Chapter 109…
Guardian.
A nickname Joo Geon-ryul earned because he never attacks first.
I had always assumed it was simply his personal nature.
But that wasn’t it. He had a Restriction placed on him…
Now everything made sense.
I had always wondered why he didn’t go around wiping out the Marauders.
But since I knew his defensive personality, I’d simply assumed that was the reason…
But honestly, it never made sense for someone of Joo Geon-ryul’s power to just sit back and take hits.
To leave alone the very scum he despised so deeply?
Considering his goal—to save people—it was absurd.
“We will now begin the strategy to conquer the Red Gate of Eungnyong.”
Joo Geon-ryul finished speaking with me, wrapped up the final preparations for the assault, and announced in a firm voice.
He gazed at the Red Gate in the distance for a moment, then slowly turned and walked toward where the guild members were gathered.
I could feel the weight of responsibility on his back.
To have power, yet be unable to use it until I or my people are attacked…
In my case, it meant only after Ms. Park was hurt…
Or only when the Monster Guild was under attack—only then could I retaliate.
Knowing everything, but still having to get hit first…
I would’ve gone insane long ago.
I could finally understand how heavy the title “Guardian” must be on Joo Geon-ryul’s shoulders.
“……”
“……”
He and I stood side by side atop the fortress wall, looking down.
Below us stood 150 elite raiders lined up in formation.
“This battle will be the end of our hardships and the beginning of our vengeance. Do not die before you can avenge yourselves.”
“Sir!”
“Siiiir—!”
Boom!
At Joo Geon-ryul’s speech, the elite unit of Cheonsun Guild stomped the ground and straightened their posture.
Determination and grim resolve hardened their expressions.
Whooooo—
A wind blew past.
Dust and ash brushed across our faces.
The air smelled of gunpowder and something charred.
But above all, the strongest sensation was the ominous energy drifting from afar.
The lingering mana leaking from the Red Gate.
This would be the final “hell” that would end the current hell.
* * *
“Raid team, formation ready!”
“Supply check complete!”
“Equipment inspection complete!”
Under Jegal Sang’s command, the Cheonsun Guild raiding force completed their final preparations to enter the Corrosion Zone.
All 150 elite members stood fully armed and ready.
Their eyes showed tension, but also unwavering resolve.
Nam Woo-jin stretched his body beside me, sparks of lightning dancing at his fingertips.
His usual playful expression was gone, replaced by solemn focus.
“Hyung, is a real Eungnyong coming out?”
“Yes.”
“Wow… I finally get to see a real dragon? I’m totally telling my dad after this!”
He sounded excited, but he couldn’t hide the tension trembling under his voice.
Of course.
No matter how talented, he was still just a kid.
But he’ll grow a step further through this experience.
Before entering the Corrosion Zone, I opened my status window.
[Status Window]
Name: Kang Si-woo
Race: Human
Level: 91
Class: Tamer
Talents:
Empathy (C), Lord of Beasts (Ex), Serpent Crown (―S), Indestructible Flesh (S), Sealed Wax Release (S), Stage Director’s Gaze (D), Touch of Plunder (C)
Skills:
Taming Lv.1 (A), Blue Wolf’s Step Lv.10 (C), Nest Lv.5 (B), Hundred Beast Swordsmanship Lv.10 (A+), Resonance with Monsters Lv.9 (B―), Short Step Lv.8 (A), Blood Echo Lv.1 (B), Eradication Lv.1 (D)
Stats:
Strength 118 (+12)
Agility 147 (+15)
Stamina 70 (+17)
Mana 125 (+13)
Luck 33 (+3)
I dumped all the stat points I saved after clearing the Orange Gate.
52 into Strength, 51 into Agility, 47 into Mana.
In the Red Gate, firepower and mobility would matter most.
And I’d also gained a new C-rank talent after killing Jin Geuk-sal—Touch of Plunder.
[Touch of Plunder] – Rank C
On a successful melee attack, you have a 5–50% chance to forcibly dispel one magical effect on the target or absorb it for 5 seconds.
(Only works on effects up to B-rank. Useless against A-rank or higher.)
It’s probability-based, but stealing buffs is insanely useful… especially since I have this.
The relic that lets me “fix probability” based on my Luck stat—the broken die.
With that, any probability-based skill becomes my ally.
And…
…damn. Thanks to that Gambling Goblin, my stats are insanely inflated.
The ring I stole from him—“Talent Found in Light”.
It multiplies every stat by three times the number of my talents.
Of course, it had a downside.
Each time I steal a talent, I get consumed by the “Madness” status.
I’ve stolen two talents so far. It was about time I worried.
But thanks to a future skill temporarily pulled into the present—Blood Bond—I would endure.
It would shield me with its lingering shadow.
Both that, and the Serpent Crown.
[Blood Echo] – Rank B (Lv.1)
A remnant of “Blood Bond.”
You can no longer willingly enter madness, but exposure to it increases your mental resistance.
• Mind Retention
• Mental Corrosion Resistance
The original skill also had “Unbreakable Mind,” which let me maintain sanity through madness.
But even the leftover fragments were useful.
Nothing in this world is truly useless.
Of course, compared to my original “Berserk (S)” talent, it was like a half-baked knockoff—but still.
My skill Talent Devour was still steadily stacking.
[Talent Devour has consumed (211/500) worth of talents.]
Almost halfway.
If I hunted Marauders with Joo Geon-ryul later, I could probably fill it quickly… but who knew what circumstances would allow.
Anything could happen at any time.
“……”
Time passed, and the sun began to set.
The western sky turned red as members of the Cheonsun Guild moved busily.
Some stretched their bodies; others took their final moments of rest.
“My joints are stiff… I’ll twist something at this rate.”
“Relax. Didn’t you hear what he said? ‘If your breath shakes, your blade shakes.’”
Everyone acted calm, but tension was obvious in their faces.
The Red Gate was dangerously lethal.
“Move out!”
At Joo Geon-ryul’s command, 150 elite raiders began marching.
Cheonsun Guild’s elite moved in perfect formation toward the Corrosion Zone.
Step— step— step—
Their footsteps echoed through the ruined streets.
It was about 10 kilometers away.
Walking was safer for assessing the surroundings.
Vehicles would be faster, but Joo Geon-ryul chose marching.
He really is considerate.
It had the added effect of stabilizing the nearby area.
We advanced cautiously but steadily.
As we walked, the scenery gradually changed.
At first, the ruins merely showed signs of war.
But the closer we got to the Corrosion Zone, the more unnaturally warped the world became.
Buildings twisted subtly. The asphalt looked melted and re-solidified like liquid.
Trees had withered and died, their leaves turned red.
“Deploy the barrier!”
At Jegal Sang’s command, wizards and newly promoted shamans cast their protective shields.
A blue barrier enveloped the entire raiding party.
But even that didn’t feel like enough.
As expected of a Red Gate…
The boundary of the Corrosion Zone was clear.
It was as if an invisible wall divided one world from another.
Even the color of the air changed—from normal transparent air to one tinged faintly red.
One by one, guild members stepped inside.
“It’s cold… It feels like my lungs are freezing.”
“Stay sharp.”
Some shivered; others instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons.
Their instincts recognized danger.
Once fully inside, the scenery changed drastically.
It felt like we’d crossed into another world.
And then—
Everyone froze in shock.
“Hyung-nim… this is…”
“Yes, Sang-ah. I feel it too. For the domain of Eungnyong… this wicked energy is far too strong.”
Joo Geon-ryul and Jegal Sang both murmured in disbelief.
I felt the same.
Something is wrong…
Eungnyong, in Eastern mythology, is considered a divine creature.
Even if it manifested as a monster, it should never emit such filth, such oppressive darkness.
And I had experienced Eungnyong’s Gate in my previous life.
They were violent—yes—but not insane.
A thin line, but an important one.
The difference between having reason and losing it.
This was clearly artificially tampered with.
“This place is too…”
A guild member couldn’t finish his sentence.
Everyone felt the same.
The air was heavy with the smell of blood.
The metallic stench was so strong it was hard to breathe.
Vision was obscured by a red fog, tinting everything in crimson hues.
This horrific, ominous scenery did not match Eungnyong at all.
Joo Geon-ryul quietly spoke to me.
“Do you find this strange as well?”
“Yes. It’s not just a suspicion. It’s a certainty. Someone interfered ahead of us. My guess is…”
“The one who ‘targets me,’ then.”
“Yes.”
Between collapsed buildings were massive scale fragments.
Each the size of a human torso.
And deep claw marks gouged across walls.
“These are… Eungnyong’s traces?”
Jegal Sang muttered in shock.
The others shared the same reaction.
Silently, everyone walked while staying on guard.
Things have changed. We need to be careful.
I had no choice but to tense up as well.
All the data I’d collected on Eungnyong in my previous life was now useless.
“……”
“……”
“……”
We traveled deeper into the Corrosion Zone.
The tension among the guild members was palpable.
Everyone gripped their weapons tightly, bracing for what could appear at any moment.
Then—
…Thud.
…Thud.
Thud!
Footsteps, slowly approaching.
With each step, the pressure pushing down on us grew heavier.
“Something’s there… Did you hear that?”
“Damn it, the sound’s echoing. I can’t tell where it’s coming from…”
People tried to locate the source, but the thick red fog distorted vision and sound.
…Krrrk, krrrk.
A grotesque noise echoed from somewhere close.
“Left! Over there!”
“Don’t blink!”
This time the sound was clear, and everyone snapped their gaze to the left.
But they still saw nothing.
Only the sound.
“Focus… something’s coming.”
A whisper passed through the ranks.
Weapons were raised.
The tension reached its peak.
KRRRK—
The sound of powerful claws crushing concrete.
And then, at last, a massive silhouette emerged from the crimson darkness.
“……”
“……”
“……”
The wings on its back didn’t flap. They couldn’t.
They were shredded, dangling limply.
Its entire body was soaked in blood, and dark red liquid dripped between its scales.
“…That’s Eungnyong?”
A guild member spoke in a trembling voice.
And at that moment—
Its bloodshot eyes flashed a vivid, murderous red.
