The inside of the Burning Dunes Gate was a desolate desert. The only sights were the color of the sky and the sand. The players who didn’t expect a desert environment erupted in complaints. 

“Dammit, I wore metal armor, and it’s a desert?”

“Oh no… I didn’t bring a lot of drinking water.”

“What’s with this sand? My feet keep sinking. And we’re supposed to fight here…?”

“It’s crazy hot.”

There weren’t many people who’d been to a desert before. On top of that, they had to fight on the sand. 

Some of the players started to panic at the realization and began cursing loudly. 

“Please lend me your ears!” All the players turned toward the voice. 

“For now, please gather here.”

“Who is that bastard?”

“I dunno. Oh, is he a player from a guild?”

“Huh, a guild?”

With uncertain looks on their faces, they gathered around the man who’d called out to them. Three of his teammates were behind him. 

“Let me introduce myself. I am Cha Min-woo, a member of Korea’s rank 13 guild, Cheong-hae.”

“Ch-Cheong-hae?”

“What the heck. Cheong-hae was participating?”

“They’re really good.”

“Isn’t that the guild that only takes elites?” In an instant, their wary attitudes changed. Cheong-hae wasn’t good enough to be part of the Big 6, but it was still a famous, prestigious guild. 

“As you all know, there’s not much an individual player can do in such a big Gate.”

“Well… That’s true.”

“Because these Gates aren’t meant to be conquered alone.” The players nodded in agreement. “So, I would like to make a proposal.”

“A proposal?”

“10 million won. We will give 10 million won to every player that follows our orders. Of course, we will also guarantee your safety.”

(TN: ~$89,000 ; for comparison, the core is $10m+)

“Geez… 10 million won, that’s worse than I thought.”

“What do you think?”

“Well, it’s a small sum compared to the price of the core…” The players glanced around at each other. They’d all entered the Gate with the hopes of making it big with the Cinder Fox’s core. And among them were those who hadn’t even mastered the fundamentals—those who couldn’t even be called players. Usually, those types of people were met with shock when they first entered a Gate. 

Good move. The Cheong-hae Guild really was elite. They’d already made a proposal before the players did anything. 

If we succeed, they’ll either refuse the offer or ask for more than 10 million won. 

That said, he understood players well. In such a dangerous and desolate place, the guarantee of safety made it a tempting offer. 

Seo Jun-ho slowly raised his hand. 

“Then how will we divide the reward? The Cinder Fox’s core, I mean.”

“…Of course our guild will take it.” Everybody stopped. They were so confident even though they’d never faced the Cinder Fox before. 

Cha Min-woo took advantage of the silence and drove the nail in. 

“Ahem, alright. Those who join us right now will receive 20 million won, but those that join us later will only receive 5 million.” 

It was time to choose. 

Follow the guild players and receive 20 million won with guaranteed safety, or go down the dangerous route and attempt to hunt the Cinder Fox on your own—with a reward that’s worth billions. 

The practical people raised their hands first. 

“I accept.”

“So will I. It’ll be hard to fight alone in this heavy armor…”

“Will you give us drinking water too? If so, I’ll join.”

As well as the people who were unprepared. 

Soon, the others started to complain. 

“Wait, so you guys will take the core all for yourselves?”

“Nah, even if you give 10 million to every person, it won’t cost 300 million to pay everyone off.”

Cha Min-woo raised an eyebrow as they started to complain. “So you think that you can defeat the Cinder Fox alone, without our help?”

As the rest of the players joined up, the ones left over had no other choice but to follow. 

“What, they’re all going over?”

“Tsk. I wanted to make it big this time, but there’s nothing we can do compared to such a big group.”

“I guess I’ll have to settle for 20 million won. That’s also a lot.”

“Then I’ll join too.”

Of the 23 players that were present, 22 joined the Cheong-hae Guild’s group. With a satisfied look, Cha Min-woo turned to the last one, Seo Jun-ho. 

“What will you do?”

“I… Oh.” Seo Jun-ho bent over and tied his shoes tightly before standing back up. He looked at the others. 

“I’ll go alone.” As they watched him disappear into the sand-filled view, the other players started to whisper. 

“That’s Seo Jun-ho? I heard he cleared two Uncleared Gates…”

“I guess he’s still greedy for the core.”

“I wanted to see him fight. What a waste.” 

As he listened to the others talk, Cha Min-woo looked surprised. That was Seo Jun-ho? The one who cleared the Curse of Dawn and Leuf’s Garden?

He’d never seen a picture of Seo Jun-ho, but he’d heard more than enough rumors. Cha Min-woo had been looking forward to meeting him, but he looked disappointingly shabby. Nor did he sense any particular pressure.

(TN: In webtoons/novels, ‘pressure’ is felt from strong people.)

As if they were thinking the same thing, his teammates spoke up. 

“As I thought, the rumors were exaggerating.”

“He’s divine, he’s a genius, blah blah blah… He doesn’t even seem that strong.”

“He’s not worth your concern, Team Leader.”

“…What are you saying. I was never concerned in the first place.” Cha Min-woo erased Seo Jun-ho from his mind and joined the others.

* * *

After escaping from the crowd, Seo Jun-ho started to climb the dunes without a particular destination in mind.

The Cinder Fox… It’s something between a monster and a mythical creature. 

The Cinder Fox he’d defeated in the past had six tails. It could grow up to nine over the course of a thousand years. Once it grew all its tails, it would ascend to the heavens and become the Millenium Fox that watched over its kind. 

“The Cinder Fox is stronger the more tails it has.” And they could command Fire Fox soldiers. 

There was no way to tell how many tails the current Cinder Fox had at the moment. Seo Jun-ho thought that it would be a good idea to find a scouting spot first. 

I have to find a good vantage point.

Seo Jun-ho climbed a number of dunes before he found a suitable hill. From the top, he could see the players in the distance walking in a line. 

“I can relax now.” The Fire Foxes would find them soon, and then the Cinder Fox would appear. Seo Jun-ho planned to wait until then. 

I’ll make my move after I see how many tails it has. That’s the first thing I need to do. 

Seo Jun-ho conjured some chunks of ice and cooled himself down. He wouldn’t have to wait long. 

Because Fire Foxes have good noses. 

* * *

A scream tore out from the front of the formation. 

“I-it’s a Fire Fox!”

“How many are there? Thirty… Forty… What the hell—there are at least 50!”

They were surrounded in an instant, and the players gulped nervously. 

Cha Min-woo calmed them down first. 

“Don’t panic! Follow the strategy! This way!” They came back to their senses and started to move. 

They pulled out their weapons and readied their skills as they waited for the Fire Foxes to attack. 

– “Grr…”

– “Khak.”

They were at least four times bigger than a normal fox. Dozens of them circled the group. 

The players soon realized that there were only 26 of them, and the 50 clever Foxes rushed them without hesitation. 

– “Khaaa!”

– “Graaaagh!”

Cha Min-woo’s eyes flashed. He calmed the nervous players and waited for the right moment. 

“Now!” As soon as he gave the command, the players used their magic. The trap hidden under the sand started to activate. 

Bzzt!

Powerful lines of electricity shot out between each machine. The unsuspecting Foxes fell, a burning scent wafting from their flesh. 

“It worked!”

“They fell for it!”

“Phew, of course they did.” Cha Min-woo felt satisfied as he saw the way the others looked at him. He’d set up the formation to be like a martial arts ring. 

Methods of hunting have changed from the past. It was the age of technology. Things were different from the times when they made weapons by hand and made shabby pitfalls. The researchers at the National Guild of Scientists made weapons that were easy to use. They set the new standards for hunting. 

And if I’m this good at using weapons and tactics… It was only a matter of time before he achieved the title of a ranker. 

Cha Min-woo had no doubt. 

“We’ve already reduced their numbers by half! The time is now!”

As their numbers decreased to 20, Cha Min-woo stepped out of the ring and pulled out his weapon. He continued to give orders as he started to hunt the Fire Foxes. It was important to raise his individual level as well as the level of contribution. 

Rip! Slice!

Like the Cheong-hae elites that they were, Cha Min-woo and his teammates hunted faster than the other players. 

“And here I thought the Gate would be hard because of the Cinder Fox… This is nothing.”

“We made a good choice. It was right to join the Cheong-hae Guild members.”

As their fear of death started to fade, their abilities started to shine. Not a single player was injured, and they easily won the battle. They gathered around Cha Min-woo.

“That was an amazing strategy. You’re like the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang*.”

(PR: A distinguished statesman and military strategist in Ancient China.)

“After we clear the Gate, your reputation will spread.”

“They say that even brushing collars is a connection. Would you like to trade numbers?” (TN: Basically, even though they don’t really know each other, it counts as a business connection.)

They were looking at him like he was a hero. Cha Min-woo laughed. 

“Now, now, we haven’t won quite yet. The most important battle is still ahead of us.”

“Ah… That’s right. We still have to fight the Cinder Fox.”

“But you’ve already prepared a strategy for that, correct?”

“If it’s Team Leader Cha, I bet he’s already guaranteed our victory.”

“I’m thankful that you have so much faith in me.” So he said, but Cha Min-woo was actually nervous.

After we clear this Gate, I’ll have taken the first step in becoming a hero. He’d have achieved the same thing as the legendary player, Specter. 

Actually, he’d stand out even more if he defeated the Cinder Fox without a single casualty. He calmed himself and realigned the traps. 

I was right. It’s best to use the latest technology for weapons and traps.

Shortly after the group took a water break, a soft sound came from the distance. 

Sizzle. Sizzle. Growllll.

The sound of stepping on sand? No, the sound of burning sand? The players stood up and grabbed their weapons even though there wasn’t a monster in sight. 

The primal instinct in their DNA was warning them. 

“T-Team Leader Cha. What was that?”

“…It’s here.” Cha Min-woo was nervous for a different reason. He calmed himself. 

A second later, a great shadow came over them, blocking the sun. 

“Huh? A shadow…?” As if on cue, the players turned, and their faces fell. 

“N-no way.”

“That’s… That’s not the Cinder Fox, is it?”

It was 20 meters long and 6 meters tall, with each tail extending to 5 meters. An enormous monster loomed over them like a building. 

– “……”

The great Cinder Fox stared down at the corpses of the Fire Foxes beneath it. Its eyes flashed like the eyes of a parent who lost their children. 

Its eyes clouded with sorrow. It raised its head toward the sun and howled. 

– “Awoooooo…!”

There were no mountains, but the sound of its cry rode the dunes until it echoed in the sky. 

The players were lost in their panic and stared up in astonishment. 

From behind its enormous body, nine tails flicked about like thundering clouds.