The gatekeeper raised his eyebrow and something shot past Dohyuk.

“…!”

“I allowed you to speak nonsense as you were a fool. But you dare-”

The spear was now sticking out of Namgun’s stomach.

“…mock our God? He is not someone to be rejected by the likes of you.”

The gatekeeper took the spear out and aimed for the leg. It was an attack to harm Namgun, not to finish him. However, Dohyuk kicked it away.

“Knock it off,” Dohyuk grunted and withdrew his numb foot.

“…He paid his price.”

So this was what happened to those people who died here.

“You…”

The gatekeeper turned toward Dohyuk, but became shocked.

“WH-What are you?! What’s that evil trace on your cheek!”

The spear was pointed at Dohyuk. The gatekeeper was obviously now hostile toward him.

“You cannot take one step into the city! Get lost! You are insulting Aruga just by standing here!”

“…What did you say, you f*ck?”

Kyuho was beyond angry. There was heat coming from his body and Dohyuk realized that he did not know about Kyuho’s Nature yet.

“How dare you speak like that to…”

“Enough.”

Dohyuk pulled Kyuho. He was already pulling Namgun’s body.

“Let’s go.”

“But…”

“If we can move on and nothing happens, then we do it.”

“…”

Kyuho’s body returned to normal.

“Okay.”

As they walked away, Kyuho looked back again and again, towards the gate.

Kim Namgun had died. The wound damaged most of his vital organs. Dohyuk did not mourn as he had not spent a long time with him, nor made friends with him. But…

“…”

He stared at Namgun’s dead body repeatedly. He didn’t attack anyone, and he didn’t try to steal. He just said one word and he was dead.

“You two should go in first,” he said to Kyuho and Heeyun.

“There are other gates. You two can take the other gates in.”

“What about you?” Heeyun asked.

“…”

Dohyuk smiled and turned to Kyuho. “I don’t know you well yet.”

“Yeah, it saddens me.”

“…But I know that you work for me. I know how this sounds but…”

“Okay. I’ll have this girl survive. That’s easy.”

“Good.”

Dohyuk then took off the bag that contained the sleeping bag and handed it over to Heeyun.

“Hold onto this.”

He knew what to do next. He wouldn’t have time to carry around the sleeping bag. Before they left, Dohyuk asked for a few things from Kyuho.

“Go on.”

Dohyuk spoke as Kyuho grabbed Heeyun’s arm and headed for another gate. The sun was coming up. Unlike Heeyun, Kyuho didn’t seem to be worried about Dohyuk.

“…You.” Heeyun spoke to Kyuho for the first time.

“Huh?”

“Aren’t you worried about him?”

“No.”

“Do you know his plan?”

“No.”

“Then why…”

“It’s Dohyuk,” he replied simply.

“When he makes that expression, he’s found a way.”

“But he might have the wrong answer…”

“No, it’s always right. He makes it right.”

Dohyuk checked his belongings. Compass of Tyrant. With this, he would find Heeyun and Kyuho no matter where they were. And…

“…”

Dohyuk looked down at the glass bottle. The one that contained salt. No words popped out at him and no voice came either. But he couldn’t throw it away, nor could he have Heeyun carry it.

“Dammit.”

Dohyuk stashed it in his pocket and moved.

As he walked to the gate, the sun was rising. It was the same gate that he visited. As he got closer-

“YOU!”

The gatekeeper jumped down.

“I TOLD YOU TO…”

“Aruga is a f*cking dumbass.”

Dohyuk spoke with a dull look, “And one who serves him is the same, a f*cking dumbass.”

“….!!!”

The gatekeeper thrust his spear at Dohyuk.

“It’s slow,” Dohyuk said as he dodged. He couldn’t see it the first time because it was so sudden, but he managed to kick it out of the way the second time, and it was easy to dodge by the third time. Then, he jumped and spun.

Challenger’s Bet

The kick directly hit the gatekeeper’s head. He was pushed back with his face up. What was in his line of sight was not the sky, but Dohyuk’s heel. And when it struck, it damaged his neck. Dohyuk sent the third kick to the back of his neck. The gatekeeper couldn’t stand anymore.

“See? You’re a f*cking dumbass too.”

Kyuho said that Aruga was the weakest of the gods. It meant that Aruga was the best in the trial that proceeded this world called Bermura. If the strongest was weak, it meant that this world had not stayed too long in the trial. There were a lot of cities, and this was only one them. Therefore, this man was only one of the many gatekeepers.

“Goodbye.”

“….!!!”

Dohyuk inished him off.

<<Killed Bermuran.>>

<<Acquired 2993 coins>>

“You aren’t even worth 5000 coins.”

Dohyuk then unclothed him and placed it above him before he equipped the man’s device. When he pressed the button, he was pushed up to the wall. As he went up, he saw a body in the far distance above the desert. It was Namgun’s body, a man who died for an absurd reason.

“…Honestly, I would not have trusted you even if we traveled more.”

With his last glance-

“Still. I’m sorry…”

Dohyuk apologized like he did to everyone else that he killed. He wasn’t a beast.

“…that I couldn’t react faster…”

And had no intention to become a beast.

“…and that I didn’t become sad.”

Then, he turned. He was now going up.

‘Role Play’

This was the system set upon this trial. People needed to follow orders from these Bermurans who considered humans worthless until they got enough points to rule the city.

‘…F*ck you.’

Dohyuk bit his lip. His goal was set. He needed to grow strong, and wasn’t going to be a puppet.