5 Chapter 5

If I remember correctly, that's the guy—or elf—who fought Jinwoo during the Red Gate incident. Does that mean I'm going to fight that guy?

'Damn.'

I'm not worried about Jinwoo; what I'm concerned about if we were to fight is the System created by the Architect inside him. From what I can see, that thing is a deus ex machina. 

Automatic healing, removing debuffs, inventory—those are things my caliber cannot fight head-on. Even if I were on Baruka's level (which I am not), I doubt I'd win without sustaining life-threatening injuries. 

While AI has the capability to mend my physical injuries, it currently lacks the ability to dispel curses or address magical afflictions. At least, that's the state of its capabilities as of now—it's limited to physical healing.

Even if I become stronger by hunting more monsters, most of my arsenal by then will still focus on debuffs like frostbite, slow, and the like. And that guy's system will just dispel those like it's nothing!

"No, I have to think positively."

Right, there's no reason for me to think that meeting him is the end of the world. He's strong, but not something I should be losing my mind over. 

All I have to do is get stronger so that even if he wanted to pursue and kill me, he can't.

"What is Red Gate again, AI? I forgot."

Now I need to get a clear description of what I'm getting into so I can plan my escape. I'll be scrapping all my plans when I first realized I got isekai-ed and turn them into escaping this Red Gate.

[Red Gate: Is a gate that seals off its entrance once someone walks through it, trapping the hunters already inside the gate and preventing anyone else from the outside from entering the gate. It refuses to open until one of three things happens: the boss is defeated, the entire raid party is killed, or a dungeon break occurs.]

I fell into deep contemplation as I rubbed the bridge of my nose.

"What if I kill Baruka now? What will happen to the dungeon? Will the dungeon disappear? Will I... disappear? Or will I be the next dungeon Boss?"

Since the Gate isn't even open yet, I have no idea what's going to happen if I go my way and kill Baruka myself. Of course, I'm not saying I can kill him now. 

I need to get stronger first by killing other monsters here. That'll take days, even months for me to accomplish. 

I'll do it even if Baruka's death doesn't do anything. I need to get strong before the Gate opens in the real world.

— I cannot provide you with a definite answer on what will happen if the Boss is killed before the dungeon even opens.

"Figures."

So I'm left with having the entire raid party killed or a dungeon break. Since I already vowed to ignore Jinwoo if he appears, the former isn't going to be completed.

'Dungeon break, huh. What's a dungeon break again?'

[Dungeon Break: A dungeon must be cleared within seven days. If it is not, then it will undergo what's called a dungeon break, meaning that the monsters inside the dungeon will be able to cross over to the human world and attack the civilian population.]

If I manage to evade being killed by Jinwoo in seven days, will I be able to escape the dungeon? Is that it? However, to completely avoid Jinwoo's senses, I have to be on his level too. 

If I were to run with this measly level right now, I wouldn't even escape his shadows; I'd get hacked in half before I could run. 

At that moment, I felt a presence to my right—a salamander-like creature lurking in the snow. I stared at it for a while. 

I'm not sure how long until this Gate opens and that guy comes in, but I have to make use of the fact that he's still not here to get strong.

As an avid fan of RPG games in my past life, this situation calls for 24/7 grinding. I need to get stronger, knowing who my opponent is so I won't get killed. But before that, I need to confirm something.

"AI, can you also heal my fatigue?"

— You might not have noticed it, but yes, I can. The Self-Healing protocol is always active.

"Really? Good since I won't be getting any sort of rest for a while."

I thought that my isekai life would be on the relaxing side, but now it turned completely 180 into a time trial. Become strong before that cheating son of a bitch enters the dungeon and slaughters everyone.

I stood up, prompting the salamander to run away.

[Killing Path activated: The system is now displaying optimal strategies for lethal combat. Follow the highlighted path for the most effective means of neutralizing the threat.]

"Sorry, bud, but you ain't going nowhere. Become my EXP."

I extended my hand, and an impromptu bow and arrow crafted from ice materialized. My gaze mirrored the chill of exhaled breath in the frigid air.

I let go of the mana infused string. The arrow flew straight at the salamander, piercing its back and freezing its entire body into an ice sculpture.

"That's one down. 999+ to go."

I'm not the kind of guy who plays RPG games for the PvP; I'm the kind of guy who leaves his computer open 24/7, leaving his character farming monsters.