“Here it comes.”

    At the top of a high hill.

    Basking in the moonlight, the creature appeared. It was far larger than the werewolves Su-ho had encountered so far, and its fur shimmered silver rather than the typical brown.

    The werewolf-like creature stood upright, a classic bipedal form, glaring down at Su-ho with glowing red eyes.

    Su-ho spoke up.

    “I mentioned this before.”

    “What?”

    “I’m not obligated to protect you. If you don’t want to get caught up in the boss fight, you’d better get as far away as possible.”

    The flames had died down, and most of the werewolves had been eliminated.

    Now, only the boss remained. If they wanted to survive, they needed to run far away, as the boss’s mobility meant the entire scorched forest could become a battlefield.

    “E-Everyone, scatter! Form teams of three and move out!”

    To make it easier for them to flee, Su-ho deliberately walked toward the boss monster.

    The Silver Lycanthrope’s piercing gaze followed Su-ho, recognizing him as the primary threat rather than the fleeing stragglers.

    The distance between them closed gradually.

    Suddenly, the Silver Lycanthrope leaped from the cliff, landing with a resounding crash.

    – Awooooo!!@@@@

    [ The Silver Lycanthrope lets out a fearsome howl. ]

    [ A Boss Monster-grade Fear effect has been triggered. ]

    So, its name was Silver Lycanthrope.

    ‘What a lazy name.’

    Whether they were called werewolves or lycanthropes, the two were essentially the same. However, some Gates assigned greater significance to lycanthropes over werewolves.

    The Silver Lycanthrope, having leaped from the cliff, dashed toward Su-ho at an incredible speed.

    Its movements, reflecting the moonlight, gave it an oddly elegant, almost mesmerizing appearance, with its silver mane leaving a shimmering trail.

    As the creature entered his range, Su-ho saw its name displayed above its head.

    – Silver Lycanthrope, Lv. 132

    A high level.

    Good.

    High levels meant more experience points.

    Su-ho dismissed his Blood Bow and summoned his Blood Sword, gripping it tightly.

    With a sharp motion, he drew the blade back and slashed forward with explosive force.

    [ Cloud Slice has been activated. ]

    The blade extended into a wave, surging toward the Silver Lycanthrope.

    But the attack never landed.

    The moment the strike was released, the Lycanthrope leaped effortlessly into the air, dodging the attack.

    Its movements were so fluid and natural that Su-ho couldn’t help but smirk.

    “Just as I thought.”

    It was, after all, a Lycanthrope.

    If it couldn’t dodge a simple slash, it wasn’t worthy of the name.

    As the Lycanthrope landed, Su-ho released his grip on the sword’s hilt.

    A dark rod rose from the ground, finding its way into his hand.

    The Ghost Spear, one of Su-ho’s summoned weapons.

    Without hesitation, Su-ho hurled the spear at the descending Lycanthrope.

    [ Spear Throw has been activated. ]

    The upgraded Ghost Spear streaked toward the creature with deadly precision.

    The Silver Lycanthrope’s glowing eyes widened slightly in shock—it hadn’t anticipated this move.

    Trapped mid-air, there was no way to evade.

    Crash!

    The Ghost Spear pierced the Lycanthrope, driving through its silver hide and twisting its body in mid-air.

    Without wasting a moment, Su-ho dashed forward.

    This wasn’t some turn-based RPG.

    There was no reason to wait for the enemy’s counterattack.

    Reaching out, Su-ho recalled the Blood Sword, which reappeared in his hand.

    The gap between them closed in an instant.

    The Lycanthrope snarled, twisting its body and raising its claws to strike back, but it was futile.

    Gripping the Blood Sword with both hands, Su-ho swung it upward like an axe.

    [ Steel Slash has been activated. ]

    Swish!

    “The body. I’ve already taken the important parts, but the hide is mostly intact. If you want it, I’ll sell it to you.”

    “You would?”

    “For 1 billion won. A 1-star boss monster’s hide is worth far more if processed correctly, isn’t it?”

    “.......”

    Of course.

    There’s no such thing as a free deal in this world.

    Still, Su-ho’s proposal wasn’t bad. The cleanup was efficient, and the job was handled cleanly.

    Kim Won-hu deliberated for a moment before nodding.

    “Let’s do it.”

    “Great. Then take it with you and head out first. Transfer the payment to Broker Choi Yoon.”

    “What about you?”

    “I’ve got some unfinished business here.”

    “Hmm... Got it. But there are still some carcasses we haven’t collected yet, so we’ll head out shortly after wrapping that up.”

    “Go ahead.”

    A satisfactory transaction.

    Everything was tied up neatly. Even after accounting for the commission to Choi Yoon, it was still a profitable arrangement.

    Kim Won-hu and his group scattered to gather the remaining werewolf carcasses.

    Su-ho tilted his head upward and looked at the sky.

    The moonlight was exceptionally clear.

    The full moon, which had appeared alongside the Silver Lycanthrope, had now pushed away the clouds, illuminating the forest like a second sun.

    ‘This is why I came here first.’

    Su-ho had chosen this location because one of the requests he had made to Choi Yoon included something related to the moon.

    Still gazing at the moonlight, Su-ho pulled a scroll, the Seogohwa, from his inventory.

    The seemingly ordinary scroll shimmered under the moonlight.

    [ The moonlight is abundant. ]

    [ The gates of the Seogohwa are opening. ]

    [ Would you like to enter the Martial Library? ]

    A prompt appeared, asking Su-ho for confirmation.

    The answer, of course, was yes.

    The moment Su-ho affirmed, his body was pulled into the scroll.

    ***

    [ You have entered the Martial Library. ]

    No gate notification appeared.

    Perhaps it was because this wasn’t his first time here?

    Nothing seemed to have changed.

    Before him stood a towering stone pagoda, and just like before, Su-ho began to climb it.

    The ascent of the pagoda was quick.

    The first journey might have felt long, but once a path has been walked, it always feels shorter the next time.

    The moment Su-ho stepped onto the Seogopyeong, the flat summit of the pagoda—

    Whoosh!

    An arrow shot toward him.

    Of course.

    It seemed that being a returning visitor didn’t come with any special privileges.

    Su-ho immediately activated a skill.

    [ Mana Detection has been activated. ]

    Su-ho chose to view the situation positively.

    Where else could he train his mana detection skills?

    He deftly avoided the incoming automated attacks and welcomed the Martial Library’s intense greeting.

    After dodging for some time—

    Crack! Boom!

    The sound of something breaking echoed, and the mechanical system ceased its operation.

    Then—

    Thud!

    A massive iron pillar emerged before him.

    Simultaneously—

    Screeeeech—

    Limbs extended from the iron pillar, revealing the form of the library’s guardian.

    It was a Mokuzan.

    [ A boss monster has appeared. ]