His heart started racing. The box's size looked familiar. His hands moved faster to open it.
'Just as I thought!'
Jin-Woo's eyes went wide. Inside the box was a golden key. It was the key to the instance dungeon he'd been longing for. Information about the key appeared shortly after. Ding!
[Item: Key of the Demon Castle] Acquisition difficulty: S-rank Type: Key A key that grants access to 'Dungeon: Demon Castle.' Can be used at Songpa District's Daeseong Tower.
"S-rank?"
Jin-Woo's voice rose. Of course, acquisition difficulty didn't necessarily correspond to dungeon difficulty. But they didn't look entirely unrelated either. The instance dungeon he'd entered with an E-rank key had been as easy as an E-rank Gate's dungeon. But what if the dungeon difficulty was truly S-rank? Even S-rank Hunters forming a team might or might not be able to clear it—there was no way to tell. Fifty-fifty odds? From B-rank Gates upward, difficulty increased explosively, and across the entire world, S-rank Gates had opened hardly ever.
'One of them opened in Jeju Island.'
After that, Jeju Island became an abandoned land where no one could live anymore. Jin-Woo stared down at the key in his hand.
'Is this really what I wanted?'
One consolation was that unlike the previous key, which had said 'teleportation' was possible, this one said 'access' was available. That meant he could escape at any time. And even if the key suddenly disappeared, he still had an unused return stone left in his storage. He wouldn't be trapped behind an invisible wall like before.
'Can't waste an opportunity I obtained with such difficulty.'
He wanted to confirm with his own eyes whether this key was truly what he'd been looking for.
Outside Daeseong Tower. A hundred-story skyscraper soared into the sky like it was piercing the heavens. A true mega-tall building. Just looking up at it was enough to make one's head spin. Perhaps because it was nighttime, there were few passersby. The deserted street gave off a gloomy atmosphere.
'Just in case, though…'
Jin-Woo looked around and pulled the hood of his sweatshirt low over his head. If he suddenly appeared or disappeared before the Gate had even opened, it could cause a commotion. Plus, surveillance cameras were installed everywhere nearby, so there was no harm in being careful not to stand out. As it happened, someone had their eye on Jin-Woo.
'Who's that?'
Some guy wandering around the building late at night with a hat pulled over his head. A security guard watching from inside the building grew suspicious of Jin-Woo and stood up from his seat. But as the guard walked toward the door, he froze in his tracks, eyes going wide.
"W-what?"
The guard rushed out in alarm. The man who had clearly been walking this way had vanished in an instant. Cleanly. He looked around, but there wasn't even an ant in sight. The guard tilted his head and turned back.
"That's… creepy as hell."
Just as he was about to reenter the building, he noticed something grayish nearby and casually turned his head.
"G-gah!"
Terrified, he fell flat on his backside on the ground.
"Wh-what is this?!"
The guard screamed, face deathly pale. A human hand floating in midair soon vanished into thin air. Jin-Woo retracted his outstretched arm.
'Connected to the outside.'
Unlike last time, it wasn't blocked by an invisible wall. The key hadn't disappeared either—it was still right there in his pocket. Meaning he could leave here at any time he wanted.
'Escape route secured…'
Since the key's acquisition difficulty was so high, he was far more cautious than usual. Jin-Woo pulled off his hood and turned around.
"…"
It was a sight that could draw out a groan. Just moments ago, after taking a few steps toward Daeseong Tower, the world before his eyes had transformed in an instant. Could this even be called a dungeon? It was a completely different world from what he'd expected. Where Daeseong Tower had been, there now stood an enormously massive tower.
'Would it be more accurate to call it a tower, or a castle?'
The tower stretching endlessly into the sky was engulfed in dark crimson flames. It didn't look like it was on fire—it looked like the tower itself was holding the flames within it.
"A burning tower."
It was a place that suited this name better than 'Demon Castle.' Jin-Woo walked toward the tower. Crackle! The closer he got, the louder the roaring of the flames became.
'Will I even be able to get inside?'
And even after entering, there'd be problems. Like the previous dungeon that had been generated based on a subway station, if this dungeon was based on Daeseong Tower, that meant he'd have to climb a hundred floors to clear it. He couldn't even fathom how long that would take.
'Hm?'
Jin-Woo stopped walking. He sensed a powerful aura near the entrance. Looking around carefully, he spotted a black beast the size of a bull curled up in a ball, asleep in the corner just in front of the door. Jin-Woo carefully summoned Kasaka's Venom Fang.
Ding!
[Item: Kasaka's Venom Fang] Acquisition difficulty: C Type: Dagger Attack power: +25 A dagger made from Kasaka's Venom Fang. Traces of Kasaka's venom remain, granting paralysis and bleed effects on attack. You can store it in your inventory or sell it at the shop. 'Paralysis' effect: There is a chance the target will be unable to move. 'Bleed' effect: The target's health is drained at a rate of 1% per second.
Its raw attack power wasn't all that high, but its special effects had been proven in actual combat.
'I hope the paralysis effect lets me take it down easily.'
Jin-Woo minimized his footsteps. And slowly approached the creature. But he couldn't fool a monster's sense of smell. Before long, the beast sniffed the air and lifted its body.
'Tch.'
Jin-Woo clicked his tongue. Once fully upright, it turned all three of its heads toward Jin-Woo at once.
[Gatekeeper of Hell, Cerberus]
A massive dog with three heads. The red name written above the monster's head caught his eye. A sign that the monster's level was high.
'Red—same tier as the giant centipede I saw in the penalty zone?'
Back then, he'd been too busy fleeing from the centipede. He'd only been level 1 after all.
'But now, it's different.'
He'd grown rapidly in a short time. The creature was certainly strong, but he didn't feel completely outmatched. His sharpened instincts told him he could handle it. He hadn't raised his Perception stat for nothing. He'd steadily invested in it to distinguish between what to fight and what to flee from.
"Grrrrgh!"
Cerberus recognized its enemy, bared its teeth, and began to threaten. Jin-Woo's gaze flickered briefly toward the creature's tail. Flames burned at the tip of its long, whip-like tail. Jin-Woo's eyes glinted sharply.
'Teeth and tail. At least two attack patterns, minimum.'
Jin-Woo swallowed hard. Cerberus, which had been slowly closing the distance, stopped right in front of him and sized him up.
'Is it looking for… an opening?'
Just as that thought crossed his mind—Cerberus lunged.
"Arf!"
Jin-Woo's eyes went wide.
'Fast!'
He slid under the leaping Cerberus, dodging its fangs. Cerberus, having landed on the ground, immediately spun around and thrust all three of its maws forward.
"Arf, arf-arf!"
Sharp fangs gleamed between its jaws. Ding!
['Title: Wolf Slaughterer' buff effect has been activated.] [Title: Wolf Slaughterer] A title given to hunters skilled at taking down wolves. All stats increase by 40% when fighting beast-type monsters.
He felt his body grow lighter.
'Good!'
Jin-Woo backpedaled, dodging Cerberus as it kept trying to close in, and swung his dagger. Swish, swish, whoosh. Swish! Clang! Clang-clang! Clang! The sound of dagger meeting fang rang out loudly. The dagger moved so fast it was nearly invisible, but it was only barely blocking Cerberus's attacks.
'Even with the buff, it's still this tough!'
Cerberus's agility far exceeded his expectations. Jin-Woo used his Fright skill to try and turn the situation around.
[Casting skill: 'Fright'] [Target's resistance is too high. Effect has been cancelled.]
Jin-Woo's eyes went wide.
'It doesn't work?'
Just then, Cerberus's long tail came flying like a whip. Whish! Jin-Woo reflexively ducked his head to dodge the tail. But because of that, his legs—which had been moving nonstop—stopped for a moment. And Cerberus didn't let that opening slip. One of its heads bit down hard on Jin-Woo's left shoulder.
"Aaagh!"
Jin-Woo drove his dagger into the creature's brow with everything he had. Thunk!
['Paralysis' effect has been triggered.] [Target's resistance is too high. Effect has been cancelled.]
['Bleed' effect has been triggered.] [Target's resistance is too high. Effect has been cancelled.]
"Raargh!"
Cerberus screamed and pulled back. Fortunately, he shook it off before the other heads could latch on, minimizing the damage, but his left shoulder was already torn to shreds. The bite force was terrifying. He tried to move his left arm but couldn't. Jin-Woo's brow furrowed. He'd dealt some damage to Cerberus too, but judging by the severity of injuries alone, he was in far worse shape.
'If only the paralysis or bleed had worked… the fight would've gone differently…'
Jin-Woo glared at Cerberus and clicked the tip of his tongue. And then—
'Huh?'
Cerberus's eyes began turning red.
"Grrrrgh."
A chilling sensation suddenly washed over him.
'What is this?'
[Gatekeeper of Hell, Cerberus activates skill: 'Fury'.] [Fury state persists for 3 minutes.] [Cerberus's all stats increase by 2x.] [Cerberus no longer feels pain.]
Jin-Woo shouted.
"You have to be kidding me!"
A fiendish beast—no, a monster, using a skill? In that instant, Cerberus launched off the ground.
'Damn it!'
Before he could even react, Cerberus was right in front of him. He frantically swung his dagger, but it only grazed the creature's head. Three maws clamped down on him simultaneously. Crunch!
"Nnngh!"
Jin-Woo clenched his teeth. His neck, his side, his thigh—all three taken at once. Cerberus sprinted at full speed and slammed Jin-Woo into the castle gate. Bam! Jin-Woo's health hit rock bottom in the blink of an eye.
"Cough!"
[Health: 411/3,602]
Ding!
[Health has dropped below 30%. Skill: 'Fortitude' has been activated.] [Damage taken is reduced by 50%.]
Thanks to the physical damage reduction and the Fortitude passive, he at least avoided an instant death.
"Guh…"
Jin-Woo forced his eyes wide open.