―Opening the '[Heroic] Golden Chest'.

The sensation he had felt when obtaining the Skill Ball. As soon as that feeling returned, Sungshik opened the Golden Chest without hesitation.

A dazzling radiance burst forth as the chest opened.

―Congratulations! You have obtained '[Legendary] Phoenix Heart Fragment', '[Heroic] Puyan’s Feather', and '1,000,000 Coins'.

“Oh.”

Sungshik’s eyes widened the moment he saw the notification.

‘A [Legendary] item and a [Heroic] item at the same time?’

He had heard that, on rare occasions, when luck was overwhelmingly on one’s side, two items could appear at once.

‘Jackpot.’

And among the possible items from a [Heroic] grade random chest, he had pulled the highest possible grade—[Legendary]. Sungshik felt like this double dungeon raid had buried him in a pot of honey, letting him scoop up as much as he pleased.

He hadn’t even fully digested the honey he had consumed earlier, and now he was worried if he would develop diabetes from indulging too much.

“Well, there have to be days like this once in a while.”

He had imagined it before—overeating honey to the point of bursting. Today seemed to be that day.

To check just how sweet this honey was, he examined the newly obtained items. He had never heard of either the '[Legendary] Phoenix Heart Fragment' or '[Heroic] Puyan’s Feather' before.

However, just like the '[Legendary] Millennium Wild Ginseng' he had obtained previously, the '[Legendary] Phoenix Heart Fragment' gave off a strong impression of being an elixir.

Phoenix Heart Fragment

• Grade: Legendary
• Description: The heart of the mythical Phoenix. A fragment left behind when the Phoenix first perished in legend. Though merely a piece, it contains a vast amount of fire energy.
• Upon consumption, significantly increases mana. Grants additional fire-attribute energy. Greatly enhances fire resistance.

“This is it.”

An involuntary exclamation escaped Sungshik’s lips as soon as he saw it. He had been completely hooked after consuming the '[Legendary] Millennium Wild Ginseng' last time, intoxicated by the incredible effects of a [Legendary]-grade elixir. He had hoped to acquire another one someday but never expected to obtain it through such an unexpected route.

Moreover, compared to the '[Legendary] Millennium Wild Ginseng', the '[Legendary] Phoenix Heart Fragment' seemed even better.

Simply the fact that it granted an elemental attribute was an incredible advantage. If he could infuse his martial art, Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts, with fire energy, his already insane attack power would go completely berserk.

“Damn.”

A satisfied groan escaped naturally. Pleased with the Phoenix Heart Fragment, Sungshik moved on to check the '[Heroic] Puyan’s Feather'.

Puyan’s Feather

• Grade: Heroic
• Description: A feather long treasured by the legendary wanderer Puyan.
• Effect: Allows the user to teleport to a designated location once.

“This kind of thing exists?”

The phrase “teleport to a designated location” caught his eye. Long-distance spatial movement was an extremely high-level ability. Even in his previous life, there were barely any people who could use it properly. Yet, here was an item, albeit one-time-use, that allowed spatial movement.

‘A means of escape.’

It seemed like it would be perfect as an emergency escape tool. He found it odd at first that a [Heroic] item would be a consumable, but thinking of it as an extra life, he was satisfied with it.

“It would have been nice if a skill had appeared, though.”

His recently acquired '[S-Rank] Wind Scar' skill had proven invaluable, playing a crucial role in clearing the Giant Ground Bee Dungeon. Even though it had merged with his martial art, Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts, he had learned just how useful having a strong skill was.

‘Since I have no restrictions on learning skills, I should focus on collecting them alongside traits.’

A vision of himself covered in various traits and wielding numerous skills flashed through his mind. A true "All-Master" existence. If he could reach that level, he would truly be peerless.

“Just imagining it gives me chills.”

Feeling a renewed sense of potential, Sungshik exited the dungeon in high spirits.

Before the Gate Break, the government and guilds managed gate occurrences. Since the government lacked manpower, guilds were heavily involved in overseeing them.

The Yongho guild, responsible for managing the so-called 'Bear Cave' Gate in Jeju Island, was no exception.

Jeju Island was particularly difficult for the government to maintain control over, meaning the Yongho guild had to manage an extensive area. Initially, their efforts to handle gate management were praised, but over time, things started to change.

“Why can’t I enter?”

“Only the entrance area is open. Beyond that, you need our guild’s permission to proceed.”

In the beginning, there weren’t enough superhumans capable of clearing the 5-Star 'Bear Cave' Gate. However, as time passed, more individuals, teams, and guilds emerged that could handle a 5-Star Gate.

Naturally, superhumans began traveling to Jeju Island to challenge the 'Bear Cave' Gate. It was one of the few gates that yielded substantial profits.

However, the Yongho guild only permitted outsiders to access the entryway, while monopolizing the deeper regions of the cave for themselves. A shameless act of greed.

Yet, no one could stop them. The Yongho guild had not just one, but two 5-Star+ superhumans. A 5-Star+ rating was among the highest in the country. And they had two.

Additionally, they had multiple 5-Star superhumans. In terms of scale, they ranked among the top five guilds in Korea. Over the years, the Yongho guild had grown by monopolizing the Bear Cave, making it impossible for anyone to enter its deeper regions without their permission.

That was why there had been a commotion in front of the gate that Sungshik had entered.

“Hyung-nim, I’m sorry.”

“Hey… haah, you really messed up this time?”

“I… I just stepped away for a moment to take care of something urgent… I apologize, hyung-nim.”

The gate Sungshik had entered was one of those under the strict control of the Yongho guild. Their guild members were now seething with frustration as they glared at the closed gate.

“No way… Who the hell dared to loot a gate that we manage?”

Their shock and fury were immeasurable. In Jeju Island, they wielded power akin to that of kings. Someone entering the gate without their approval was no different from trampling on their authority.

“Hah… Are you sure only one guy went in?”

“Yes, hyung-nim. I checked the entrance CCTV. He definitely went in alone.”

One of the executives of the Yongho guild, a 5-star superhuman, Shin Jinwoo. He was seething with rage over the fact that such an incident had to happen precisely while he was on duty.

‘Damn it, what kind of lunatic caused this mess while I’m on duty?’

Shin Jinwoo had worked tirelessly to finally earn the trust of the guild leader. The fact that something like this had to happen on his shift was infuriating.

‘And he entered the Bear Cave Gate alone?’

There was no lunatic like this lunatic. Even a 5-star superhuman would struggle to clear the Bear Cave Gate alone.

‘Damn it, does he think he’s some kind of 5-star+ superhuman?’

The guy he checked on CCTV was an unfamiliar face. Managing a list of all the notable superhumans in Korea was a basic necessity. This was one of the secrets that had allowed the Yongho guild to reign over Jeju Island for so long.

And, of course, Heo Sungshik’s face was not on that list.

“Boss, but if he went in alone, wouldn’t he already be dead?”

It was a reasonable question. The Bear Cave was not a dungeon that a low-rank superhuman could clear alone through sheer luck.

But Shin Jinwoo thought differently.

“Unless he’s suicidal, he must have something he’s relying on to go in there.”

He had seen countless superhumans rise and fall throughout his career. Some of them had truly bizarre traits. For example, the "Tomb Raider" trait.

‘Maybe he has a trait like that.’

The "Tomb Raider" trait he had encountered before was fascinating. It had no real combat ability, but its utility within a gate was unparalleled. That trait allowed its user to clear dungeons without having to fight monsters or even the boss.

“If he has a trait like that, then it makes sense that he went in alone…”

But there was a contradiction. The greatest value of the Bear Cave Gate lay in the bear gallbladders and bear paws obtained from hunting grizzly bears. There was nothing in the Bear Cave to be looted like a tomb, and simply clearing the gate wouldn’t yield any rewards.

“Huh? What kind of trait are you talking about?”

“There is such a thing. Just shut up, idiot.”

After glaring at the underling who interrupted his thoughts, he resumed pondering.

‘Well, I suppose there could be traits I don’t know about.’

Shin Jinwoo was open-minded. He had seen countless peculiar and unimaginable traits over the years.

‘Let’s just catch him and beat the truth out of him.’

That was his conclusion. If the guy came out alive, they’d just have to catch him and see for themselves.

Whoosh—

After breaking the dungeon core of the Bear Cave, Heo Sungshik immediately exited through the gate. What greeted him was a group of unfamiliar men.

“Finally, this bastard comes out.”

“How many hours was he stuck in there?”

“At least he came out alive, boss.”

Seeing the men waiting for him, Sungshik frowned.

‘Who are these guys?’

Observing them closely, he noticed they all had badges featuring a tiger and a dragon intertwined.

‘Guild members… Ah!’

Looking at the badge triggered a memory. Before the Gate Break, before his regression, there was a notorious guild in Jeju that caused all sorts of trouble.

That was the Yongho guild. He also recalled how they had monopolized the gate zones in Jeju to line their pockets.

‘Ah… So these bastards were monopolizing the Bear Cave.’

At the same time, it clicked—this place was likely part of their territory. That explained why the mid-section of the gate had been so empty of people.

‘Still, there was no one guarding the entrance when I went in… Did they just step away for a bit?’

Looking at one of the men at the back, who seemed timid and uneasy, Sungshik pieced the situation together.

While he was analyzing them, the Yongho guild members had also finished assessing him.

‘Hey, Tanchoya, are you sure this guy isn’t a high-rank superhuman?’

‘Yes, boss. The aura I sense from him is barely 3-star? Maybe 4-star at best.’

‘Tsk, so he really is just some nobody?’

‘Absolutely. He’s not on the high-rank superhuman list, and his strength is insignificant.’

They had even brought in a guild member with the “Scouter” trait to gauge Sungshik’s power. The "Scouter" trait couldn’t give exact numbers, but it could estimate the total amount of power a person possessed.

Double and triple-checking their opponents was how the Yongho guild ensured they never accidentally clashed with a true high-rank superhuman.

And now, having concluded that Sungshik was a weakling, they decided how to treat him.

“Hey, how the hell did you come out of the Bear Cave alone? Huh? Did you go in there and steal some honey or something?”

Though the man was speaking thoughtlessly, he was unintentionally close to the truth. Sungshik had indeed been drowning in honey—metaphorically speaking—having gained incredible rewards from the dungeon. He couldn’t help but smirk at the question.

Smirk—

The Yongho guild members were taken aback.

“Wow, this guy is insane. You’re laughing? Huh? You think this is funny?”

They must have taken his smirk as provocation. Already irritated from waiting for him for so long, seeing his smirk made them snap.

“Alright! This bastard needs to be taught a lesson. Let’s start with a beating.”

One of the men rolled up his sleeves and approached. Sungshik clicked his tongue.

‘Ah, this Future Vision debuff is really a pain right now. Maybe I should’ve waited for it to wear off before coming out.’

Normally, these guys wouldn’t even be worth considering. But now, seeing them acting all cocky, he couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.

He quickly analyzed their strength using Insight.

‘Huh, there’s a 5-star among them? One 5-star… three 4-stars, and one 3-star.’

Estimating his chances if a fight broke out, Sungshik considered his options. Right now, due to the debuff, he could only exert the power of a 3-star or 4-star superhuman. In such a state, victory seemed unlikely.

‘But I’m not just going to stand here and take a beating. If things get really bad, I can always use Puyan’s Feather to escape.’

It would be a waste of the item, but if worst came to worst, he was ready to use it.

As he was timing his counterattack against the approaching man, a voice suddenly interrupted.

“Hey! Stop right there.”