Trait Hoarder

Gunslinger Ruins – Part 1

I took a step forward.

It felt as if I were being pulled into the stone chamber.

The dry air rushed in.

A space that had been dormant for hundreds of years.

The thick dust tickled my throat.

“Cough! Cough!”

Seo Woojin coughed beside me.

“What kind of place is this?”

The stone walls had sealed the way behind us.

“These are the Gunslinger Ruins. Dasan Jeong Yakyong built them.”

“Oh, that great Joseon archmage?”

“You’ve heard of him?”

“Of course. If he had stayed as a court mage for just ten more years, he would have revolutionized magic in our country. Who was it again? Right, King Jeongjo. It’s a shame he died so early.”

Step, step.

I walked forward slowly.

The same magical lamps, the same corridors continued.

After walking for quite some time, we finally came across a fork in the path.

Three routes.

Seo Woojin hesitated, but I chose the middle path without hesitation.

“This way.”

“You know the way?”

“Yeah. The others are a waste of time.”

I could have chosen either the right or left paths.

They held minor puzzles, magic golems, and small rewards.

If this were a game—or if Baek Sorin were with me—I might have taken a detour to fight the magic golems.

But with just me and Seo Woojin, it would be pointless.

It was better to clear this quickly and take only the main reward.

How long had we walked?

The magical lamps grew noticeably brighter.

Moreover, the corridor widened significantly.

Until now, if Seo Woojin and I stood side by side, we barely had enough space. But now, the passage was five times as wide.

There was enough room to swing a sword freely.

“Stay alert. There should be magic golems here.”

“Magic golems? Leave them to me. I’ll take care of them.”

“You won’t be able to. I’ll handle it.”

“Huh? Why? I might not be as strong as you, but I can fight just fine!”

“These aren’t ordinary golems. They’re conceptual magic golems.”

“Conceptual magic golems?”

Seo Woojin frowned, confused.

‘Seeing is believing.’

There was no need to explain further.

I moved forward in silence.

Moments later, we reached a wide-open chamber.

Three magic golems blocked our way.

Shiiik! Shiiik!

Their bodies were made of brass.

Spiked tubes protruded from their shoulders.

Every movement released bursts of white steam.

Large and small targets were embedded all over their bodies.

As I examined those targets, Seo Woojin drew his sword.

“I’ll start off lightly.”

Tap!

Seo Woojin launched himself forward.

Like a hawk in flight, his movements were sharp and agile.

A streak of blue sword energy slashed toward a magic golem.

But strangely, his attack missed.

He had clearly struck the brass body, yet instead of slicing through, the blade simply slid off.

“Huh? What the—?”

Seo Woojin cried out in confusion.

Still, he wasn’t the rookie he once was.

Even while flustered, he quickly withdrew and swung his sword again.

The blue sword energy crackled like lightning, striking the magic golem.

Bwoooong!

The magic golem finally reacted, throwing a punch.

A dangerously close attack.

Seo Woojin barely twisted his body in time to evade.

It wasn’t a perfect dodge.

A few strands of severed hair fluttered through the air.

Tatata!

That was when I fired my gun.

Three shots from my dual pistols.

Two shots from my rifle.

One shot from my sniper rifle.

Each bullet landed on the targets marked on the golem’s body.

The moment the targets shattered, the magic golem lost power and collapsed.

“Huff, huff, huff…”

Seo Woojin staggered to my side, gasping for breath.

“Guooooo!”

“Guaaargh!”

The remaining two magic golems finally reacted and charged at us.

There was no need to drag this out.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

I fired at every visible target.

Two different pistols. A shotgun. A rifle. A sniper rifle.

Utilizing the full set of Dasan Guns.

Every time a bullet struck a target, the magic golems flinched.

And within mere seconds, they crumpled to their knees.

Seo Woojin let out a bitter laugh.

“So that’s what you meant by conceptual magic golems.”

“Now you get it?”

I approached the nearest magic golem.

[Extraction]

I used my trait for the first time in a while, pulling out a mana core.

A Level 5 mana core.

To be honest, I didn’t need to take it.

I had plenty of money.

But after years of scraping by, I had developed a habit of never leaving valuables behind.

Swoosh.

As I extracted the mana core, the magic golem vanished as if it had never existed.

“Was it an illusion?”

“Both an illusion and reality. It’s the power of the Dokkaebi. From what I know, they helped build this place.”

“That’s fascinating. You said Dasan Jeong Yakyong made this, right?”

“Yeah. King Jeongjo ordered him to.”

“I heard King Jeongjo and Dasan were really obsessed with guns. I guess that was true.”

Even in the game, these magic golems could only be damaged by the Dasan Guns.

And not just any shot would do—players had to use the right gun for the target that appeared above the golem’s head.

Because of that, this dungeon had a poor reputation among players.

It required too much effort.

I pressed forward.

I took care of every magic golem we encountered.

I collected every mana core.

Seo Woojin didn’t seem to care one way or another.

For both of us, this amount of money was just pocket change.

“We’re almost there. Woojin, I need you to do something.”

“Just say the word.”

“The next enemy is the dungeon guardian. Once we defeat it, we’re done. I’ll handle the guardian, but there’s a catch—crystals will keep falling during the fight.”

“Crystals?”

“They fire magic beams. You need to break them before they activate.”

“That sounds easy.”

“It’s not. There won’t just be one or two. They’ll drop at a rate of two or three per second. And swinging your sword alone won’t be enough. You’ll need to use sword energy at the very least.”

“…Sword energy?”

Seo Woojin’s expression twisted in disbelief.

Two or three per second?

Swinging a sword once per second was already a monstrous feat.

And now he had to release sword energy? At least two or three times per second?

I patted Seo Woojin on the back.

“I know it’s tough. But you can do it. Push your new abilities to the limit.”

“Haa… I’ll try. Just finish it as fast as possible.”

“You need to pour as much mana as possible into each attack. Otherwise, the crystals might not break.”

“Whew, got it.”

It was difficult, but possible.

Why?

Because the falling magic crystals were affected by [One-Man Army].

Especially the [Massacre] effect embedded within it.

They would take additional damage, and breaking them would restore mana.

Seo Woojin lacked confidence, but it would be more manageable than he expected.

‘It’d be great if he could awaken [Mana Soul] too.’

As the magic crystals shattered, the mana density in the air would rise dramatically.

This created the perfect environment for awakening mana-related traits.

Just like how constant battles with Dokkaebi made it easier to awaken [One-Man Army].

Finally, we arrived at the last area of the ruins.

A massive chamber.

At its center was a pile of smooth bricks stacked high.

As we approached, a magic circle engraved on the floor activated.

Bricks shot into the air with precise movements before embedding themselves into the pile.

Each brick was etched with tiny magic circles and began floating.

Gwoong, gwoooong—

The bricks interlocked.

A massive humanoid form took shape, looming over us.

From its face, a pair of burning eyes radiated magical energy.

The sheer intensity of its mana reverberated through the air.

It was on a completely different level from the golems we had encountered so far.

At least Level 7.

Seo Woojin swallowed hard.

“Sir! Be careful!”

He dashed forward.

If he got hit, it’d be over.

Using [Grand Assault], I kicked off the ground, practically soaring, and landed atop the magic golem’s head.

Its smooth crown came into view.

At its center was a circular target.

Bang!

The circular target signified a handgun marker.

I fired.

The target shattered, but the magic golem remained unaffected.

The only result was that the brick containing the target spun, revealing a different set of marks.

This time, three cross-shaped targets.

My hand brushed against my holster.

My dual pistols slipped back into their empty slots.

In their place, I drew my rifle.

I was still mid-air.

With the precision-enhancing effects of [Gunslinger], [Shoot], and [Aim], I adjusted my stance.

Then, I fired a barrage of shots.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Every bullet struck its mark.

“Guaaaargh!”

The magic golem roared.

It swung its arms wildly.

Its brick-like limbs stretched like springs, whipping toward me.

But I still had [Golden Crow’s Flight].

I abruptly changed trajectory and dove toward the ground.

Dodging the attack, I continued firing relentlessly.

Swapping between five different firearms in rapid succession.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The magic golem’s body rippled with each hit.

Its targets shattered, its bricks spun, revealing new marks again and again.

Dozens at a time.

All over its body.

Like a nuclear reactor on the brink of meltdown.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

But I couldn’t let my guard down.

Magic crystals rained down from the ceiling.

Crystals shimmering in iridescent colors.

The moment they struck the ground, they shone brilliantly and began firing beams of light.

All aimed at me.

There was no dodging or blocking these magic beams.

“Ugh…!”

I could already feel my body growing sluggish.

The magic beams had a simple yet deadly effect.

They reduced all my stats.

At first, it was barely noticeable.

But the debuffs stacked over time.

And every single magic crystal inflicted the same debuff.

If this continued?

I was doomed.

“Haaaahp!”

Seo Woojin intervened at just the right moment.

He threw himself in front of the magic beams aimed at me and slashed downward.

A sharp, blue arc of sword energy cut through the air.

The magic crystal shattered instantly, scattering fragments.

Seo Woojin turned to me and shouted.

“Sir! Leave it to me!”

Then, he dashed across the battlefield.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As the crystals fell, he moved like a blur, breaking each one before they could fire.

Every swing of his sword carried incredible force.

Just as I had expected.

He hadn’t awakened [Mutation], but even with just his mobility traits, he was handling the magic crystals well.

Whenever a stray beam managed to fire, he took it head-on, pushing through sheer grit.

As a result, the debuffs stacking on me were minimal.

That meant I could return the favor.

I danced around the magic golem, toying with it.

My hand brushed my holster again and again, switching weapons instantly.

At first, I had fired in a steady stance.

But now, I had shifted to akimbo-style shooting, wielding guns in both hands.

And not just pistols.

I wielded a rifle in my left hand, a sniper rifle in my right.

Sometimes I paired a shotgun with a pistol.

Or a shotgun with a rifle.

Impossible techniques in reality.

Completely impractical stances.

But in this world, I was different.

[Gunslinger], [Shoot], [Aim].

[Giant’s Strength], [Keen Eyes], [Sixth Sense].

Precision was handled by my traits.

Recoil? I crushed it with raw power.

Before a target even finished shifting, [Keen Eyes] and [Sixth Sense] guided me to switch weapons and fire instantly.

Meanwhile, my enchanted equipment glowed brilliantly, amplifying my performance.

With bullets pouring down like a storm—dozens per second—the magic golem’s magical aura trembled dangerously.

“Guaaaaaaargh!”

The magic golem let out a sharp, guttural cry.

I narrowed my eyes.

I knew exactly what this meant.

Already?

It had only been a few minutes since the fight began.

Claaaang!

A deafening chime.

The magic golem split apart.

Hundreds of bricks broke away and soared into the air.

A massive, layered magic circle began forming above.

“Woojin! Get out of there!”

Seo Woojin, positioned near the outer edge, could escape.

But I couldn’t.

I stood still, letting the radiance of the magic circle, the Ultimate Annihilation Beam, wash over my entire body.

“Sir!”

Seo Woojin shouted desperately.

But I simply smiled.

In the game, this beam could instantly kill even a Level 7 character.

Even though I was stronger than a Level 7, I should have died.

Yet, even after the beam swept past me, even after it erased part of the floor, my mind remained sharp and clear.

And the reason was obvious.

[Phasing].

As proof, my entire body had become translucent.

The annihilation beam hadn’t affected me in the slightest.

I didn’t go through all that effort marrying off every single Dokkaebi for nothing.

If I hadn’t ensured a full set, I would have been missing one of the Dokkaebi traits.

“Die!”

A boss that unleashes a massive skill always enters a stunned state afterward.

I threw myself forward.

Firing into the scattered bricks.

[Phasing] had a long cooldown.

If I let it fire another annihilation beam, I might actually be in trouble.

The best course of action was to end this with overwhelming firepower.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bricks trembled.

Every shot sent them bouncing into the air.

Then, more bullets struck, spinning them wildly.

They ricocheted, twirling midair, bouncing off each other.

Like a game of ping pong played with an invisible paddle.

Hundreds of bricks.

Not a single one slipping past me.

“Hah…”

Seo Woojin shook his head in disbelief.

With the boss stunned, no magic crystals were falling.

Ignoring the heat rising in my head, I kept shooting relentlessly.

Just as my breath started growing heavy, something changed.

Crackle.

A brick crumbled into dust.

And that was just the beginning.

Bricks from across the chamber, bricks that had been bouncing in front of me, bricks that had yet to move—all of them began disintegrating into fine sand.

Not just a few, but all of them.

Completely vanishing, leaving behind a single mana core.

A Level 7 mana core.

Larger than my own head.

I stuffed it into my golf bag, chuckling.

‘If I were still using my old golf bag, it wouldn’t have even fit.’

The new one was undoubtedly superior.

A gift from Seong Huiyeong, enchanted with top-tier spatial expansion magic.

It looked ordinary on the outside, but inside, it was as vast as a truck bed.

Lightweight, preservation magic applied—it was convenient in every way.

“Sir, you did it.”

“You too. You did well.”

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought.”

Seo Woojin grinned.

A while ago, he had been full of doubt. But after actually fighting, he had gained confidence.

Still… why was it taking so long?

It should have appeared by now.

And right on cue.

The remains of the magic golem, now reduced to sand, began to stir.

Slowly, they rose, taking on a new form.

“Huh?”

Seo Woojin tensed, drawing his sword.

I was different.

I holstered my weapons and crossed my arms.

Because I had been waiting for this moment.

Swish. Swish.

The shape solidified.

A middle-aged man, wearing a royal robe and sunglasses.

A pistol strapped to his arm, a Cheonbo Gun slung across his back, and a long rifle at his waist.

A figure that screamed gun enthusiast.

[Welcome, my fellow gunslingers.]

The man smiled at us.

[I am Yi San, King of Joseon.]

–TL Notes–

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