Tae-oh watched from the shadows as the C-Rank Hunter, Park Seul-ki, and her D-Rank teammates desperately tried to hold the line against the Gargoyle Crawlers. They were exhausted, their mana sputtering. Tae-oh's own replicated Gravity Field had saved them from the initial onslaught, but they lacked the reserves to capitalize on it.
Inefficient, Tae-oh judged, his eyes glowing with the chilling black light of his Flaw Replication mana. Their technique is weak, their stamina is poor, and their goal—clearing this Gate—is about to fail. An inevitable loss of capital.
He had what he needed: the Gravity Field skill. He didn't need the rest of the teams. He needed the Gate Core and the full Virtue Point bounty for a successful solo clear.
He activated Shadow Glide, moving out of the shadows and reappearing silently fifty meters behind the struggling Hunter teams. He was now between the Hunters and the final boss cavern.
"Everyone! Evacuate immediately!" Tae-oh's voice was amplified by a small, replicated [C-Rank Shout] he'd stolen from a loud-mouthed guard on his way in. His voice echoed, carrying terrifying authority.
Park Seul-ki, startled, turned to see a lone figure cloaked in tattered, expensive clothing, radiating an unnatural black aura.
"Who are you?!" she demanded, raising her wand weakly. "This area is secure!"
Tae-oh ignored her. He focused his newly optimized skill.
[Replicated Skill: Gravity Field (Optimized) Activated!]
Tae-oh didn't use an incantation. He didn't even move his hands. The black gravity field erupted from his core, spreading out in a silent, overwhelming sphere. It was instantly more powerful and more focused than Seul-ki's version.
The effect was instantaneous and brutal. The struggling D-Rank Hunters and the remaining Gargoyle Crawlers were slammed to the slick cavern floor. The gargoyles' hard carapaces—their structural strength—cracked under the unbearable weight.
"The force... it's too much!" Seul-ki cried out, struggling to breathe under the gravity's pressure. "It's an S-Rank skill! Where did you come from?"
Tae-oh advanced through the crushing field, seemingly unaffected. He walked past Seul-ki, his gaze fixed on the dense cluster of monsters near the Gate Core.
"This isn't an S-Rank skill," Tae-oh said flatly, the coldness in his voice a new kind of terror. "It's just the C-Rank skill—properly optimized."
He continued into the final cavern, where the C-Rank Gate Lord, the Stone Behemoth, was emerging. The Behemoth was a massive creature whose skin was thick, protective granite.
Tae-oh released the Gravity Field, giving the monster a brief, false sense of safety.
The Behemoth roared and charged, a predictable, powerful A-Rank attack.
Flaw Replication Activated! Target: Stone Behemoth (Granite Carapace).]
[Flaw Identified: Reliance on exterior defense (Vulnerable underbelly stress points). Replication Initiated.]
As the monster thundered toward him, Tae-oh replicated the Behemoth's own [Raw Strength] and channeled it into his legs. He ducked, moving under the charging monster with unbelievable speed—speed stolen from his target.
He jumped onto the monster's back and channeled his final, destructive attack. He replicated the [Gravity Field] one last time, but focused it into a single, needle-thin point, targeting the exact stress nexus on the Behemoth's spine.
The entire protective carapace of the C-Rank Gate Lord imploded from the inside, collapsing the monster into a pile of shattered rock and dust.
[C-Rank Gate Lord Defeated! Reward: Virtue Points +100!]
[Gate Clear Bonus: VP +50.]
[Monster Kills: VP +24.]
[New Virtue Points (VP): 174]
Tae-oh stood alone over the defeated monster, panting. He had cleared his first major Gate—and done it with efficiency that bordered on the impossible.
He glanced back. Park Seul-ki and the other Hunters were staring at him, utterly terrified.
Tae-oh didn't say a word. He merely activated his Shadow Glide, vanishing before they could even react. When the official Hunter Union response team arrived, the Gate would be cleared, the Core would be gone, and the only evidence would be the terrified testimony of a C-Rank Hunter who claimed a Shadow-Rank Demon stole her skill and cleared the Gate in seconds.