Crimson lock
790 Words
The "Red Gate" was a myth to most low-rankers—a glitch in the Grid where a standard dungeon suddenly mutates, sealing its exits and cranking the difficulty until the environment itself turns lethal.
Jin-Woo found himself standing at the edge of a construction site in the Gangnam district. A Rank-C Rift had been detected, and a mid-sized guild called Iron Heart was recruiting "porters"—essentially human pack-mules—to carry their extra gear and crystals. For Jin-Woo, it was the perfect cover to observe higher-level combat and siphon off "leftover" experience points.
"Keep up, Scavenger!" the Lead Hunter, a Rank-C Swordsman named Tae-Ho, barked. "And don't touch the loot. You're here to carry, not to think."
Jin-Woo nodded silently, his eyes hidden behind the brim of his cap. He felt the weight of the massive rucksack on his back, but with his increased Strength, it felt like carrying a pillow.
As the twelve-man team stepped through the shimmering portal, the air didn't turn into the expected damp cave or ruined building. Instead, the temperature plummeted. A howling, icy wind tore at their clothes, and the portal behind them didn't just stay open—it turned a violent, bruised crimson and then vanished.
"A Red Gate..." Mina, the Mage from the Silver Aegis who had joined as a consultant, whispered, her face turning pale. "We’re trapped. This isn't a Rank-C dungeon anymore. Look at the sky."
Above them, the sky was a swirling vortex of blood-red clouds. The "modern city" they had stepped into was a frozen wasteland of skyscrapers encased in thick, black ice.
"Don't panic!" Tae-Ho yelled, though his hand trembled on his sword hilt. "We just need to find the Boss and kill it. That's the only way out."
CRUNCH. CRUNCH.
From the frozen shadows of a ruined department store, figures began to emerge. They were Ice Wraiths—Rank-B ethereal monsters that ignored physical armor.
"Form a perimeter!" Tae-Ho screamed.
The Iron Heart hunters engaged, but their weapons passed harmlessly through the misty forms of the Wraiths. One by one, the hunters began to scream as the monsters reached into their chests, freezing their hearts with a single touch.
"We’re going to die," a porter next to Jin-Woo whimpered, dropping his bag and sprinting toward the edge of the map. He didn't make it five steps before an Ice Wraith rose from the snow and phase-shifted through him. The man froze solid in an instant, a statue of terror.
Jin-Woo watched, his Sense stat vibrating. He saw the flow of mana. The Wraiths weren't immortal; they were anchored to the black ice under their feet.
> [URGENT QUEST: THE FROZEN EXTERMINATOR]
> * Objective: Eliminate 50 Ice Wraiths.
> * Time Limit: 30:00
> * Reward: Skill: 'Cold Resistance', +5 Level-Up bonus.
>
Tae-Ho was down, his legs encased in ice. Mina was exhausted, her fire spells flickering out in the supernatural cold. The Wraiths were closing in on the remaining survivors.
Jin-Woo dropped his rucksack.
"What are you doing, kid? Run!" Mina choked out, slumped against a frozen taxi.
Jin-Woo didn't run. He reached into his shadow, and the Stalker’s Fang appeared in his hand. He activated Shadow Dash.
To the hunters, it looked like a black streak of lightning had ignited in the middle of the blizzard. Jin-Woo reappeared behind the lead Wraith. He didn't just s***h at it—he channeled his MP into the Architect’s Grip on his wrist.
[Dominator's Touch] slammed downward, crushing the black ice anchor beneath the Wraith. As the monster wavered, Jin-Woo’s dagger, now coated in a dark, swirling aura, ripped through its core.
The Wraith shattered like glass.
> [Ice Wraith defeated. 1/50]
>
"One down," Jin-Woo muttered.
He moved like a phantom. Dash. s***h. Crush. He was a whirlwind of obsidian light in a world of white death. Every time a Wraith tried to freeze him, his Sense allowed him to step into their blind spot before they could even manifest.
Mina watched in stunned silence. This wasn't the "pathetic" E-Rank she had seen at the station. This was a monster in human skin. He was moving faster than any Rank-B she had ever seen.
As the 50th Wraith shattered, the blizzard suddenly stopped. The red sky pulsed once, and a massive, throne-like structure made of bone emerged from the center of the city square.
> [QUEST COMPLETED]
> [Level Up!]
> [Level Up!]
> [Current Level: 12]
>
Jin-Woo stood in the middle of a graveyard of shattered ice, his breath misting in the air. He turned his head slightly, his glowing eyes meeting Mina's terrified gaze.
"Stay back," Jin-Woo said, his voice cold and steady. "The Boss is coming. And he looks hungry."
- Writer
