Chapter 12 — The First Gatekeeper

Kael kept walking.

The Golden-Eyed Nightfang moved several meters ahead of him, occasionally glancing backward to make sure Kael was still following.

Neither spoke.

Kael's thoughts were elsewhere.

The black fragment was inside his storage ring.

The strange mark was still on his hand.

And the words he had heard in his vision continued repeating in his mind.

He took the key.

Then the inheritance has begun.

What inheritance?

His father had called the pocket world an inheritance.

But that couldn't be the whole story.

Kael looked at the mark.

The Darven crest was faintly visible beneath his skin.

It didn't hurt.

It simply existed.

Waiting.

"Nightfang."

The monster stopped.

"What?"

"You said this forest has noticed my blood."

"Yes."

"How long has it known about me?"

The Nightfang's golden eyes narrowed.

"Before you entered."

Kael stopped walking.

"How?"

"I don't know."

"You're starting to use that answer too much."

The Nightfang laughed.

"You ask questions that even ancient creatures don't have answers to."

Kael frowned.

"Then tell me what you do know."

The monster looked toward the trees.

"The Dark Forest isn't simply a forest."

Kael waited.

"Thousands of years ago, something was sealed beneath it."

Kael's expression became serious.

"The three legendary beasts?"

"No."

The Nightfang shook its head.

"The things your father left you are somewhere else."

Kael's eyes widened slightly.

"So there are other things beneath this forest?"

"Yes."

"What?"

The Nightfang didn't answer.

Instead, it continued walking.

Kael followed.

The Mark

After another hour, the Nightfang stopped beside a stream.

"Rest."

Kael sat beside the water.

He pulled out some food and began eating.

His ribs still hurt slightly.

His shoulder was almost completely recovered.

Nothing serious.

But the fight had reminded him of something important.

Even creatures below Level 15 could become dangerous when their abilities interacted with unknown materials.

Kael looked at his hand again.

The mark had changed.

It was slightly brighter.

He touched it.

Immediately—

[Bloodline reaction detected.]

Kael froze.

The water in the stream began moving backward.

His eyes widened.

The stream suddenly stopped.

Then a small section of the water rose into the air.

Kael instinctively reached for his katana.

But the water formed a shape.

A symbol.

The Darven crest.

The Golden-Eyed Nightfang stared at it.

"What?"

Kael looked at him.

"You didn't do that?"

The Nightfang shook its head.

"No."

The water collapsed.

The System appeared.

[Bloodline ability interaction detected.]

[Environmental mana responding to host.]

[New possibility discovered.]

[Metal Control may not be limited to metal.]

Kael stared at the final message.

"Wait."

He read it again.

Metal Control may not be limited to metal.

His heart began beating faster.

His father had told him that the Darven bloodline allowed them to manipulate metal.

But what if that explanation was incomplete?

Maybe Metal Control was simply the first stage.

Maybe the bloodline could eventually control something much greater.

Kael looked at the stream.

"That's impossible."

The Nightfang smiled.

"Is it?"

Kael looked at him.

"You knew."

"I suspected."

Kael sighed.

"Of course."

The Gatekeeper

The forest suddenly shook.

BOOM.

Birds exploded from the trees.

The Nightfang immediately stood.

"Stay here."

Kael stood as well.

"What happened?"

The monster's golden eyes were fixed on the darkness.

"The gatekeeper woke."

Kael's expression hardened.

"The first gatekeeper?"

The Nightfang nodded.

"You need to leave."

Kael drew his katana.

"How strong?"

The Nightfang hesitated.

"Strong enough that I don't want to fight it."

That answer was enough.

Kael immediately activated Threat Analysis.

A System window appeared.

Then flickered.

[Analyzing...]

[Analyzing...]

[ERROR.]

[Target classification unstable.]

Kael frowned.

"Seriously?"

A low growl echoed through the forest.

Something was approaching.

The trees began shaking.

Then—

A massive creature stepped into view.

It resembled a giant wolf.

But its body was covered in dark stone-like armor.

Several glowing blue lines ran across its body.

Two enormous horns curved backward from its head.

Its eyes were completely white.

The System finally displayed information.

[Gatekeeper Beast detected.]

Name: Stonefang Guardian

Level: 28

Grade: Boss

Species Potential: Overlord

Traits: Stone Armor, Mana Suppression, Guardian Instinct, Earth Manipulation

Kael's expression changed.

"Level 28..."

The gap between Level 4 and Level 28 was enormous.

The Nightfang stepped backward.

"Don't fight."

Kael nodded.

For once, he didn't argue.

The Stonefang Guardian looked directly at Kael.

Then its eyes moved toward his hand.

The Darven mark.

The beast growled.

Kael slowly raised his katana.

The creature charged.

"RUN!"

Kael and the Nightfang moved simultaneously.

BOOM!

The Stonefang crashed into the location where Kael had been standing.

The ground cracked.

Kael sprinted through the trees.

The Nightfang moved beside him.

"Where are we going?"

"West!"

"Why?"

"The eastern forest is its territory!"

Kael didn't ask more questions.

He simply ran.

Behind them—

BOOM!

BOOM!

The Stonefang Guardian pursued.

Kael glanced backward.

It was fast.

Far too fast.

He pulled out the Darven SR-01.

"Maybe I can slow it down."

The Nightfang shouted:

"No!"

Kael ignored him.

He stopped.

Turned.

Activated Metal Reinforcement.

[Metal Reinforcement activated.]

[Darven SR-01 temporarily enhanced.]

[Grade 4 Spirit → Grade 5 Rare.]

Kael aimed.

The Stonefang charged.

He fired.

BOOM!

The shot struck the creature directly in the chest.

The impact forced it backward several meters.

Kael smiled.

"Got you."

Then the smoke disappeared.

The Stonefang was standing.

Not even a scratch.

Kael's smile vanished.

"Okay."

He turned.

"RUNNING AGAIN."

The Nightfang laughed despite the situation.

"Now you understand."

Kael sprinted.

The Collapse

The forest became increasingly dense.

Kael's breathing grew heavier.

His mana was dropping rapidly.

The Stonefang remained behind them.

It wasn't getting tired.

Kael's legs began burning.

He pushed himself harder.

Then—

The ground disappeared.

"WHAT—"

Kael fell.

He crashed through a layer of roots and landed on a lower stone platform.

THUD!

His shoulder hit first.

Pain shot through his body.

"Ah!"

The Nightfang landed beside him.

Above them, the Stonefang Guardian stopped.

It stared down through the opening.

Then something strange happened.

The creature didn't follow.

It simply turned around.

Kael stared.

"Why isn't it coming?"

The Nightfang looked at the stone platform.

Its expression changed.

"Oh."

"What?"

"We found the gate."

Kael looked around.

The platform was enormous.

Ancient symbols covered its surface.

At its center was a circular depression.

Kael slowly approached it.

The black fragment inside his storage ring suddenly began vibrating.

His eyes widened.

"No..."

The fragment flew out of the ring.

It floated toward the center of the platform.

The Darven mark on Kael's hand began glowing.

The stone beneath his feet responded.

CLICK.

A mechanism moved beneath the platform.

Then another.

CLICK.

CLICK.

The entire chamber began shaking.

Kael stepped backward.

A huge circular door appeared in the floor.

The Nightfang stared at it.

"That's impossible."

Kael looked at him.

"What?"

"The gate hasn't opened in thousands of years."

The door slowly opened.

Darkness waited beneath it.

Then a System message appeared.

[Hidden inheritance detected.]

[Darven Bloodline compatibility: Confirmed.]

[Gatekeeper trial: Initiated.]

Kael's eyes widened.

"Trial?"

Another message appeared.

[Objective:]

Survive the First Gatekeeper's Trial.

[Reward:]

Unknown

[Failure:]

Unknown

Kael stared at the darkness.

Then he looked upward.

The Stonefang Guardian was still watching him.

It wasn't attacking.

It was waiting.

Kael finally understood.

The creature hadn't been chasing him to kill him.

It had been driving him here.

He looked at the Golden-Eyed Nightfang.

"You knew."

The Nightfang looked away.

"I suspected."

Kael sighed.

"You're terrible at explaining things."

The Nightfang smiled.

"You're terrible at staying away from dangerous places."

Kael looked into the darkness below.

Every instinct told him to leave.

But the System had just confirmed something.

This was connected to the Darven bloodline.

And if he wanted answers—

He would eventually have to face whatever was waiting below.

Kael tightened his grip on the katana.

"Not today."

He stepped backward.

The Nightfang looked surprised.

Kael smiled.

"I'm Level 4."

He looked at the Stonefang Guardian.

"It's Level 28."

Then he looked at the dark gate.

"And whatever is down there is probably worse."

Kael turned around.

"I'm not stupid enough to enter."

The System suddenly displayed another message.

[Host decision recognized.]

[Survival judgment: Correct.]

Kael blinked.

"...The System just complimented me?"

The Nightfang laughed.

Kael began climbing back toward the surface.

But before he left, he looked back one final time.

Deep within the darkness—

Something moved.

Not the Stonefang.

Not the Nightfang.

Something much larger.

Kael couldn't see it.

But he heard a single metallic sound.

CLANG.

The black fragment suddenly flew back into his hand.

The Darven mark burned brighter.

And a voice—not from the System—whispered inside his mind.

"Not yet."

Kael froze.

Then the voice disappeared.

He stared into the darkness.

A cold realization settled over him.

Whatever waited below wasn't simply waiting for someone to enter.

It was waiting for him to become strong enough.

Kael climbed upward.

Behind him, the ancient gate slowly closed.

[First Gatekeeper's Trial: Delayed.]

[Condition: Host Level 20.]

Kael stopped.

"Level 20..."

He looked at his status.

Level: 4

He smiled faintly.

"Then I'll reach Level 20."

He turned toward the forest.

"And when I come back..."

His hand tightened around the Darven katana.

"...I'll be ready."

Far beneath the forest, the Stonefang Guardian lowered its head.

The trial had not failed.

It had simply begun.