service.”
“Oh. You’re participating in an activity that helps with our tower’s research funds.”
“Haha….”
Serina smiled brightly, just like the mage from before.
One could tell how the recent situation was just by looking at the deep dark circles under her eyes.
“Are you going somewhere far?”
“Yes. I have some business at Jiryong Mountain.”
“What’s over there? Usually, only monks who practice their discipline go to that place.”
Serina tilted her head.
“By the way, that’s perfect. I needed to find someone going to Jiryong Mountain anyway. Would you like to take on a Quest?”
“I’ll take it.”
Lee Tae-sung spoke reflexively without even hearing what the quest was.
Since it was a quest given by a Responsible Mage of the Red Magic Tower, the reward was bound to be incredible!
“It’s nothing major. I have an acquaintance at Jiryong Mountain. I’d like you to deliver a letter to that person.”
“A delivery request? There are many others in the Flying Dragon Clan better suited for that than me….”
Unlike in the past, Lee Tae-sung was now a Special-class Disciple of the Flying Dragon Clan.
To hire him for a request, the base unit of pay would need to start with gold coins.
The Magic Tower was an organization with a staggering amount of money, but because they spent even more than they had, they possessed a very stingy nature.
One could tell just by the fact that they accepted even Outsiders as formal disciples as long as they donated a lot of money.
“If it were just a simple letter delivery, I could have hired a Third-Class Member as you said. However, my acquaintance is practicing in seclusion at Jiryong Mountain. Just to reach the place where that person is, one needs to be at least at the level of a Special-class Disciple.”
Jiryong Mountain was famous for being inhabited by powerful monsters.
“In that case, I will take it on.”
“Thank you.”
*Ding!*
**[A Quest has been triggered]**
**[Quest: Delivering a Letter]**
**Content: Safely deliver the letter to Serina’s acquaintance who is practicing in seclusion at Jiryong Mountain. If the letter is damaged during the journey, the quest will automatically fail.**
***
After arriving at Cheoun City via the teleportation Magic Circle, Lee Tae-sung immediately headed out of the city toward Jiryong Mountain.
As he had heard before coming, Jiryong Mountain was certainly teeming with powerful monsters. Tough and fierce enemies.
An ordinary person would have been fed up and avoided them after facing them a few times, but Lee Tae-sung actually welcomed them.
*Fwoosh!*
Flames that looked like they could burn the entire mountain range enveloped the monsters.
*Ding!*
**[Proficiency in Flame Tide Wave Sword has increased]**
**[The skill level of Flame Tide Wave Sword has increased]**
**[Flame Tide Wave Sword (Level 1) -> Flame Tide Wave Sword (Level 2)]**
‘Yes. This is it.’
In the game, proficiency increases simply by using a skill to defeat enemies.
Conversely, in reality, such notifications almost never appeared unless he gained a deep realization, making them hard to see.
To seek an increase in skill, there had to be a serious understanding and research of the sword style, which was naturally not easy.
“Hey! You there!”
“?”
“You seem to handle fire, but be careful not to set the mountain ablaze!”
“Oh…”
At that moment, there were people calling out to Lee Tae-sung. People wearing worn-out clothes but with impressive, piercing eyes.
They were the practitioners of Jiryong Mountain.
Jiryong Mountain was a place favored by practitioners because of its powerful monsters and the tough, strong natural environment itself.
Warriors, mages, and Hybriders alike, they were those who pursued a higher level of enlightenment.
“You must be practitioners.”
“That is correct. You seem like a practitioner as well, though you’re a bit noisy.”
“I am not a practitioner. I am just someone here on business.”
“Is that so? Based on your skill alone, you looked like a practitioner.”
They had discerned his skill after watching Lee Tae-sung’s swordsmanship for just a short while. Since it was quite good, they had mistaken him for a practitioner.
“Anyway, I will be careful with the fire. I can control these flames to begin with, so there won’t be any mountain fires.”
Lee Tae-sung quietly extinguished the fire.
He thought that it could certainly look a bit dangerous to others.
Seeing Lee Tae-sung act like that, the practitioner’s eyes sparkled.
It could have been something annoying to hear, yet he accepted it so calmly.
He was a person of quite good character!
“Ahem. Since you listened to my words, I can’t just let this pass.”
The practitioner’s gaze softened significantly, as if his first impression of Lee Tae-sung was quite favorable.
“Be careful if you are going higher than the midpoint of the mountain. From there on, it is the territory of the Bear Tribe practitioners.”
“Are you referring to another race?”
“Yes. They are obsessed with their training, but they are also massive xenophobes. They openly look down on human practitioners, questioning why they even come to Jiryong Mountain.”
‘Oh dear. It seemed like the owner of the letter Lady Serina asked me to deliver stays near the summit.’
He couldn’t give up on the quest.
“Thank you for the advice, but I must head up.”
“Hmph. Do you not believe my words?”
“It’s not that, but I have business that requires me to go up.”
“Hmm…. Then I shall go with you. I am at least somewhat acquainted with the Bear Tribe practitioners, so if you are with me, they won’t say much.”
The practitioner intended to take responsibility to the end, having already shown goodwill once.
Since there was nothing bad about getting help, Lee Tae-sung accepted readily.
“I am called Kailzen.”
“I am Lee Tae-sung.”
The two moved their feet after a brief introduction.
Kailzen was also a person of considerable skill, as he climbed the mountain without falling behind Lee Tae-sung’s Lightfoot Technique at all.
While climbing and defeating any monsters they encountered, Kailzen warned him.
“From here on, it’s the Bear Tribe’s… oh. We’ve already run into them.”
“What are humans doing at Jiryong Mountain?”
Beastmen with bear-like physiques, bear ears, bear tails, and thick fur.
That was the Bear Tribe.
The Bear Tribe beastman frowned as soon as he saw the two.
“Training is useless for humans who have no patience, no talent, and short lifespans. I suggest you go down instead of ruining the mountain air for no reason.”
“…Do not attack after hearing those words. The Bear Tribe beastmen are incredibly strong.”
Kailzen spoke as if it were annoying, but he seemed to have no intention of taking action.
The Bear Tribe beastman looked at Kailzen.
“You’re the human who came once before. Did you not listen to my advice to go down?”
“Quiet. Do you own this mountain? Whether I go or stay is up to me!”
“Your comprehension is also lacking. Humans, as expected… Tsk, tsk. And the human next to you is…”
This time, the Bear Tribe beastman looked at Lee Tae-sung.
Lee Tae-sung steeled his heart.
Drawing on his experience of enduring life at a small-to-medium enterprise, he would withstand whatever vitriol came his way!
“…Hmm? *Sniff, sniff.* Sniff…. Uh… you have a good scent. Do you perhaps have a connection with our Bear Tribe?”
“Pardon?”
“Human. You may enter. You are a human with a vessel that Jiryong Mountain can embrace.”
“???”
Lee Tae-sung tilted his head.
Why was he acting like this all of a sudden?
However, the one who was even more dumbfounded was Kailzen.
Having stayed at Jiryong Mountain for a long time, he had heard the Bear Tribe’s discriminatory remarks until he was sick of them.
This was the first time in his life he had seen a Bear Tribe member say such a thing to a human.
“You! Were you a Bear Tribe member?”
“How could that be?”
“Then, perhaps one of your parents is from the Bear Tribe?”
“……”
Lee Tae-sung briefly examined the Bear Tribe practitioner’s appearance and pondered.
Was he insulting his parents right now?
This chapter is from a different novel