A strange sensation churned within him.
It wasn't confined to a single part of his body. It was as if his very blood was reacting, spreading a refreshing energy through his veins. Siwoo Lee nodded. This was a feeling he was well acquainted with.
[Mana Assimilation in the Bloodstream]
It was one of the many phenomena that hunters experienced upon entering a Gate.
Unlike Earth, the world inside the Gate was thick with mana, requiring hunters to undergo an adaptation phase.
'This much is normal... but that…'
He recalled the moment he crossed the Gate.
An unexpected agony had engulfed him, a burning pain that spread through his entire body as if he were being incinerated alive.
That was not normal.
Then what the hell had that pain been?
Siwoo flexed his arms and legs. His body felt lighter than ever, incomparable to how it was on Earth.
That meant the mana in his body was functioning properly.
'No external signs of injury. But then…'
Beep. Beep.
He raised his arm and commanded the Ampo-Mation to conduct a full-body scan.
Whirrrrr...
The device whirred to life, rapidly scanning him from head to toe.
If anything had gone wrong when passing through the Gate, the Ampo-Mation would display his body's damage percentage.
Moments later—
Beep!
The scan was complete, and the results popped up.
'What the...? Zero damage?'
Siwoo frowned.
That didn't make sense. He had definitely felt pain when crossing the Gate.
'Was it just my imagination?'
Logically speaking, there was nothing wrong. And given that So Byung-Seop Tech's Ampo-Mation had the lowest failure rate in the industry, there was no reason to doubt the scan's results.
Which meant he was completely fine.
'In that case, no need to dwell on it.'
Clenching his fist tightly, Siwoo refocused.
He had limited mana reserves, which restricted his time inside the Gate.
And that meant one thing—
Time was of the essence.
Siwoo adjusted the Ampo-Mation and checked his remaining time inside the Gate.
3 hours and 20 minutes.
Mana would slowly deplete as he moved, and if he didn't return to Earth before running out, his body would begin to rapidly age.
No hunter wanted to die of old age inside a Gate.
That meant he had to gather as many valuable plants as possible before heading back.
First things first—
Beep. Beep.
He programmed the Gate's location into his Ampo-Mation.
This planet had no satellites, meaning GPS was useless.
However, the Ampo-Mation had its own distance-tracking and navigation storage features. By saving the Gate's coordinates, it would help him retrace his steps later.
'Expensive, but worth every credit.'
Siwoo nodded to himself.
The Pyeongtaek Gate covered an area roughly the size of Gyeonggi Province. It wasn't the largest Gate, but wandering aimlessly could easily get someone lost.
Especially here.
Rustle—Crunch—
Towering, thick vegetation surrounded him, reminiscent of the Amazon jungle.
This planet was classified as "P-Planet", short for "Plant-Planet", a world dominated by monstrous flora and oversized insects rather than beasts.
For gathering-type hunters, it was an ideal hunting ground.
'Alright, let's get moving.'
Without hesitation, Siwoo picked a direction and sprinted forward.
He had done extensive research on the Pyeongtaek Gate beforehand and knew exactly where to find the most valuable plants.
With each step, he compared his location to the preloaded map in his Ampo-Mation.
As he picked up speed, he quickly realized something—
His movements were far faster than on Earth.
"Oh?"
A surge of exhilaration ran through him.
It was as if an endless supply of energy was flowing through his body.
'This… this must be the effect of mana!'
Siwoo was merely an E-rank hunter, yet he felt incredibly invigorated.
'If I ever reach B-rank… or even A-rank…'
The stories must be true—flying through the sky, unleashing devastating energy attacks—it wasn't just fantasy.
His heart pounded with excitement at the possibilities.
Jang Dong-pil stepped through the Gate, bathed in a faint blue glow.
The moment he emerged, the lush, verdant landscape of P-Planet spread before him.
Rustle— Rustle—
His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for one particular person.
Siwoo Lee.
But no matter how hard he looked, he was nowhere to be seen.
"Tch. That bastard ran off fast."
Dong-pil clenched his teeth in frustration.
Just then—
Shuffle— Whoosh—
A second figure stepped through the Gate.
It was none other than Seo Kwang-seok, a dim-witted lackey carrying a massive club.
"Yo, where is he?"
Dong-pil scoffed.
'Useless idiot.'
Kwang-seok wasn't particularly smart, nor was he competent.
But when it came to "disciplining" low-ranked hunters, he was handy to have around.
"He already moved."
"Damn. So, we waiting here?"
"Waste of time."
"…Wait, don't tell me you brought it?"
Dong-pil smirked and pulled out a small, handheld device.
It looked like a mini radar.
A Mana Detector.
Click.
He connected it to his Ampo-Mation, and—
Beep— Beep—
The radar came to life, displaying mana signatures scattered across the area.
"Oh-ho… A mana-tracking device?"
Typically, these were used to locate monsters.
But they could also be used to track specific hunters.
Dong-pil flashed a sinister grin at Kwang-seok.
"Give me a minute. That rookie won't be hiding for long."
Siwoo came to a halt in front of a peculiar tree.
"Whew."
Even after running nonstop for ten minutes, his breathing remained steady.
His physical abilities had improved dramatically.
'This world is full of surprises.'
Beep. Beep.
He accessed his Ampo-Mation.
[Newly Acquirable Gathering Skills]
Lv.1 Extraction Lv.1 Preservation Lv.1 Excavation Lv.1 Identification
'Nice.'
Ampo-Mation made everything easier.
Without it, he would have needed to study complicated textbooks just to learn these skills.
But with a single tap—
Bzzzzt—
A faint current ran through his arm.
Moments later—
Ding!
The skills imprinted directly into his brain.
'Amazing.'
He clenched his fist, eyes gleaming.
However, just as he prepared to gather resources—
"Aha! Found you, you little shit."
Siwoo stiffened.
A familiar voice echoed from behind him.
Jang Dong-pil.
'Damn it…'
Siwoo instinctively grabbed the sturdy wooden branch he had prepared earlier.
Things were about to get messy.