I didn’t know how many days had passed by the time I woke up. Nor did it matter in a place where time itself was heavily distorted.

Most of my injuries had healed by then and my mana had fully recovered. It was the first proper sleep I had gotten since regressing.

The camouflage artifact had apparently done its job as well and none of the dumb monsters in this forest had come looking to tear me apart in my sleep.

Taking a barrel of water out of one of my spare storage rings, I quickly washed myself before changing into one of my battle outfits, woven from the fine crimson fibers of Blood Silk. It wasn’t anything extraordinary, just durable enough to resist tearing and absorb minor damage.

Only once I was fully prepared did I step out of the cave, collecting my artifacts before leaving.

My destination for the day was already decided.

The Temple of Qualification.

The forest was divided into four territories, each ruled by a different species.

To the north, where I currently was, lived the Depraved Elves. To the south, where I had started in my previous life, were the Slimes.

The east belonged to the Shadow Wolves.

And the west...

To the Fleshpeckers.

Although the beasts were mindless and didn’t strictly remain within those territories, often wandering into the others, that was where their main settlements were located.

Back then, knowing nothing about this place, I had wandered across the entire forest, slaughtering every monster I encountered through meticulous traps, only to eventually realize they had absolutely nothing to do with escaping this place.

It took me nearly half a year of struggling through this damned forest before I finally discovered the temple hidden between two colossal cliffs at the very center of the four territories.

As I walked through the forest, my mind drifted back to my previous life, remembering just how difficult everything had been back then.

I couldn’t walk as casually as I did now, always afraid those disgusting elves would leap out of some unseen bush and make a beeline for my balls.

I couldn’t sleep either, wondering whether those seemingly harmless slimes would slowly digest me alive in my sleep... Or whether the Fleshpeckers would peck away at my body until nothing remained.

Ironically, the Shadow Wolves had been the least of my worries despite being the strongest monsters in the forest because at least they were the only things here that behaved normally.

Despite being at a much higher rank back then, this damned forest had been the first true hell I suffered after reincarnating into this world.

It was also the place that taught me just how weak and how powerless... I truly was. Pushing those old memories aside, I continued toward the temple.

Along the way, I ran into many old acquaintances.

The slimes tried to overwhelm me with sheer numbers. The Fleshpeckers circled high above, patiently waiting for me to lower my guard like vultures. The Shadow Wolves lunged from the darkness without warning.

But this time, I was prepared.

Destroy the cores of the slimes, use the meat of the elves I had slaughtered to distract the Fleshpeckers, and face the Shadow Wolves head-on, using those efficient methods, along with taking the route that led to the fewest encounters, I finally arrived at my destination by the time the sun began to set...

A barren gorge greeted my eyes, flanked by two steep cliffs on either side. Barely any monsters could be seen here because the place was simply uninhabitable.

There was no nearby water source and even the dried trees stood on the verge of crumbling but scattered across the path were a few humanoid skeletons.

The remains of those who had entered before me.

Nyxara was merely one of the many entrances to this place scattered throughout the different Rings of the Great Sea, so not all of these bones belonged to people from the First Ring.

Still...

I was certain most of them did.

The continents beyond the First Ring produced far more geniuses capable of clearing this place. Besides, the Path didn’t disappear just because someone had conquered it. Only the entrance through which they had entered vanished.

Shaking those useless thoughts from my mind, I continued forward until a massive structure came into view. It was built entirely from shimmering gold, gleaming like a sky full of stars.

A gigantic door stood at its center, tightly shut as strange runes and inscriptions danced across its surface.

Beside it stood two giants.

Both were fast asleep, each leaning on a spear longer than hundreds of men laid end to end. One was bald, with a thick orange beard braided down his chest while the other had long black hair and wore a horned helmet above a large curled mustache. Countless scars were spread across their whole body, visible through the steel armour they wore.

And they were...

The Gatekeepers of the Path.

The Ancient Giants, Grotha and Gritha.

And also the first hurdle every challenger had to get past because only they could open the door.

Ordinarily, a challenger would have no way of knowing whether the giants were hostile or not.

So I had tried to sneak past them somehow in my last life only to know that there was absolutely no way after wasting months.

Only after studying the runes carved into the door did I realize the truth that the gatekeepers had to be awakened and they weren’t hostile though waking them up was a different problem altogether.

A smirk spread across my face as I reached into one of my storage rings and pulled out a barbecue stand I had brought for this exact purpose. Next came a slab of the highest-quality mana beast meat.

Then...

A box of Absolute-Grade spices.

Because after wasting months in my previous life, I had finally discovered the best way to wake these bastards wasn’t by trying to break through their thick skin. Nor was it by setting them on fire.

Instead, it was by appealing to something they loved even more than sleep.

Food.

The moment I began roasting the meat, coating it with the Absolute-Grade spices, its rich aroma slowly spread through the air.

The noses of Grotha and Gritha twitched as the ground rumbled and the very space around me trembled...

... and the first of the ancient giants opened his eyes.