With a heavy, defeated sigh, I walked away from the damage that I had caused. "!?" There it was again, that tingling sensation. It was back again!?
A foolish decision.
This time, I wasn't letting it get away. This time, I will execute it in one fell swoop. I charged, dashing through all the debris, heading towards that monster, and locked eyes with something different instead.
A bear!?
No, wait. It's a shadowy, bear-like figure. It had bright, blazing, blue hair, not fur, on its head. A prominent scratch mark was visible on its right eye, while a large X-shaped scar on its chest brightly burned. Its paws then burned, preparing to attack.
This was a summon, a shadow summon. I can tell with my eyes that this one had a master.
The bear roared; I could tell its intention. It was telling me to stay back. The bear then disappeared, vanishing into thin air, then out comes a man from the exact position of where that bear was.
A black-haired man, almost my height, with exquisite daggers in each hand. This man, whatever he was, was not human. The man's eyes glowed, silently assessing me. He had an unmistakable aura of strength, and it was overwhelming.
The first living being that I've ever met was someone with a threatening aura. Just my luck.
The Dragon Sword Reid remained in place; either this man was not hostile, or it wasn't worthy of the sword.
"Are you responsible for this gate?" The man asked, pointing a dagger at me.
I gave a disarming smile while raising my hands. "I don't know anything about a gate." My words are genuine; I know nothing about a gate.
I could feel something squirming inside the floors, the walls, and the ceiling.
An ambush, that was it. I was surrounded by several shadow beings, ready to strike. This man, whatever he was, wasn't too trusting.
"Which country do you hail from? Are you a European hunter?"
"To whom do I owe the pleasure of speaking with?" I asked, being polite.
"Answer my question." The man exuded an aura of authority, not repeating his question. That was rather rude, but I understand his situation. My intuition was telling me that he was also stuck here for some time.
"I feel like we've come to a bad start. I am Reinhard van Astrea, A sword saint. I am not a hunter, sir." I introduced myself with a perfect humble bow.
Maybe he will now tell his companions who are surrounding me to calm down? I could feel their anticipation to strike. The man remained silent but lowered his posture.
"You're not a hunter? Then you're one of the residents in this gate, are you not?" He said with a veil of threat, his voice was clear yet deep.
I couldn't help but assume that this man must like the sound of his voice.
With a single clap of my hand, the area stilled in motion. It was a disarming attack from me; I didn't want to make things uglier. The shadows and the man were stunned in shocked silence.
The man then recovered and seemed somewhat infuriated. I need to calm him down. I don't want to fight him. Although he wasn't human, I don't think he was bad.
The shadows quivered and jumped out of their hiding spots. A fully armored man with long red hair came out of the walls along with several ogres.
An insectoid resembling an ant then grabbed both of my legs to keep me in place. How strange... It managed to grab me. The insectoid wasn't overtly hostile.
The armored man swung his sword but missed, hitting the floor instead. Then, with a simple shuffle, the insectoid's hands were destroyed. I felt a pang of guilt, but it disappeared after seeing its limbs instantly regenerate.
The man kept his distance, watching as his shadow companions tried to attack me.
There was a hint of surprise on his face. Like he expected me to fall within a few seconds. No matter, I ignored it and easily dodged his shadow companions' attacks.
"Please, I don't want a fight," I said, pleading for him to stop, but the man was unmovable. I don't know why he was so determined to fight me; I am but a harmless knight.
An orc lunged, but I instantly swatted it away, sending it straight to the wall. I made sure to use enough force to only create space, not kill.
I beamed a smile while opening my arms.
The man's shadow companions kept attacking, but they were all missing. I stood there for a few seconds, sending a disarming smile, but the man didn't budge.
He wasn't convinced yet.
No, rather, I made him more agitated.
He held out his hand, and it seemed like he was now holding me. He then tried to pin me to the ground with some sort of invisible force, but I remained standing.
Whatever it was, it had no effect.
With a simple shrug, I freed myself from the hold and slowly walked forward towards him while extending a hand.
A basic cordial gesture.
His eye twitched; it seemed like I was getting him.
A hulking man with a huge shield popped out from the walls. It screamed for some reason, but I ignored it. It then grew agitated and rushed at me.
I swiftly redirected his charging direction towards the attacking shadows behind me, colliding with them head-on.
"Please, I am not a threat. I am stuck here, just like you." I said with genuine words, hoping to connect with this man.
...
...
...
Eventually, he relented and gestured for his shadows to calm down. He still kept a wary glance, but I kept beaming a polite smile.
The man was confused.
Alright, no more smiles from now on.
"Thank you for ordering your companions to stop, they proved to be quite a trouble. I was having a hard time."
"You were just standing there." The man added, eyes glaring with hostile intent. Maybe I chose the wrong words.
The man was quiet for a moment, scanning me for a second time. "Are you a player too?"
"I'm not a player. I'm a humble knight, looking for a way out of this yellow-walled dungeon." I answered, and the man sighed, reluctantly accepting my extended hand.
"My name is Jin-Woo Sung."