Chapter 44: Gates and Dungeons

Perhaps because it was the first class, Practical Combat Training ended after my spar with Seung-ah, followed by other subjects like math and Korean.

Some might question why we needed to learn these subjects, but since the academy wasn’t just about combat but also functioned as a high school, teaching general subjects was quite natural.

‘It’s probably for students who decide the Hunter path isn’t for them and give up.’

They didn’t expect all 300 freshmen to continue down the Hunter path.

And since no one could be a Hunter forever, it was good to have other options.

‘Of course, I’m going to earn enough money while I’m a Hunter to last a lifetime.’

If I bought a few pieces of land and buildings, their value would continue to appreciate, and that alone would be enough to support my wives.

If it wasn’t enough, I could always participate in a few raids.

Lost in thought during class, time flew by, and it was lunchtime.

Liera, who had won the round of rock-paper-scissors and was sitting next to me, dragged me along, and we all went to the cafeteria to eat.

“Is it okay if I join you?”

“Me too, Oppa.”

“Sure.”

Alice Strauss and Wang Mei also seemed to want to join us, so I agreed.

Estelle, who had won the next round of rock-paper-scissors and was sitting next to me, lightly pinched my side.

I was about to ask why, but seeing her expression, I decided not to.

As we ate quietly, I noticed that more students than I expected were talking about us.

–Just like yesterday, that top student is eating with a bunch of girls.

–And they’re all beautiful. I wonder if I could be like that if I was the top student?

There was no correlation between me being the top student and having many women around me, but I could understand their sentiments.

‘Because that’s what I was like in my first life.’

I used to find it irritating to see popular boys surrounded by dolled-up girls.

I wasn’t unattractive myself and had dated, but still.

Even if you were in a relationship, it was annoying to see other people surrounded by women.

Of course, now I was the annoying one.

–I heard that Wang Wei said something to those girls, and that’s why the top student got angry.

–They’re not all dating him, are they?

–No way. What do those girls lack that they’d share one guy? It would be less surprising if they each had three boyfriends.

I wondered how surprised everyone would be if they knew that half of these women were my wives.

They’d probably think I’d saved a country in a past life.

Well, I saved the world, so it was fine.

After lunch, we moved to the classroom for the next class.

Soon, the instructor entered, and his appearance seemed familiar.

‘Have I seen him on YouTube..? His face looks familiar.’

“Hello. I’m Instructor Kim Yong-hyun, in charge of Gate Strategy. This class will cover Gate theory, followed by practical training where we’ll explore a Gate.”

‘Ah!’

I remembered him. Kim Yong-hyun, my friend from my first life who had always remained a D-rank Hunter, barely scraping by.

A D-rank Hunter earned less than a mid-level manager at a small company, so I often bought him meals.

I never imagined I would see him at Beatrice Academy.

Who would have thought that the guy who was a D-rank Hunter until the age of 30 would become an S-rank Hunter by 52? He must have awakened a hidden talent or found some fortuitous encounter in a dungeon.

‘Good for him.’

It was heartwarming to see him confidently speaking at the world’s best academy, unlike before when he would walk around with slumped shoulders and a downcast head among higher-ranked Hunters.

As I looked at him with a sentimental expression, he spoke, looking at me.

“Kim Yu-won?”

“Yes.”

I wondered if he’d recognize me since we were childhood friends, but he showed no such reaction.

Honestly, it would be strange to ask, “Are you the Kim Yu-won I know?” just because someone resembled a friend who had died 22 years ago. I wouldn’t have done that either.

“Do you know the difference between a Gate and a dungeon?”

Putting aside thoughts of the past, I answered his question. Of course, I knew the difference between a Gate and a dungeon.

“A Gate simply releases a large number of monsters at once or summons them continuously, but a dungeon has a different theme and offers various special rewards upon clearing.”

He nodded.

“That’s right. As Yu-won said, all you can get from a Gate are monster byproducts and the Gate core, but in a dungeon, you can obtain various stats, skills, artifacts, and sometimes even traits from the system.”

Although artifacts could be crafted using monster byproducts obtained from Gates, natural artifacts could only be found in dungeons.

That’s why artisans who could craft artifacts were highly valued.

Shin-woo, who wasn’t here, would be able to sell his creations for hundreds of millions each in a few years.

Considering his growing skill, he might even be able to sell them for billions.

Even this necklace, his masterpiece, would have countless buyers offering over 10 billion if he put it up for sale.

“However, dungeons are much more complex to clear than Gates depending on their theme, so we can’t say dungeons are necessarily superior to Gates.”

That’s why people couldn’t just challenge any dungeon, even though they offered greater rewards.

Some dungeons even negated combat prowess entirely depending on their theme, so being strong didn’t guarantee success.

And being weak didn’t necessarily mean failure.

That’s why, every year, thousands of lower-ranked Hunters challenged dungeons, hoping for a breakthrough, even at the risk of their lives.

Of course, I knew that less than one percent of them succeeded in clearing a dungeon and becoming a higher-ranked Hunter.

Still, they jumped in like moths to a flame, hoping to be among that one percent.

“Moreover, nothing major happens if you fail to clear a dungeon; it simply disappears. So I’m skeptical about challenging dungeons.”

‘Oh really?’

When we drank together, he’d lamented about wanting to clear any dungeon and become an S-rank Hunter, and now he was skeptical about challenging dungeons.

“You know that thousands of lower-ranked Hunters die in dungeons every year. But the number of higher-ranked Hunters isn’t small either.”

He had a point.

Even higher-ranked Hunters faced walls, and while some tried to overcome them head-on, there were always those who sought shortcuts.

Countless higher-ranked Hunters challenged dungeons to reach higher realms and gain greater power.

“Those of you talented enough to enter this academy can become strong without relying on such luck, so I’m saying this so you’ll think twice before applying for dungeon raids. I don’t want my students dying in dungeons and haunting my sleep.”

Even with that warning, those who wanted to enter would still enter.

The more desperate the situation, the more likely people were to do things they shouldn’t.

“I think that’s enough about dungeons. Let’s talk about Gates. Alice, do you know the types of Gates?”

I thought he’d ask me again, but this time, he directed his question to Alice, the second-ranked student.

It was a relief that he wasn’t the type to focus all the attention on one person, like Instructor Oh Dong-seok.

“Yes. There are single-burst Gates and continuous Gates.”

“Well said. Gates are divided into single-burst Gates, which close after releasing all their monsters at once, and continuous Gates, which continuously produce monsters until their core is destroyed.”

I had thought the Gate that appeared at my house was a single-burst Gate, so I was really surprised when my wives came out.

“Due to their nature, single-burst Gates can appear anytime, anywhere, making them dangerous. Continuous Gates can be handled slowly, so they are less dangerous.”

If a single-burst Gate opened in the middle of Seoul, it would be absolute chaos.

“These days, with Gate detectors, all but micro-Gates are detected about an hour in advance, so the danger of single-burst Gates has decreased.”

Still, even a few goblins from a micro-Gate could kill dozens of people, so it wasn’t like they were harmless.

After the lesson on Gate characteristics, he spoke before the class ended.

“That’s all for today. Next class, we’ll have practical training in a simulated Gate, so please come prepared with your equipment.”

I’d heard of simulated Gates, but I’d never seen one, so I was looking forward to it.

As I was filled with anticipation, I suddenly heard a telepathic message.

–Could you come to my office before dinner?

Kim Yong-hyun was calling for me.