SWNOVELXO Chapter 3
**Episode 3: Determination**
“What’s that supposed to mean?! I’m clearly alive here…!”
“I know it’s shocking, but according to the information gathered… it appears you have been declared deceased.”
Seoyoon pointed at the monitor and reiterated that I had been declared dead.
“Siwoo, it seems related to the fact that you were collapsed on the street in tattered clothes.”
“Yeah, and the cause of death is reported to be… an accident in a dungeon.”
They seemed to gaze at me intently, waiting for my response.
If I had been declared dead, that meant someone had filed a death report…
Could it be one of the guys from the party I was with who reported me?
Most likely, it would have been our leader, Kim Junsu.
… That seems most plausible.
Even if I were in that leader’s position, I would have to believe there was almost no chance of making it out alive from that situation.
It’s not called an EX-level dungeon for nothing.
“I’m starting to get a rough idea.”
“Alright, Siwoo, let me ask you one more time.”
She sighed, resting her arms on the back of Seoyoon’s chair.
What could she be asking again?
“What is it?”
“I wanted to ask if you would regret joining our Golden Rule. Once you enter, there’s no turning back, especially since we’re known as a villain organization in this world.”
Eunbyul asked if I would regret joining the Golden Rule again, though, of course, I had no options.
However, even if I were given options, the result wouldn’t change.
She established the Golden Rule as an organization that stands against a world driven by power and strength for the sake of family revenge.
One might think she’s selfish.
But I don’t think that way.
I share the same burning desire for revenge as her.
The reason I don’t regret joining an evil organization isn’t just that.
I need a place to stay while I grow stronger for revenge.
Thus, I will accept the help of the Golden Rule, and I will aid her.
But why did she want someone like me, a D-rank hunter?
“Um… but I’m a D-rank, how can I be of help to your organization?”
“Stop lying.”
“Huh?”
“You… have hidden abilities, don’t you?”
“How do you know that?”
“I can’t see it clearly, but I can tell. You’ve heard that I used to be an S-rank hunter, right? And do you think I became the boss of a villain organization for no reason? … It’s on a small scale, but…”
Is Eunbyul seeing through my abilities?
“Do you perhaps have the ability to see others’ capabilities?”
“No. It’s not that grand. If you’re around S-rank, you can sense other people’s powers to some extent. It varies depending on the person’s aura…”
“Even if I don’t know what ability you have, I can definitely feel a tremendous aura from you.”
“…”
“If it’s difficult to talk about it now, you can tell me later. But… I want you to remember just one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Our world of hunters is always one where you can die and be betrayed.”
She conveyed this obvious truth to me.
I know it well.
That the hunter’s world is one where you can always die.
That we can always be betrayed…
I am painfully aware of it and have experienced it.
Her words reminded me once again that we are in the same vulnerable position.
**********
I returned to my room.
Eunbyul seemed to be heading to bed since it was getting late.
Seoyoon also stuttered and waved her hand, saying it was time for me to head back.
– DING!
Suddenly, the system appeared in my view.
[“The ‘Diminish-Nerf (EX)’ skill has successfully been born in this world due to the user’s desires.”]
[“Would you like to acquire ‘Diminish-Nerf (EX)’?”]
[Yes] / [No]
‘Yes.’
Is there any reason to hesitate?
I immediately acquired a skill just for myself.
But something feels off.
I thought it simply granted me the ability to diminish…
Does it take time to learn EX-level skills?
I’ve never learned any other skills, so I don’t know.
I want to get stronger using the system quickly.
There are dungeons I can clear alone, but I still don’t know if they are efficient.
First, I need to check if the skill I learned is properly applied.
Since the system is already on, I should be able to access my information directly, right?
‘My Information’
[Checking your information.]
[Information]
Name: Han Shiwoo (21)
Level: 10
Position: Dealer
Stats: 0
– Current Stats –
Strength: 2
Agility: 1
Intelligence: 1
Luck: 6
– Acquired Skills –
Diminish-Nerf (EX) LV.1 (Max)
P. Blessing of the System (EX) LV.1 (Max)
P. Basic Swordsmanship (D) LV.3
3 Consecutive Attacks (D) LV.3
P. Blessing of the Drug User (D) LV.2
==========
Fortunately, it seems to have been applied correctly.
By the way, I suspect that skills with a “P” prefix are passive abilities.
I want to head to a dungeon as soon as possible.
My impatience keeps growing.
The desire to become stronger is welling up inside me.
Unable to hold back, I searched for a gate I could enter alone nearby.
I immediately opened the door to the Golden Rule’s hideout.
“But… where is this?”
The Golden Rule’s hideout was underground.
I wonder how someone thought to make a hideout in a sewer?
I don’t understand it.
For some reason, there were no windows inside the hideout.
Anyway, despite being a sewer, it didn’t smell at all.
“That’s strange…”
I quickly found a ladder and climbed up to open the manhole cover.
Outside the manhole cover was nature.
The natural scenery was quite beautiful.
I thought this should be enough to throw off the association’s tracking.
Being in this forest would probably make it hard for the association to find me.
As I was about to close the manhole cover again, I noticed it was slippery with a lot of moss.
Struggling, I managed to close the heavy manhole cover and hurried to the gate near the hideout.
**********
I found the gate.
But the color of the gate was a bit strange.
The gate detection app clearly indicated that it was on a difficulty level I could enter alone.
However, the color of the gate was dark like the night.
Indeed, this gate was a Black Gate.
Should I trust the app and enter? Or should I give up and return to the hideout?
Faced with this choice, I stepped forward without hesitation and walked into the Black Gate.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
I remembered a manga with a protagonist who farms to get stronger.
That protagonist was a hero.
But I am not a hero.
I have become a person involved in an organization called a villain.
So, is it strange for a villain to farm in a dungeon?
Villains can also farm in dungeons.
I need to get stronger. Strong enough to surpass Yena, that jerk.
Of course, I won’t forget my revenge.
With that resolved, I stepped into the gate.
The sensation of being pulled in completely overcomes me.
The feeling of strength draining from my body.
Opening my eyes, I felt dizziness from a warped view.
These sensations will never become familiar.
I gripped the sword in my right hand more tightly.
**********
I entered the gate.
“Ugh…”
My eyes hurt.
Everything appeared white.
I covered my eyes with my hands.
Snow?
When I opened my eyes again, it was snowing in this gate.
This area is… a snowy mountain?
The Black Gate has a field type.
If lucky, many easy terrains can appear, but if unlucky, survival becomes difficult like this.
It seems I used all my luck for survival in an EX-level dungeon.
“Ugh… it’s cold…”
The weather outside feels like summer.
Maybe that’s why my attire consists of thin long pants and a short-sleeve shirt. Just light armor.
Even that armor was in poor condition from the previous EX-level dungeon.
Enduring the cold in a snowy mountain was quite tough.
Fortunately, I’ve had experience with Black Gates before.
When you defeat the boss, the boss’s corpse turns into an exit gate.
One hour inside a Black Gate equals one minute in the outside world.
First, I need to solve this damned cold.
I recall survival magazines suggesting digging a hole and hiding inside.
So, I began to dig with my sword.
But no matter how much I dug, the snow kept piling back on.
I wasn’t skilled at digging.
And the condition of my sword was poor.
I started using my hands to scoop up the snow.
I felt like my hands were going to get frostbite.
The blizzard that had been raging gradually began to subside.
As the snowfall weakened, my visibility improved.
There’s a cave up ahead.
Seeing that cave, I ran straight towards it.
Inside the cave was dark.
Goosebumps started to rise all over my body.
It was because my frozen body began to thaw.
The cave was somewhat deep.
I ventured a bit further inside.
The deeper I went, the more my heart raced.
For some reason, it began to brighten the further I went in.
I would learn the reason as time passed.
There was a hole in the ceiling of the cave.
But if there’s a hole, cold air should come in.
Yet, this cave was excessively warm.
As if another life form existed here.