Su-ho shifted his gaze to the guardian’s head.

    – Guardian of the Library, Lv. ???

    Its level remained unlisted.

    That was because the guardian shared its status with the challenger.

    As before, the guardian began fulfilling its role.

    [ The Guardian of the Library activates the Battlefield of Conviction. ]

    [ While the Battlefield of Conviction is active, the guardian’s status matches the challenger’s status. ]

    [ While the Battlefield of Conviction is active, all combatants within the area can only use weapons designated by the guardian. ]

    The skill activated, and simultaneously, an icon appeared above the guardian’s head. It spun like a slot machine.

    Eventually, the slot machine stopped.

    [ The Guardian of the Library has designated the weapon. ]

    [ The designated weapon is a "bow." ]

    [ The battle begins. ]

    The icon landed on the shape of a bow.

    “A bow, huh?”

    The designated weapon was a bow.

    It made sense. Last time, the chosen weapon had been a sword, so it was unlikely for the same one to appear twice.

    The moment the bow was designated, the guardian tore a steel rod from its own body to fashion a bow. It also pulled out an arrow and aimed it directly at Su-ho.

    “Quick on your feet, aren’t you?”

    Su-ho summoned his Blood Bow.

    By then, the guardian had already released its arrow.

    Boom!

    What kind of arrow makes a sound like a cannonball when it lands?

    Su-ho glanced at it briefly and noticed the arrow’s thickness.

    ‘Better finish this quickly.’

    At least it wasn’t a gun. If it had been, the guardian might have unleashed a barrage, making it hard to close the distance.

    Su-ho advanced rapidly while the guardian was reloading.

    Noticing the danger, the guardian instinctively retreated.

    Boom!

    Every time the guardian leapt back, the ground rumbled with a cannonball-like sound, leaving indentations where it had landed.

    The sheer force was absurd.

    Even while retreating, the guardian skillfully aimed its bow at Su-ho.

    Whoosh!

    A sharp arrow grazed past Su-ho’s face as it flew point-blank.

    Su-ho twisted his body and used a mid-air skill.

    [ Leap has been activated. ]

    The skill allowed him to twist his body mid-air, and Su-ho used the momentum to swing his Blood Bow.

    His target was the guardian’s face.

    At such close range, the guardian had no choice but to block with its bow.

    But it shouldn’t have.

    [ Steel Cutter has been activated. ]

    Slash!

    The moment Su-ho’s Blood Bow clashed with the guardian’s steel bow, Steel Cutter activated.

    The guardian’s bow snapped cleanly in two, and the string was severed as well.

    – ...

    The guardian stared in disbelief at its shattered weapon.

    Of course, it was stunned.

    A bow wasn’t supposed to break so cleanly, especially not like it had been sliced by a blade.

    Seeing its dumbfounded expression, Su-ho chuckled.

    “Surprised, aren’t you?”

    For Su-ho, a weapon was whatever he decided it to be. If he called it a sword, it was a sword, even if it wasn’t shaped like one.

    The Blood Bow he summoned wasn’t an ordinary bow, either.

    Since Blood Weapons reflected the wielder’s will, its appearance was partially customized.

    The bow retained the features of a traditional bow but included enhancements like a blade along the edges and a grip on the lower limb.

    As a result, the Blood Bow was as much a sword as it was a bow.

    ‘Looks a bit goofy, but it works.’

    Still, it technically adhered to the rule of being a bow.

    It had a string, and it could shoot arrows when loaded.

    That was why Steel Cutter worked—because the Blood Bow functioned as both a weapon and a tool.

    This was the beauty of Blood Weapons and skills rooted in Su-ho’s understanding of weaponry.

    [ The Guardian of the Library acknowledges its defeat. ]

    [ The gate has been cleared. ]

    [ MVP of the gate: Su-ho. ]

    [ Bonus experience granted. ]

    [ Bonus stat point acquired. ]

    [ Level up! ]

    [ All stats increased by 1. ]

    [ Additional stat point acquired. ]

    [ The system rewards you with greater strength. ]

    “Wow...”

    Even Choi Yoon, seasoned as she was, couldn’t hide her disbelief at Su-ho’s methods.

    But Su-ho didn’t care.

    He needed to maximize his gains during this rare period of freedom.

    ‘Got to hit level 100 before my return.’

    Reaching that milestone would unlock new opportunities and challenges. To prepare, his schedule had to be airtight.

    “So, are we going?”

    “Yes, fine. Just drive. I’ll figure out my car.”

    “Great. Give me the address, then take a nap. I’ll wake you when we’re there.”

    “Unreal...”

    Despite her grumbling, Choi Yoon had no choice.

    After all, business was business.

    With the roar of the engine, Su-ho’s car sped off into the night.

    ***

    A few days later.

    “Status window, open.”

    [ Su-ho Ahn ]

    – Level: 98

    – Class: Healer

    – Traits: New Blood, Hercules Candidate

    – Strength (O): 24

    – Stamina (R): 94

    – Mana (R): 61

    – Perception (R): 60

    – Bonus Stats: 0

    After completing the Forest of the Full Moon, Su-ho had cleared nine additional gates with Choi Yoon’s assistance.

    Each one was a 1-star or higher-ranked gate. Following the first two gates purchased on the first day, he acquired four more challenging gates as his level rose.

    In all nine gates, Su-ho achieved MVP status, earning nine bonus stat points in the process.

    ‘That’s how my stamina stat reached 94.’

    But that wasn’t all.

    Upon surpassing level 90, Su-ho unlocked another second-tier class skill: Guardian Spirit.

    While Healing Spirit had been a targeted area healing skill, Guardian Spirit provided healing along with a moderate protective effect.

    This was significant progress.

    The only regret? With just a little more time, Su-ho could have reached level 100.

    Still, achieving this much in only six days was largely thanks to Choi Yoon.

    ‘And I didn’t spend as much money as I expected.’

    Except for the Forest of the Full Moon, there weren’t many gates with the themes Su-ho wanted. He was able to negotiate low prices for the gates by agreeing to forgo collecting any byproducts.

    Before parting ways, Su-ho spoke to Choi Yoon.

    “You did well.”

    “Ugh, don’t contact me for a while.”

    “I won’t. I’ll be busy anyway. But if any gates come up, contact me immediately, day or night. I’ll handle them as fast as possible.”

    “Argh!!”

    Choi Yoon had worked especially hard.

    Since Su-ho had contacted her on the first night of his one-week leave, they had essentially tackled ten gate schedules together in just five days.

    Of course, gate raiding wasn’t all Su-ho did during that time.

    While near Kim Seung-hwan’s workplace, Su-ho also delivered the materials he had obtained from Kim Goong-won.

    After parting ways with Choi Yoon, Su-ho headed to Incheon Airport at the scheduled time.

    Why Incheon Airport?

    Today was the day Sohn Baek-geum was returning to Korea.

    [ Arrived at Incheon Airport. ]

    “You’ve done well. Now, keep quiet until further instructions.”

    – Understood. But...

    Sohn Baek-geum hesitated, fidgeting.

    Su-ho asked, “What is it?”

    – I’m sorry, but could you do something about... this? Even overseas, it was a problem, and I couldn’t get anything done because of it.

    “This” referred to Sohn’s sensitive issue.

    Ah, right.

    Su-ho remembered he was still holding that part of Sohn’s anatomy hostage.

    Su-ho responded, “Just wait a little longer. The matter isn’t resolved yet.”

    – What?! But that’s not what we agreed on!

    “Then drop it.”

    – N-no, that’s not what I meant...!

    Sohn Baek-geum whimpered.

    After all, he had no other choice.

    ‘That’s what you get for living your life the way you did.’

    Ending the call, Su-ho set his course for the Korean Hunter Association’s main office.