Han jun's boots left the stone floor with a crack that echoed through the vault. Gravity felt like a suggestion rather than a law as the Berserker's Cuffs pulsed against his skin, pumping a steady stream of heat and raw aggression into his veins. Above him, the Earth-Bound Roc shrieked, a sound like grinding tectonic plates, as its massive granite beak tore a hole three meters wide in the ceiling.
"You wanted a show?" Han jun shouted, his voice barely audible over the roar of collapsing rock. "Here is the grand finale!"
He didn't swing his sword. Instead, he balled his fist, the red runes on the Epic-grade gloves glowing so brightly they left streaks in the air. As the Roc leaned down to snap its jaws around the "intruder," Han jun's fist met the creature's stone-hard skull mid-air.
The impact was not a dull thud. It was an explosion. A shockwave rippled outward, shattering the remaining stone tiles of the ceiling and sending a cloud of dust billowing into the forest above. The Roc, a creature weighing several tons, was jolted backward, its massive neck snapping to the side from the sheer force of the blow.
Viewers: 215,000... 230,000!
System Notification: Berserker's Fury Active! Physical Strength increased by 300% for 60 seconds.
Chat: PogChamp: HE JUST PUNCHED A MOUNTAIN!
PhysicsMajor: That shouldn't be possible. The recoil alone should have turned his arm into jelly!
WhaleWatcher: Look at the gloves! They are absorbing the kickback. This guy is a literal cheat code!
Han jun landed nimbly on a jagged piece of the collapsed roof, his hoodie fluttering in the violent updraft created by the Roc's wings. The bird was struggling to regain its balance, its granite feathers scraping against the obsidian trees with a screeching metallic ring. It was blinded in one of its three eyes, a viscous grey fluid leaking from the socket where Han jun's punch had landed.
"I'm not done yet," Han jun muttered.
He glanced at the Essence of the First Flame in his other hand. It was a tiny glass vial containing a flicker of white fire that seemed to dance with a life of its own. In the novel, this was a one-time-use item that could incinerate an entire forest floor. He looked at the Roc, then at the massive obsidian trees surrounding them. If he used it here, he'd burn the whole map down.
"Too expensive for a bird like this," he decided.
System Shop: Heavy Gravity Snare 3,000 Points
He swiped the air, and a metallic black sphere appeared in his palm. He hurled it at the Roc's feet just as the bird tried to take flight. The moment the sphere touched the ground, a dome of intense black light expanded. The Roc's wings suddenly felt like they were made of lead. It crashed back to the earth, pinned down by a ten-fold increase in local gravity.
Viewers: 250,000!
Chat: MilitaryExpert: Those gadgets... that's not magic, that's high-tier spatial manipulation. Who is this guy?
NewsAnchor24: Breaking News: Global Security Council has issued an emergency summons for 'GateStreamer'.
TrollMaster: They're scared of him. Look at the chat, the mods are deleting government-linked accounts!
Han jun froze for a split second as he caught the scroll of the chat. The World Government? He knew they would be watching, but he didn't expect them to move so fast. The red "Live" indicator at the top of his vision started flickering with a yellow warning triangle.
System Notification: External Interference Detected! Attempting to trace signal... Blocked.
"So the vultures are circling already," Han jun said, his voice dropping into a dangerous whisper. He stepped toward the pinned Roc, his notched iron sword held high. "Listen up, everyone watching from those fancy office buildings in Geneva or D.C. This gate doesn't belong to you. It belongs to the people who have the guts to walk through it."
He drove the sword into the Roc's exposed throat. The granite skin cracked under the influence of the Berserker's Cuffs, and the creature dissolved into a mountain of grey pebbles and shimmering mana crystals.
Kill Confirmed! You have gained 1,500 Experience Points.
Level Up! Level 1 - Level 5
Stat Points Unlocked.
Han jun didn't have time to celebrate his growth. He grabbed the mana crystals the primary currency for Earth's new economy and shoved them into his backpack. The forest was changing. The violet sky was turning a bruised shade of crimson, a sign that the "Area Boss" was beginning to stir due to the death of its guardian.
System Notification: Incoming Message from 'The Watcher' (Administrator).
Han jun's heart skipped a beat. This wasn't a viewer. This was a direct link to the Owners of the Gate system.
The Watcher: You are being tracked by satellite-link through the Rift's leak. If you do not exit within 30 minutes, the United Nations Strike Team will be waiting at your exit point with a containment field.
Han jun cursed under his breath. He looked at the path ahead, deeper into the forest where a massive, spider-like silhouette was silhouetted against the crimson horizon. That was the Layer Boss: The Weaver of Void.
"Thirty minutes," Han jun said to the drone, his eyes hidden in the dark of his hood. "Chat, the government wants to put me in a cage. They think they can wait for me at the door and take everything I've earned."
Chat: Anarchy99: DON'T LET THEM TAKE IT!
WhaleWatcher: Buy a cloaking device! Spend my points!
FanGirl_01: We're behind you, Streamer! Don't come back yet!
Han jun gripped the hilt of his sword, his gaze fixed on the gargantuan spider in the distance.
"I'm not going back empty-handed," he said, the red runes on his wrists flaring with a new, dark intensity. "If they want me, they're going to have to wait until I finish the boss. And by the time I step out of this gate, I'm going to be too powerful to be contained."
He turned away from the Rift exit and sprinted toward the heart of the forest.