READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 25
Chapter 25
The conversation had been sufficient.
Although it was ultimately up to them, Suho trusted Gu Yeonhwa’s judgment implicitly.
‘All that remains now is to take some time and wait.’
They were likely quite shocked.
After all, they were a covert organization that had been almost entirely “invisible,” never exposing themselves to anyone.
Because of this, Suho knew he absolutely had to pass the Grade 5 exam.
Even someone as cautious as Gu Yeonhwa would find herself with undeniable grounds for retribution if he genuinely succeeded in passing the Grade 5.
Having concluded his first meeting with Banshee, Suho immediately called for a taxi and began moving to his next destination.
He had met with Banshee, and now it was time to work toward his next goal: reaching Level 50.
Why aim specifically for Level 50?
The answer was simple.
At Level 50, players unlocked their first “Trait.”
‘My first Trait was the Path of the Sword.’
Traits were a vital growth system that raised a player’s abilities by an entire level.
Unlike skills or items, Traits were always active, requiring little to no magical power to use.
In that Perception, although ‘Path of the Sword’ was a relatively common Trait, it was invaluable for anyone aspiring to be a swordsman.
Once unlocked, Path of the Sword granted a 50% increase in experience gain for all swordsmanship-related skills and enhanced all swordsmanship-related effects by 20%.
‘But this time, I’ll obtain a different Trait.’
Suho had already decided which Trait he would acquire.
In the present, people believed Traits were assigned randomly, but in the future, specific formulas for obtaining Traits would be discovered.
‘That’s when the research on Trait acquisition formulas really took off.’
Suho knew almost all of those formulas.
Every detail he had glimpsed in passing had been fully restored through the Library of Memories.
Thus, he had already chosen.
There were many who reached monstrous levels of power with a single Trait, and among them, Suho knew those that were considered outright “broken.”
The taxi carrying Suho sped smoothly toward his destination.
***
Suho arrived at the Seoul Central Blood Bank.
In the past, the Central Blood Bank had been located in Gangseo but had moved to Jongno, now a well-known safe zone, due to repeated gate incidents.
Upon reaching the blood bank, Suho surveyed its neatly built entrance before vaulting over the wall beside the tightly closed gate.
Security cameras?
He didn’t care.
Although there were numerous surveillance cameras throughout the blood bank, thanks to the effect of ‘Monochrome Solitude’ applied to him, anyone monitoring the cameras would naturally fail to notice him.
After successfully scaling the wall, Suho activated his Mana Detection skill and began scanning the area around the building.
Soon, he noticed a spot on one side of the building, where what looked like a black stain began to glimmer.
‘Here it is.’
It was too dark to see, but with Mana Detection active, Suho could clearly see the gate’s unique mana leakage, hiding as if it were merely a stain or shadow.
Suho took a dagger from his inventory and made a small cut on his palm.
Then, he squeezed out some blood, letting it drip onto the gleaming part of the gate.
Drip—
Blood drops fell.
And then.
Woong!
As soon as Suho’s blood landed, the dark stain glowed and began emitting a faint light.
[You have discovered a Hidden Point.]
[The conditions have been met.]
[You have discovered a Hidden Gate.]
[You have achieved a remarkable feat, and the system rewards you with 5 bonus stats.]
[Would you like to enter the Hidden Gate?]
System notifications popped up before him.
Simultaneously, a portal leading to the gate appeared.
Seeing this, Suho quietly smirked.
It was proof he’d come to the right place.
Still, he felt a bit of regret.
Had he returned slightly earlier, he could have been the very first to discover this Hidden Gate and received the “Great” achievement rather than merely “Remarkable,” gaining an additional five bonus stats.
Even so, Suho felt sufficiently satisfied and immediately nodded in response to the system’s question.
[Entering the Gate.]
[Loading Gate information.]
[Blood Hall]
– Entry Requirement: Unknown.
– Maximum Entry Capacity: Unknown.
An exceedingly sparse gate description.
Just like the first gate he’d conquered, Green Red, this Hidden Gate also shared a similar attribute with Unpredicted Gates, so it was no surprise.
But Suho stepped into the portal without the slightest hesitation.
He knew all there was to know about this place.
***
The moment Suho stepped through the portal, his surroundings changed in a flash of light.
There was no exit.
Upon entry, Suho’s body had been transported to some location within the gate.
It didn’t matter.
No matter where he was, the outcome was already set.
After surveying the darkness around him, Suho took out a small pouch he had prepared in advance from his inventory.
He untied the string binding the pouch and scattered its contents into the air.
[Glow Dust activates.]
Glow Dust.
Among items that illuminated the surroundings like torches or lanterns, this one was of a higher tier.
Glow Dust worked by brightly illuminating the area as if a fluorescent light had been switched on, transforming the darkness into broad daylight.
Its duration was one hour.
It was efficient, versatile, and widely applicable, though its one drawback was that it was rather expensive.
Suho, however, purchased it without hesitation.
He wasn’t about to risk his life in a treacherous gate just to save a few coins.
As the area brightened, the true nature of the gate’s interior, previously obscured by darkness, revealed itself.
He was inside a massive cave.
Drip—
At that moment, a droplet of water fell from the stalactites on the ceiling, and Suho looked up.
Then, he saw them.
Among the stalactites, countless bats hung, their wings folded.
Narrowing his eyes, Suho examined the bats’ information.
– Vampire Bat Lv.62
– Vampire Bat Lv.65
– Vampire Bat Lv.61
……
There were a lot of them.
Their levels were in the 60s.
A difference of around twenty levels could be overcome with his current stats.
But when the numbers reached dozens or hundreds, it became a different story.
‘No one can handle being outnumbered.’
Yet Suho was confident.
He had come fully prepared.
Suho extended his hand, and his shadow produced the Ghost Shadow Spear.
Grasping it firmly, he assumed a throwing stance and, without a moment’s hesitation, hurled it toward the stalactites where the vampire bats were resting.
[Throw activates.]
Crack!
With the Throw effect, the Ghost Shadow Spear pierced one of the sleeping vampire bats and lodged itself in a stalactite.
It died without a scream, but that didn’t matter.
The Ghost Shadow Spear embedded in the stalactite created a loud vibration and noise, successfully waking up all the slumbering vampire bats.
“Screeeech!”
Flap-flap-flap-flap-flap!
Starting with one bat’s screech, all of the others took flight, flapping their wings in a deafening cacophony.
The noise was so intense it made his ears ache.
The bats fluttered in the air for a moment before diving toward Suho.
They led with their signature needle-like fangs and claws that regular bats could never possess.
But Suho didn’t move at all.
Instead, he activated a skill.
[Intimidation activates.]
Fwoosh!
Intimidation.
A skill that, like the monsters’ Fear, exerted his natural aura, suppressing his enemies with terror and paralysis.
However, his opponents were creatures with levels a full twenty above his own, so anyone with common Perception would deem his action reckless.
Yet Suho’s Intimidation was no ordinary skill.
What had previously been an A-rank skill was now upgraded to an S-rank, thanks to the additional effect granted by Dragon Blood.
And an S-rank Intimidation possessed enough power to overcome even a 30-level gap.
As proof.
[Vampire Bat has entered a state of Fear due to Intimidation.]
[Vampire Bat has entered a state of Paralysis due to Intimidation.]
[Vampire Bat has entered a state of Fear due to Intimidation.]
[Vampire Bat has entered a state of Paralysis due to Intimidation.]
[Vampire Bat has entered a state of Fear due to Intimidation.]
[Vampire Bat has entered a state of Paralysis due to Intimidation.]
……
Suho watched as the system messages filled his view, and the vampire bats fell helplessly to the ground.
“Screeech…”
The vampire bats writhed weakly on the floor.
This was the power of Intimidation.
‘It was wise to acquire it early.’
Not all monsters could be affected by Intimidation, of course.
Boss monsters, named monsters, or those within special zones like the Tower of Challenges were usually immune to it.
Yet, even considering the exceptions, Intimidation was a sufficiently versatile skill that Suho had sought to acquire it early on.
‘Intimidation can only be obtained from monsters, and as they grow stronger, they are designed to resist fear more stubbornly.’
After retrieving his Ghost Shadow Spear, Suho began stabbing and killing each writhing vampire bat one by one.
[You have slain a Vampire Bat.]
[You have slain a Vampire Bat.]
[You have slain a Vampire Bat.]
……
Was there an easier hunting method than this?
Thanks to it, Suho managed to level up quickly, and after exterminating all the vampire bats in the area, he had gained three more levels.
“Status window check.”
[Ahn Suho]
– Lv: 43
– Class: Healer
– Strength (R): 5
– Stamina (R): 5
– Mana (R): 5
– Perception: 55
– Bonus Stats: 8
Though his stats had turned red, the rule of gaining one stat per level hadn’t changed.
Suho invested all his earned stats into Perception.
In terms of efficiency, investing in Mana or Stamina might have been better, but he aimed to trigger a set effect by matching all stats to the same color.
Of course, only someone with a surplus of bonus stats could afford to enjoy such set effects.
‘The standard approach is to focus on only two main stats.’
In his past life, Suho, as one of the world’s top players, managed three stats instead of two.
‘This time, though, I might be able to manage all of them.’
It wasn’t an overambitious notion.
It was a conclusion reached after extensive calculations.
After distributing his stats, Suho gathered all the slain vampire bats into his Subspace House and began moving to the next area.