[Your magic has increased by 1.]

[Your magic has increased by 0.5.]

[Your magic has increased by 2.]

[Your magic has increased by 0.5.]

…..

After absorbing 9 ice attribute items, his magic stat had increased by 10.

“Hm, now that I’ve absorbed them, they’ve become useless.” Without their ice attribute, the artifacts had become normal items.

‘Well, they’re not the main dishes anyways.’

He looked at the Glove of the Frost Fairy’s Wrath that he had placed aside. Since it was a cursed item, it had intermediate-level frost energy.

“Gimme those 5 points!” Seo Jun-Ho placed his hand on the glove and started to absorb its energy. The cold sensation he had gotten when he treated Choi Sun-Hee started to set in. It created a new magic as it wove into his own.

[Your magic stat has increased by 4.]

“Ah…” He let out a disappointed sigh. He had expected it to increase his magic stat by at least 5, but it seemed that even items of the same grade weren’t all equal.

‘Well, it makes sense that a disease from a person is stronger than an item.’

Having eaten his fill, Seo Jun-Ho looked once again at the purified glove.

[Magic-Infused Glove]

Grade: Rare

Speed +1 Stamina +1 Magic +2

Use requirements: Level 10, 40 Speed, 50 Magic

“Not bad.” The curse in the glove had been fully purified.

This meant that Seo Jun-Ho could use it now.

“It’s even comfortable.” The glove fit him perfectly like it was made for him.

‘With this, I’m ready to take on the Nameless Dragon.’

After absorbing all the magic, his magic stat was now at 67. He could now use other techniques without any reservations.

“It’ll be fun.” He revealed a wide smile.

***

The Eastern Sea Gate was at Ilsan beach in Ulsan. For the people of Ulsan, the beach was one of the few ways to relieve themselves of the hot weather, and the Gate had stolen that. But now, it had become famous for being the last Uncleared Gate in Korea. [1]

Ilsan Beach had been empty even during the height of summer, but now it was full of chattering people. The domestic reporters were a given, but there were lots of foreign ones as well.

“This shows how much the world is watching.” Shim Deok-Gu, the President of the Korean Player Association had come too. Because today might be the day that Korea became the world’s first special safe zone.[2]

“Aren’t you nervous?”

The person he was talking to was none other than Seo Jun-Ho. They were riding in a big Cadillac van, the kind that American presidents rode.

“...Very nervous.” Shim Deok-Gu whirled around, shocked by his answer.

Ping! Ping...dun dun dun.

Sad music played as Seo Jun-Ho died in the game. He tossed the console aside as he leaned back in his seat.

“Geez! What a crappy game. How come it shakes so much during the boss fight?”

“...You were talking about the game?”

“Huh? Were you talking about that?” Seo Jun-Ho jutted his chin toward the beach. He waved his hands and looked at Deok-Gu like he was crazy. “I defeated the Frost Queen. Do you think I’d be scared of a dragon that I don’t even know the name of?” Most boss monsters had a distinct name or sobriquet. For example, the Perrin which only appeared once in northern Europe. Or the Kraken from Norway that appeared from the ocean. Even the Cinder Fox he recently fought not too long ago had a name.

“Well, it is called the Nameless Dragon…If it doesn’t have a name, it’s probably not all that great.”

“If it was, it would have a name.” Seo Jun-Ho spoke casually, but Shim Deok-Gu was uncharacteristically nervous.

“Don’t be careless. Don’t forget that almost 9000 people have died trying to defeat it.”

“I never let my guard down. And while we’re on the topic, a dragon is still a dragon.” They were one of the strongest monsters out there.

“Dragons aren’t easy opponents for newbies, especially those who don’t know how to hunt a dragon and are unprepared. ”

“That’s true.”

“So don’t worry.”

“I’m not.”

Shim Deok-Gu grumbled. “The most useless things to worry about are celebrities, rich people, and you.”

“If you know that, why do you look so nervous?”

“Just…It’s not just monsters you’ll be up against.” There were only three people going into the Gate today: Seo Jun-Ho and the Shadow Brothers. “Seeing as how no one else is going in, it’s very likely that they’re fiends.”

“They’re barely at level 25. I took down three Players who were over level 20 not long ago.”

“Hey, do you think the Shadow Brothers are that weak?”

“Well, considering their career, I’d say they’re a little better. Just a bit.”

“Tsk, your self-confidence is as high as ever l...” The Shadow Brothers were revered as heroes back in America, which meant that they had a good, clean career thus far.

‘They haven’t failed a single one of their 200 plus commissions.’

However, their main business wasn’t clearing Gates. Their specialty was acting as guards, so they were highly sought after.

“Both brothers awakened with shadow abilities. What luck.” Even if they were blood-related, it was unlikely for two people to awaken their abilities at the same time, and even more unlikely for them both to obtain skills with certain attributes. Even if that happened by some chance, the possibility of them awakening abilities with the same particular attribute was close to 0%.

“It’s like winning the Powerball, buying two more tickets with that money, and then winning again.”

“That’s why the Americans love them, saying that they’re brothers with a heroic destiny,” Shim Deok-Gu spoke. “Americans love a good hero story.”

“Yeah. All the Marvel and DC comics I read are from there.”

But if they truly were pawns for the fiends, why did they choose that path? People expected them to be heroes after all.

‘Well, I’ll find out soon enough.’

Seo Jun-Ho drank a soda as he looked out the window. “Huh? They’re here?”

“Seems like it. Let’s get off too.” The car carrying the Shadow Brothers was already parked in the lot. As Deok-Gu and Seo Jun-Ho made their way over, the car door opened and two tall men stepped out. They smiled brightly as they saw him.

“Hey! I’m a big fan of yours, Sir Jun-Ho!”

“Thanks, but I am not a sir. My name is Jun-Ho Seo.”[3]

As the perfect English spilled from his lips, the surrounding reporters, as well as the Shadow Brothers, looked surprised.

“Damn, you’re good at English.”

“Your pronunciation’s good. Did you study abroad?”

“No, I’m just familiar with it. I have a friend from England, you see.” That friend of his was an eccentric young lady who spent all her time locked in her room to study magic.

The Shadow Brothers fist-bumped him and laughed heartily.

“Hahaha, that’s a relief! Vita’s interpretation feature has a slight delay, so we were worried that it might be inconvenient when we go inside…But it seems like that won’t be a problem!”

“I didn’t know you were so good at English either. You should introduce us to your friend if we ever get the chance.”

“Well…We’ll see.” As they introduced each other warmly, the atmosphere around them also lightened. Only Shim Deok-Gu couldn’t enjoy the relaxed atmosphere.

‘Just by looking at them, I’m already starting to doubt myself…’

Were they really pretending to be good? If so, Shim Deok-Gu was worried about how things would unfold within the Gate.

One of the brothers noticed his stare and turned to him.

“Hm? Is there something on my face?”

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I was just amazed by the sight of America’s trending heroes.”

“Oh, well, no need to be sorry about that…” Once the Shadow Brothers finished exchanging greetings, they started the interview. The reporters didn’t ask any questions about their favorite k-pop stars or their thoughts on kimchi. Instead…

“Why did you come here to participate in the raid today?

“Uh…..Well. I’d say the biggest reason is the man called Seo Jun-Ho.”

“Player Seo Jun-Ho?”

“Correct. When we read that he defeated two Uncleared Gates and the Cinder Fox…we felt our blood boiling.”[4]

“You felt competitive?”

“Haha, let’s just call it respect.” The interview went on for another hour and ended pleasantly. The Shadow Brothers and Seo Jun-Ho then gathered at the shore during their short break.

“This is Korea’s last Uncleared Gate, isn’t it?”

“We’ll give it our all. So that Korea can become a special safe zone.”[5]

Hearing their encouragement, Seo Jun-Ho laughed lightly.

“Don’t worry. I’ve prepared as much as I can.”

***

When do you think Players were most nervous when challenging a Gate? Some might say it was when they were facing the boss, others might say that it was when their teammates were injured. But most Players were the most nervous when they were about to enter a Gate.

After all, they didn’t know what environments, monsters, or traps awaited them inside. This was why they were the most nervous at these moments.

‘That’s why we thought it would be easy…’

The Shadow Brothers had been planning to ambush Seo Jun-Ho as soon as they entered the Gate. But as they stared at his defenseless back, their hands wouldn’t move.

‘Is it…truly an opening?’

He looked careless, but there was an irrationally strong feeling that he would perfectly block their attacks. The two exchanged looks and widened their steps to flank Seo Jun-Ho.

“Pretty breezy, isn’t it?”

“I never knew the inside of a Gate would look like this…..”

Currently, they were on a lonely-looking island. Besides the small forest area in the east, they were surrounded by shorelines.

Shwaaaa!

The rough, fierce waves hit the beach without rest.

“I don’t see a single monster. Where’s the Nameless Dragon?”

“A dragon…I’ve always wanted to fight one.” With their arms crossed, the Shadow Brothers looked confident.

‘Something’s weird.’

The Nameless Dragon didn’t even have a proper sobriquet. But Seo Jun-Ho got a too-familiar feeling in him.

‘This is the same feeling I get when I enter a 1-star Gate.’

Of course, the Shadow Brothers wouldn’t know. They chattered away as they watched Seo Jun-Ho’s figure, looking for an opening.

Wooooooosh!

At that moment, a great shadow covered the island.

“Huh? What…..”

“Is it a cloud?” As they squinted up to the sky, the Shadow Brothers’ necks craned.

“What…is that?” Above the white clouds, something black and enormous flickered.

“Is it the Nameless Dragon?”

“Well, we’ve confirmed its location now. But how are we supposed to hunt something that flies about the clouds?” The Shadow Brothers turned to Seo Jun-Ho. He had been standing between the two of them just a moment ago, but he disappeared just now.

“W-when did he?”

“No way! I didn’t even feel his presence!” A great cry resonated above the two confused brothers.

Guoooohhh!

It was 15 meters long, black, and covered in tumor-like scales. Its fierce red eyes glared as the Nameless Dragon finally descended.

[The Forgotten Dragon has appeared.]

***

In the same moment, the darkness in the eastern forest wavered. Seo Jun-Ho stepped out and looked down at the panicked Shadow Brothers with cold eyes.

“Now, show me. If you’re working with the fiends…or not.”

1. Ulsan is a city in the south of Korea near Busan ☜

2. without any Uncleared Gates ☜

3. these lines are in English. ☜

4. in Korean, this doesn’t always insinuate anger. Usually, it’s just used to denote strong feelings/passion ☜

5. safe zone without any uncleared gates ☜