The door creaked open, groaning beneath its own weight, revealing a yawning void before Yeon Woo. He stepped inside. A wave of cold struck his face—like a greeting from another world. The room beyond was massive—a circular hall, its walls draped in webs of black slime that shimmered faintly in the half-light. At its center, like the heart of a colossal organism, something pulsed. It throbbed, tugged at him, sending a strange tremor through his limbs.
"There it is," the thought flashed through Yeon Woo's mind. "The Core of the Gate."
A window flared in the corner of his vision:
Name: Yeon WooLevel: 16Health: 82%Stamina: 74%Active Skills:Moonblade Dance (Lv. 7), Regeneration (Lv. 5), Heightened Perception (Lv. 3), Blossoming (2nd Circle), Rotburst (Lv. 1)Passive Skills:Steel Instinct (Lv. 4), Greed (Lv. 1)Unique Traits: Regressor (2nd Cycle)
He checked his status out of habit. Everything within acceptable range. Enough power for the fight—so long as he didn't make a mistake. Otherwise: death. And maybe another regression, if such a chance remained.
He drew in a steady breath, clearing his thoughts. Rushing now was madness.
As he approached, the Core seemed to sense his presence. Shapes began to peel away from the black mass—at first amorphous, then slowly taking form. Monsters. Beings born from the very essence of the Gate. Their shapes were grotesque, unnatural: elongated limbs, displaced jaws, eyes growing where no eyes should be.
There were many.
Yeon Woo tightened his grip on the sword hilt. Battle instincts from a previous life surged to the surface: strike fast, retreat faster, never stay in one place, avoid being surrounded.
He activated Heightened Perception and Moonblade Dance in near unison. The world slowed once more; the creatures' movements turned sluggish. Yeon Woo stepped aside, let the first beast miss, then drove his blade into its side. Black fluid sprayed across the floor. The Core's heartbeat quickened.
But that was only the beginning.
With each strike, resistance grew. The creatures didn't just die—they exploded, releasing clouds of venom that seared his skin. Yeon Woo refused to panic. He immediately activated Rotburst, sending a shockwave through the monsters. Several of them fell apart, collapsing into heaps.
[Monster Defeated.][EXP +500]
[Monster Defeated.][EXP +500]
He slipped through the hall, dodging claws, jaws, and tendrils. But they kept coming. The Core's flesh birthed more and more of them, giving him no rest.
"This won't do," Yeon Woo thought coldly. "I need to break through straight to the Core."
He dashed forward, carving a path with his blade. He activated Blossoming. Fire ignited within him. The world trembled for an instant. The strength of the second circle shattered his body's limits: his movements sharpened, his strikes intensified. Bones groaned under the strain, but he was long used to the pain.
The monsters fell one after another. But the Core was not passive.
From its depths, a shadow rose.
A being born of all the Gate's rot. A towering figure, crowned with a throne of bones. Its eyes glowed with a dim green light. Slowly, it reached toward Yeon Woo.
[Warning! Gate Boss Appeared: "Devourer of Decay."]
Yeon Woo gritted his teeth. It wasn't unexpected—every anomaly had a center, a master. The real question was: how long before his strength ran out?
The Boss attacked with fury. Yeon Woo barely dodged, claws slicing the air where his throat had just been. He pushed Moonblade Dance to the limit, forcing his body to move despite exhaustion.
Strike.Dodge.Dash.Strike again.
Every move danced on the edge of survival. He struck quickly, precisely—wasting no energy. The Boss was powerful, but slow. Its weakness was momentum. Yeon Woo exploited it.
When the moment came, he activated Greed.
A surge of energy burst from his body, slamming into the Boss. For an instant, his vision went black—blood, power, the creature's very essence flowed into him. He felt his body rejuvenate, his awareness sharpen.
[Greed Activated.][Gained: Temporary Strength and Endurance Boost.][Boss Weakened by 10%.]
But the Boss adapted. It became more aggressive, crashing down with massive blows, cracking the stone floor beneath their feet.
One strike caught Yeon Woo. He flew back several meters, slamming into a wall. Stars danced before his eyes.
[Health -25%.]
He gasped, staggering upright. Only one thought rang in his mind: Don't stop.
He pushed Regeneration to the max, feeling his wounds slowly begin to knit.
The Boss approached.
In that final moment, Yeon Woo dredged up the full power of Blossoming. The second regression had given him more than strength. It had given him insight. Cold, honed understanding of the moment.
He surged forward.
A final dash.
A final strike.
His blade, glowing in the Core's rotten light, drove straight into the Devourer's chest.
The hall shook with its roar.
[Boss Defeated.][EXP +5000.][Level Up! 16 → 18.][Access Unlocked: Gate Core.]
The Boss crumbled into dust. The Core went still. Its pulsing stopped. The room began to collapse, walls cracking as if their foundation had vanished.
Yeon Woo, breathing hard, stared at the window floating before his eyes:
[You have purified the Gate of Decay.][Reward: +10 Stat Points, Skill "Core Absorption" (Unique).][Absorption Initiated.]
He felt something flow into him. Power. Living, viscous, volatile. He clenched his teeth, letting it spread through his veins.
"I'm absorbing the very essence of this Gate…" Yeon Woo thought. "One step closer."
Closer to the future that had been stolen.Closer to the vengeance that burned in his heart.Closer to the summit he had failed to reach in his past life.
He looked up at the ruined ceiling, where a dim ray of morning light pierced through the cracks.
"This is only the beginning," Yeon Woo whispered without sound.
And stepped forward.