The candle was half-melted. Calming my startled heart, I looked around relying on the faint light, and saw blurry outlines.

The room, which looked like a medieval castle, was filled with objects strewn about both neatly and messily, as if it were a warehouse.

As the pale light flickered, the letters on the poster stuck to the wall also wavered.

Could it be the language of another world? Thinking that even Latin would be simpler than this, my mouth moved on its own.

“[In honor of the sacrifice of the Great King?]”

Although they were clearly illegible characters, I could read them.

For a moment, joy welled up. Could these characters be related to my memory? If so, perhaps I could recall my lost memories and awaken…

‘[System:: Abnormal access.]’

It felt like my vision was clearing. I had definitely seen the status window that appeared before me just before I was caught up in the gate.

Even if it was an error.

I wanted to cling to even a vague hope. It’s okay. I can survive. Whether I awaken in a moment of crisis, or someone comes to rescue me…

Clank.

As I was trying to suppress my fear, I heard the sound of someone’s footsteps, metal hitting metal, coming from somewhere.

At the same time, the scent of death grew stronger. It was suffocating.

The meaning of that sound was clear. Something was approaching from beyond the door.

The sound of swallowing saliva was particularly loud.

Gritting my teeth and reducing the sound to the limit, I leaned against the wall next to the door. Please, just pass by without incident…!

Clank, clank. The sound of footsteps coming from afar continued, then suddenly stopped.

Did it leave? Or why did the sound stop? A few seconds felt like hours. I held my breath and peeked through the door into the hallway.

“…!”

There stood a headless rider.

Pitch-black eroded armor, black armor, black sand-like smoke flowing from where the head should be. A helmet held in hand.

What these things implied was clear. The Knight of Death. Dulahan.

The fact that Dulahan was patrolling meant that this gate’s estimated rank was undoubtedly S-class.

Only after the clanking sound faded away did a dejected laugh escape.

An S-class gate? Even an E-class gate significantly lowers the survival rate for ordinary people, but an S-class gate?

Right, it would have to be at least S-class for such an anomaly to occur within guild premises.

At that moment, I felt like the ground was falling away beneath my feet.

I had left the place that was paradise and returned. To find someone… Who did I come back to find…?

Ah, family. …I came back here to find my brother.

Because he would be lonely by himself, so…

But if I die here like this.

…Is there any meaning in coming back?

Without having done anything, like this?

A strange sensation enveloped my entire body.

It was as if I was becoming detached from myself.

As if something other than my will was moving me…

Countless ringing sounds echoed in my head.

I felt dizzy. Amidst the loudly mixing tinnitus, instinct warned me. Despite such instinctive warnings, my hand moved on its own.

The moment my hand grabbed the doorknob, the candle went out with a whoosh. As acrid smoke rose, the man who had been having a nightmare woke up screaming.

“Aaaaaaagh-!”

My hand stopped. As the ringing disappeared, reason returned.

What was I just about to do?

The man who had woken up with a loud scream exhaled roughly. Still seemingly unable to distinguish reality, he was muttering something ominous.

“Rather, destruction… Huh?”

“…Are you awake now.”

“Wha- what. Where is this?”

“Where else? Inside a gate. Don’t you know that even though you’re an awakened one, mister?”

“Hey, don’t call me mister! Anyway, is this really a gate? Here?”

“Yes. And it’s estimated to be S-class. Want to recite the gate information?”

“Gate information? Whoa, what’s this!”

The man who had come to his senses was spouting nonsense.

Is he still not fully conscious? Moreover, he seemed very clumsy for a hunter. I had a feeling this person wouldn’t be helpful for survival.

I sighed and spoke as if chiding him.

“Are you really a hunter, mister?”

“I am! You don’t know anything, you little…!”

“Then what rank is this place?”

“…”

Let’s not continue.

“To think you know even less than me, an unawakened person, it’s quite serious…”

“Wha- what! Besides, aren’t you the strange one?! How did you know this is estimated to be S-class?!”

“It’s Park Ha Young, not ‘you’. A Dulahan just passed by. Dulahan is at least an A-rank monster. Since it was patrolling as a mere mob, it’s estimated to be at least S-class. Or it could even be Unknown. Since all ranks above S-class are treated as Unknown…”

“…I’m not mister either, I’m Kim Myung Hak. But Park Ha Young? You?”

“Yes. I’m Park Ha Young. Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s just…”

The expression of the annoying mister, no, Kim Myung Hak, looking at me became subtle. Is there a problem with my name? As I was thinking that, he suddenly sighed. The way he held his head looked quite agonized.

“Nevermind. So you’re saying a Dulahan passed by…”

“Do you know what a Dulahan is?”

“Of course I know! It’s that headless horseman, right?”

“…Please recite the gate information you just checked.”

At my doubtful tone, he narrowed his eyes. He soon grumbled and provided the information.

[The Black Tomb of the Forgotten King]

Rank: ???

Attribute: ???

Personnel Limit: ???

Main Appearing Monsters: ???

Boss Monster: ???

It really wasn’t helpful. I didn’t know the available information would be this limited. I had heard that the information each hunter could see was different…

When I let out a deep sigh, Myung Hak jumped up.

“What are you so proud of to sigh?! You’re unawakened, so you can’t do anything anyway!”

Hearing those words made my irritation surge.

He doesn’t even know who brought him here. I should have abandoned him earlier.

Still, talking with someone was gradually bringing a sense of relief.

A laugh escaped through my teeth. Seeing me snicker, Myung Hak even started gesticulating. He was making a fuss about whether I was laughing at him, but honestly, I couldn’t understand what he was saying.

More importantly, it feels like I’ve forgotten something.

As soon as that thought occurred, a chill ran down my back. Simultaneously, the sound of footsteps was heard again.

Ah, life really… Nothing ever goes right…

[This is the timeline separator]

Deep sunken blue eyes emitted a gloomy light.

In a room that was made of glass but somehow dark, the man who had been gazing out the window indifferently let out a short sigh.

“Oh my…”

Frowning as if displeased, the man approached closer to the window. Sparks were flying in the air around the man, but no one paid attention.

For a brief moment, the man laughed, feeling that what he had tried to protect had become meaningless.

“They’re using underhanded tactics.”

A system window with a reddish tint appeared in front of the man. Abnormal access, error. It was indeed an error, as it was twisting causality.

The man who carelessly closed the system window spoke as if exhaling.

“Shina, you should stay still, it’s for your own good.”

The gaze as he spoke softly was sinister.

Cheon Shin Woo, South Korea’s rank 1 who was said to be busier than the President, let out a short groan.

It was fortunate that no one was watching, as his eyes were piercingly sharp. Just as he was about to move, someone entered the room.

“Guild Master, a gate sync occurred inside the guild…!”

“What’s the damage situation?”

“We’re currently assessing the number of people. The estimated number of synced individuals is around 28, and among them are 7 non-combat awakened…”

“It’s thirty. One rat, …and one unawakened.”

“Pardon?”

The guild member who had come to report to the Guild Master about this unprecedented situation was dumbfounded. Cheon Shin Woo, who had raised the corner of his mouth crookedly, smiled.

“Any other known information?”

“Ah, they say they’re confirming it now. Since it’s an unexplored gate, there’s no known information…”

The face of the guild member giving the report turned deathly pale. The surrounding temperature was particularly chilly. This meant Cheon Shin Woo was in a bad mood.

What on earth had made him so angry again? Just as the guild member was trembling in fear, Cheon Shin Woo indifferently recited one phrase.

“Gate information check.”

Simultaneously, information visible only to Cheon Shin Woo’s eyes appeared.

[The Black Tomb of the Forgotten King]

Rank: S

Attribute: Fantasy, Death, Darkness

Personnel Limit: Unlimited

Main Appearing Monsters: Dulahan, Death Knight, Ghost, ???

Boss Monster: ???

As Cheon Shin Woo read the information, a strange light flickered in his eyes. The guild member flinched again at his self-deprecating pronunciation as he muttered, “Of all things…”

“The rank is S, attributes are fantasy, death, and darkness. Seeing that undead monsters appear and it has the fantasy attribute, it seems to be full of ghost-type monsters that also perform mental attacks. The personnel limit is unlimited, but having many people won’t be of much use. The possibility of dying if we go is high.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m going. Please take care of controlling the situation and reporting to the Association.”

Having said only what he needed to say, Cheon Shin Woo moved his body.

The guild member gasped as he kicked and shattered the glass window and jumped out from the 30th floor.

“I hope he’ll be alright…”

Cheon Shin Woo’s final murmur, which would not reach anyone, quickly dispersed in the air.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Wha- what are you doing!”

Myung Hak jumped up at my sudden action of covering his mouth. Startled by his reaction, I covered his mouth again and made a shushing gesture, but the tactless man became even angrier.

“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“Please shut up if you want to live!”

“What is it, what’s going on?”

Despite my desperate expression, he just looked around in confusion. The clanking sound was still far away, but we couldn’t let our guard down.

Does this person really have no sense of tact? Has he forgotten that this is a gate?

“Monster. A monster is coming!”

My voice, lowered to the limit, was close to a whisper in the air. Myung Hak made a face as if to say, what’s the problem with that?

Is something really wrong with this person’s head? Just as I was thinking that, his expression gradually turned to shock.

“Mons-!”

Please, read the room! I covered his mouth again as he was about to shout loudly.

Finally seeming to calm down, Myung Hak exhaled heavily and nodded. I wanted to tell him to breathe quietly too, but I couldn’t force that on someone facing death.

“If it’s a monster, is it, that Dulahan?”