Chapter 36: Don Quixote De La Mancha

    Don Quixote De La Mancha

    The moment I crossed the gate''s threshold, a massive windmill greeted my eyes. Built with cherry-red bricks stacked seamlessly, it gave off the impression of the Tower of Babel. Its scale was easily five times that of a typical windmill, and its blades looked more fit for a guillotine than grain grinding.

    There are so many.

    Roughly 30 to 40 windmills dotted the landscape. Beneath them, an expansive meadow unfolded, where sheep munched on grass and the shepherd lounged beneath tree canopies.

    "Instructor Kim Sukgu, what''s going on here?"

    Kim Sukgu and Lee Minjoon wore expressions of concern as they talked it over. They understood well that the gate had been bumped up to S-rank status because of its newly activated concept.

    "The gate''s difficulty has changed. This has never happened before..."

    "For now, it seems right to keep the students in the safe zone."

    I wasn''t aware of this fact. There''s a safety zone at the gate''s entrance designed to prevent immediate death upon entry due to disorientation. Though I questioned if the gate itself was the one ensuring safety, the result was beneficial. After all, Weaklings aiming to tackle the gate would only serve as hindrances.

    —

    An S-rank gate has been activated.

    Don Quixote de la Mancha, celebrated for his fervent lunacy, stands eternal, shaped by the words and deeds of those around him. Always by his side are his outlandish armor, his majestic steed Rocinante, and his faithful squire Sancho Panza.

    But that''s not all.

    Remember the giant windmill and the irate shepherd?

    Break through the gate while recalling your nostalgic memories of reading the book!

    You may look back on this moment with happiness someday.

    Clear conditions: ???Time Limit: None

    —

    Just as Kim Sukgu and Lee Minjoon were about to explain the plan, an explanatory window appeared in the sky, large enough for everyone to see.

    "There''s no clear condition and no time limit. It''s definitely an S-rank gate."

    The higher the difficulty, the less information was given. Instead, plenty of time was usually provided, which wasn''t good news. The absence of a time limit meant there were only two ways out: either clear it or die.Re?Ad lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only

    The faces of the students, who had come to the gate lightly, darkened. After all, they were just twenty-something-year-olds, no matter how strong they seemed. It felt odd to expect so much from kids who had only recently reached adulthood.

    "First off... we''ll need to assemble a team capable of clearing this."

    "I believe we''ve already got that covered."

    Before I entered, Kim Sukgu and Lee Minjoon had already reached some level of agreement.

    When it comes to tackling an unknown gate, a specialized team is the way to go. It''s more effective to enter with the strongest, yet smallest, group rather than gathering a mixed bag of abilities.

    "It should be the five of us: Instructor Kim Sukgu, myself, students Minsoo, Taeyang, and Melanie." Everyone nodded in agreement at Lee Minjoon''s suggestion.

    "An ideal team," I thought. Three passive skill users, an experienced instructor, and a hunter team leader. We had assembled the best elite team possible.

    Minjoon''s hunter team is only effective when everyone collaborates. The fact that only Lee Minjoon is a first-rank hunter, with the others being second or third rank, doesn''t help. The nickname ‘Minjoon and his kids'' is not without reason.

    "How about we each go over our skills before investigating the gate? I specialize in teleportation."

    Lee Minjoon''s skills were well-known, largely due to media exposure.

    "I can only teleport myself and an object up to the size of a dagger."

    This was another well-known fact, earning Minjoon the nickname ‘Ninja.''

    Instantly, we recognized who it was.

    For over thirty minutes, I had detailed the character of Don Quixote. A small man in a makeshift helmet that barely veiled his face, wielding a weathered sword and spear passed down through generations. Mounted on a rather unremarkable horse with patches of balding fur, crowned by a hat fashioned from worn-out rags—there was no mistaking it.

    "Don Quixote!"

    "Ah! Someone recognizes me! Clearly, my knightly renown precedes me across this vast land. Isn''t that so, Sancho?"

    "Hehe, without a doubt, sir. As pledged, I shall follow you, even to the world''s end!"

    Kim Minsoo valiantly stepped forward, but Don Quixote and Sancho paid him no heed, treating him—and all of us—as mere commoners.

    "Sancho, look over there! Those gugantic figures, the treacherous wolves disguised as sheep, and the wicked sorcerer wielding a staff!"

    "Nay, sir! Those are merely windmills. No wolves, just sheep. And that man is no sorcerer; he''s merely a shepherd!"

    "Sancho, trust in me! The devil''s ruse has blinded you! For now, let me be your eyes, revealing the truth!"

    "Oh, sir! Please go a bit slower! My short legs... Oh, and look! Even Rocinante has short legs!"

    It was like witnessing a poorly scripted play. None of us grasped the unfolding situation; we merely stood there, silently taking in their dialogue.

    With skillful finesse, Don Quixote spurred Rocinante into a gallop. Sancho, his short legs churning comically, struggled to keep pace.

    All we could do was watch and wait.

    "Oh, sir! The windmill! It''s moving!"

    "Did I not warn you, Sancho? At last, you''ve seen through the devil''s deceit! That windmill''s true form emerges! Those sheep likely conceal their fangs, and the shepherd readies some dark magic!"

    Don Quixote''s resonant proclamation shifted everyone''s gaze toward the windmill, slowly ascending as if a colossal entity were pulling itself free from the earth.

    ———————————

    With the appearance of Don Quixote, Rocinante, and Sancho, the clear conditions are revealed!

    Don Quixote''s gaze blurs the boundary between reality and fantasy. What appears as a windmill can be turned into a giant. Even a mere insect transforms into a monster through his eyes!

    Stop him before he turns everything in the world into monsters!

    Clear Conditions: Eliminate Don Quixote (0/1)Eliminate Rocinante (0/1)Eliminate Sancho (0/1)

    ※ Caution ※

    Don Quixote, Rocinante, and Sancho cannot be killed by the imagined monsters.

    ———————————

    Everyone snapped to attention at the belatedly displayed clear conditions.

    Don Quixote was not just a character from a novel; he was a deeply deluded man who believed his fantasies were reality. The stakes were clear: What if his delusions materialized, turning his visions into actual monsters?

    "Everyone, target Don Quixote! Minjoon, back up Melanie. The rest of you, follow my lead!"

    Objects within Don Quixote''s line of sight inside the gate were already morphing into monstrous forms.

    "Ensure he doesn''t set his eyes on other windmills! We must kill him before that!" Kim Sukgu''s urgent voice conveyed the urgency of the moment.

    So far, there was only one windmill that Don Quixote had properly fixated on. But that single windmill was emanating the aura of a formidable A-rank monster.

    "Sancho, look! The blade of that windmill giant is sharper than any executioner''s guillotine!"

    "Sir, how do you plan to confront such a threat?"

    "Shouldn''t the younger ones at the back handle this? We''re on a quest to find utopia at the world''s end!"

    "Exactly, sir! Your insight is nothing short of brilliant!"