Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The road to the top is long and difficult. Often lonely too. And although the beginning of such a path was cruel, it was, as anyone would expect, lonely. It was on the way to the top that I met many people. Some of them tried to stab me in the back, more or less openly. However, many of these people stayed with me for a long time. My great power did not become the reason for my loneliness and withdrawal from the world, although it might seem so. Now, at the very end of this story, I am surrounded by happy and cheerful faces of people close to me. And I started all alone. No support. Without understanding. Without help. But to understand my current happiness, we must go back to the very beginning of my triumph. Until my fall...

Darkness... Are you afraid? I don't. She's the one who's afraid of me...

Chapter Text

The monsters' habitat is called the underground.

Those who hunt monsters are called hunters.

The lowest rank an awakened could get was rank E.

E-rank hunters weren't that different from normal humans. As people at the bottom of this social ladder, hunters did not have great strength or great skills. One E-rank hunter could deal with four strong civilians.

This was a pathetic result considering that the strongest A-rank hunters could defeat an entire unarmed army of men trained in hand-to-hand combat. And legends among hunters, those with S rank could destroy a large city. What to do against normal people?

There was such a huge gap between the E rank and the A or S rank.

E-rank hunters were weak. They did not earn much, they were the margin of this society divided into ranks, of little interest to anyone.

But if that meant being an E-rank hunter, what would it mean to be the weakest E-rank hunter?

It meant nothing less than being a laughing stock even among the weakest E-rankers.

Sung Jin-Woo was such a person. A laughing stock, a pariah and an outcast.

"The Weakest Hunter in the World" - no matter where he went, this nickname always stayed with him.

Jin-Woo's strength was not much different from that of an average person. He could barely defeat one normal person in a fight, he was as resistant to injuries as an ordinary civilian, his senses or speed were also not above the standards accepted by ordinary people.

The only thing that made it stand out was the accelerated healing of wounds and fractures. Although even this skill, normal for all hunters, was only slightly better for him than for a civilian, and definitely worse for an average E-rank hunter.

He was stuck in the middle from the very beginning.

Stronger than man, weaker than the weakest group of hunters.

Sung Jin-Woo often suffered various injuries during underground raids. Sometimes more serious, sometimes not. But most often his wounds were serious, maybe not fatal, but certainly ones that would send an ordinary person to a hospital bed for many weeks. 

The job was dangerous, others made fun of him, and to make matters worse, the pay was quite pitiful.

If it weren't for the medical attention provided to the Hunters by the Hunters Association on their "payroll", he would have surrendered his hunter's license, resigned, and lived his life like a normal person.

Unfortunately, someone like Sung Jin-Woo, at twenty-three years old and lacking any tangible job skills, was forced to remain a hunter if he wanted to pay for his mother's hospital, which ran into millions of won per month in expenses. 

Would you say he had no choice in the matter?

Why, even though he didn't want to, he simply had to take part in a rally supervised by the Association.

There were actually many reasons.

***

Hunters operating in the same area knew each other quite well.

The Association gathered non-guild-affiliated, low-ranking hunters for raids around their place of residence.

They sent them information about gates within a few kilometers of their homes.

This was how Jin-Woo was going to his next raid. There were numerous patches on his face, a reminder of the last rather sad and humiliating rally.

Apart from a slight pain in the left shoulder blade, scratches on his face were the only unhealed wounds from that unfortunate outing.

His next raid was quite close to a construction site, which was completely paralyzed due to the opening of the underground in this area.

Hunters who arrived earlier sipped coffee distributed by an Association employee and exchanged warm greetings.

- Hey, Kim! Many years!

- Oh? Baku?! What are you doing here?! I thought you gave up being a hunter.

- I'm expecting another child, so... you understand.

- What's right is right. You won't make more money anywhere than in rallies. - Mr. Kim scratched his gray-black hair.

-By the way, why do I have the impression that the Association calls us less and less often? Has the number of gates decreased or something like that?

– Where there! This is only because the Guilds are busy clearing the gates. You know that the smaller ones will not disregard any gate because they have a harder time making money.

- Well, then, since this rally is supervised by the Association, it should be safe, right?

Baku looked around as if he was nervous.

If the Guild wasn't involved today, it meant there wasn't enough profit, and if there wasn't enough profit, it could only mean that the difficulty of this particular Gate was really at its maximum.

Apparently this was the thinking shared by the other hunters, who looked around uncertainly.

Mr. Kim drank the rest of his coffee, avoiding answering his friend, but suddenly he noticed a certain person and raised his hand, smiling broadly.

- Hi Sung! How is it going?!

The other Hunters also showed their joy at discovering this young man, greeting him cheerfully.

It was none other than Sung Jin-Woo.

Jin-Woo gave a simple nod to the cheerful Mr. Kim and walked past.

After making sure Jin-Woo was out of earshot, Mr. Kim began to chuckle while speaking confidently.

- So Jin-Woo showed up. Then today will be fine too.

Baku's eyes widened and he hurriedly asked Kim.

- What do you mean? Is this Hunter Sung Jin-Woo really strong?

- Ah. Sure, you wouldn't know who he was. He's a hunter who started working shortly after you left. But every hunter here knows who this kid is.

- Is he really that strong? Wait, so why does he work for the Association? Why not for the Guild or as a freelancer?

Kim giggled some more before narrowing his eyes.

– Do you know this guy's name?

- How should I know? Come on, man. Just tell me already.

- The weakest hunter in the world.

- The weakest? Are you sure?

– Man, I'm pretty sure this kid is the weakest hunter in Korea. Unless actually in the world.

Barku frowned in confusion.

Why would the other Hunters greet Sung Jin-Woo so warmly and cheerfully if he was really that weak? After all, didn't they need someone strong to watch their backs?

Baku really couldn't understand the other Hunters' reactions.

When Baku's head tilted back and forth, Kim chuckled and elbowed him.

- Hey! Raids that Sung Jin-Woo competes in will have little difficulty as he is very weak. The Association would never trust him with heavy work, don't you understand? They would rather not want any hunter under their care to be killed.

Only then did Baku's expression brighten.

- It makes sense!

His wife was very worried about him because it was going to be his first rally in a long time. Honestly, even he was worried too. But now, as he listened to Kim's words, he felt most of his anxiety disappear

Besides, it couldn't just be Kim's opinion since so many hunters around were so happy to see this kid.

Kim continued.

- Recently, there was a rumor that he was seriously injured in a category E gate and spent a week in hospital. Can you believe it? He was in the hospital for a week because of a stupid category E gate.

- I didn't think it was possible to suffer such injuries in a category E gate. The worst thing that happened to me in such a gate was... a seriously bruised knee.

Kim laughed good-naturedly at this anecdote.

- I know. It was quite a shock for me. No one expected the hunter to be injured during the raid on Gate E, so apparently they didn't even take the Healer! Apparently that's why he ended up in the hospital.

Unable to contain himself, Baku burst out laughing loudly.

- Oh no! I never thought I would hear about something like this. He must have tried really hard to get beaten like that!

When Baku started giggling too loudly, Kim quickly shushed him.

- Stop it, guy! Mr. Sung can hear you.

- Ajajay! I did not think about it.

Baku carefully checked Jin-Woo's reactions as he continued to giggle.

Fortunately, the distance was large enough and the young man didn't seem to hear them.

Of course they were wrong.

- I can hear everything, old man.

A bitter smile appeared on Jin-Woo's face as he tried hard to ignore them. In times like today, he couldn't help but blame his extremely acute sense of hearing. Probably the only sense of his that was noticeably beyond the pathetic norm. 

He tried to pretend that some small part of him wasn't dying at their mockery.

Similar situations have happened hundreds of times. And yet it still hurt very much the same.

He seemed to have arrived too early and the raid had not yet begun.

Before he could take a good look around, a familiar red-haired girl appeared in front of his face seemingly out of nowhere.

-Ah! Jin-Woo, you're all beat up again! Why is your whole face injured?!

The young, beautiful girl using healing magic standing in front of Jin-Woo, Lee Ju-Hee, surveyed the boy in front of her with a sour expression.

- I don't know. Somehow it turned out the same. I hurt myself when I was underground.

When you entered the gate, you entered a place called "the underground". The rating of this particular underground should be D.

Normally, the task of treating wounded Hunters in the rear fell to the Healers. Since he always got injured during raids, Jin-Woo was quite well known among the lower ranking Healers.

- Is that how you ended up in the hospital? - He asked the girl with concern.

- We were in a category E underground and I got hurt... The others had higher ranks so they didn't take a medic.

- It was very selfish of them. They should think about others on the team, not just about themselves! - The girl huffed indignantly.

- It's not their fault... If I wasn't so weak... I'm used to it by now. Come on, let's go soon.

They both walked closer to the gate, standing among the waiting hunters. Song Chi-Yul was closest to the gate, with his back to it.

- You're listening! Another hunt awaits us. I may not be the best person for this, but on this expedition I would like to be in charge. Does anyone mind?

- Mr. Song, you have the highest rank here. Of course, no one minds. - Mr. Kim said calmly, crossing his arms.

- I think we can trust you, although it's been a while since I saw you in action. - Baku agreed, nodding his head.

- I agree.

- I have nothing against.

- Neither I.

- Me neither.

Seeing no objection from any hunter in the group, Mr. Song nodded.

- Okay, then we're going to the underground.

- Boy, try not to get hit too hard this time. - Mr. Kim, walking in front of him, turned to Jin-Woo.

The boy laughed awkwardly.

- I'll try.

When Mr. Kim and Ju-Hee entered the gate ahead of them, Jin-Woo pursed his lips in determination. Promising myself that I would do my best today.

***

However, as it turned out, in his case "everything" was worth as much as "nothing".

He wanted to try hard and give his hundred percent. But even that was worthless. After just twenty minutes of fighting, he was injured and fell to the ground, unable to continue.

Seeing that the healer was in trouble, Ju-Hee rushed to tend to his wounds while everyone else, not too surprised by his condition, fought the monsters.

Around him, on all sides, the sounds of weapons, the growls of monsters and the screams of hunters communicating during the fight resounded.

- Is there any reason why you can't give up raids? - Ju-Hee asked nervously, tending to his wounds and looking at him with worry in her green eyes.

Sighing, Jin-Woo replied grimly.

- Yes. But I can't tell you which one. These are... my personal matters. Sorry.

Ju-Hee pouted at his words for a while, obviously not expecting such a response.

- If you can't stop... I understand. But if it continues like this, you'll be going on raids in the afterlife.

Jin-Woo was surprised by her remark and started giggling quite loudly.

This made Ju-Hee's grumpy expression intensify.

- Hey, stop laughing! Your wounds will open!

Jin-Woo chuckled again.

- I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

As they talked, his treatment was nearing completion.

But by then it was too late. It looked like the rally was almost over.

Jin-Woo's expression hardened.

He only killed one monster today.

An E-rank creature, no less. Sung Jin-Woo began to play with the E-rank magic crystal in his hand.

The magic core of even C-rank monsters is worth about five million won. (5,000,000 WON – PLN 16,982)

The magic core of the lowest rank monster was worth less than one hundred thousand won. For something he put his life on the line for, it was pitifully small. (100,000 WON – PLN 339)

It's a shame that an E-rank Hunter like him couldn't even attempt to kill a monster as high as C.

He would die in the first ten seconds of such a fight.

Such a fight would be deadly for an ordinary E-rank hunter. Let alone someone as weak as him?

Suddenly someone shouted.

- Hi! There's another entrance here!

Nearby Hunters moved towards the person who noticed this.

- Huh? There is actually something here.

-Another path? It's weird.

Just like that Hunter said, there was a hidden entrance in the dungeon itself.

Although "hidden" may not be a good definition of a big, tall hole resembling a cave entrance

- Could this be a double dungeon? It's often called the Lair of Bane... so it really exists.

Mr. Song, who had more than ten years of experience as a Hunter, looked into the hidden entrance and gasped softly in surprise.

The inside of the hidden, cave-like passage was shrouded in darkness impossible to see. Mr. Song used his magic, summoning a small fireball into his open palm. Then he threw it with all his might into the pitch black passage.

The flame flew forward and illuminated the interior. The corridor seemed to go on forever. Soon the flame lost the momentum given to it by its creator and began to fall until it hit the ground, smoldering for a moment, then extinguished, and in front of their eyes there was only blackness.

- Attention please! Gather here! We need to discuss further. As you all know, the gate will not close until we kill all the monsters. First of all, the boss. It's very possible that the boss is much further away. Over there.

Song pointed to a hidden entrance.

The hunters exchanged significant glances and nodded. No one could disagree with that.

Mr. Song continued.

- Usually in such cases, we contact the Association and wait for guidelines, but...

Mr. Song hesitated, his face showing frustration for a moment.

- If other hunters get to the lair, we will earn less.

If the further area behind Mr. Song's back was cleared by some guild with ranks C and B, they, as hunters of ranks mainly E and D, would make some ridiculous money from it. Only Mr. Song was a C rank and Ju-Hee was a B rank healer. But the rest were the two weakest ranks.

The weakest hunters always earned less and were treated worse.

This was the ugly truth, no matter if the Association denied it, it probably would. But even among these officials there were those who looked at the weakest hunters as mere stale meat.

Bak's face hardened more than anyone else's because he needed a lot of money for his wife's pregnancy.

With what he currently had, there would be no point in risking his life to go on this raid.

- I'd like us to take care of it ourselves. – Mr. Song admitted thoughtfully and clearly unsure.

The hunters fell into deep contemplation.

The truth was that no one here could figure out the current situation, so their safety could not be guaranteed. 

However, the difficulty of this particular dungeon turned out to be very low.

That's why many hunters here decided that the hidden underground couldn't be that difficult either.

Unfortunately, many hunters here had virtually no knowledge of double dungeons.

The double underground was a phenomenon that had only appeared a few times around the world until then.

Therefore, many simply considered it a myth and knew practically nothing about it except its alleged existence.

After all, why waste time delving into a myth that hardly anyone believed?

The problem with proving the double dungeon was that an hour after killing the boss, the gate closed forever. Therefore, there was no time for any outsider to investigate the allegedly found "underground within the underground".

For this reason, there were only empty words of hunters who cleared such underground areas several times over the course of ten years.

According to those who cleared this incredibly rare dungeon, the inner dungeon may have been of a different category than the outer one hiding it. So far, apparently there have only been cases where the second dungeon was more difficult than the first one. Never the other way around.

It could have been one category harder, or even four.

That is why such dungeons were called the Lair of Doom.

Going from a Category E underground to a Category B underground was suicide for hunters.

However, most of the hunters gathered here did not know this.

Song coughed to get everyone's attention.

- This is a very difficult decision. It might be dangerous to get in there, so it's best if everyone votes. The entire seventeen-person team. No whining regardless of the result.

Others nodded after hearing Mr. Song's suggestion. No one showed any opposition.

- He votes for entry. - Mr. Song stated after a while after observing the lack of opposition from the hunters.

Song raised his hand.

And then, one by one, the other Hunters began to raise their hands.

Baku was the first to raise his hand, followed shortly by Kim and several other Hunters.

- We go there.

- I'm in favor.

- Let's fight.

Of course, there were also many who disagreed.

– It's better not to go further.

- I think it is better to wait for the Association's decision.

- Let's go back.

The two opposing camps went head to head and in the end the only people who hadn't voted yet were Ji-Hee and Jin-Woo.

- I'm sorry... But I don't think going there is a good idea. - Ju-Hee admitted

Thus, there were eight votes for and eight votes against.

Song then asked the hesitant Sung Jin-Woo.

Only he hasn't decided yet. And his vote was supposed to influence one of the sides.

Jin-Woo's fingers closed tightly around the category E magic core in his hand. His only catch today.

He felt the waiting eyes of the other hunters on him.

In fact, Jin-Woo was torn inside. Normally he would never try to take unnecessary risks. Not only did he not have the skills to do it, but he was also not brave enough.

However, Jin-Woo had a younger sister who was going to college in the coming months.

He didn't have money for it. No savings. He earned so pitifully little that he could barely pay for everything and buy food. He had nothing to save.

Currently, Jin-Woo was twenty-three years old.

He was at the age when he should have been concentrating on his studies, but he gave up on this dream because he had no money. He certainly didn't want his little sister to go through the same suffering, the same pain as him.

And she ended up like him, with no education.

Every penny was precious to him at the moment.

But... Plus, he didn't want to drag the team down again. He didn't want to be stuck again.

He had always been a burden and a disappointment to the hunters he currently went on a raid with.

He was aware that many of the hunters voting to move forward looked like they had swallowed a rotten lemon.

They already expected that Jin-Woo would chicken out and vote to leave.

After all, how else could the "world's weakest hunter" decide?

Just a coward and the laughing stock of the industry?

On the other hand, those who wanted to leave looked as if a stone had fallen from their hearts.

As if they were already sure of winning and leaving this place.

After all, every other group thought the same.

How else could someone like Jin-Woo vote?

Both of these two groups' reactions made Jin-Woo feel even worse.

He promised himself that this time he would give 100%.

Would the decision to run away be giving your all? Or a simple tuck of the tail?

Jin-Woo raised his hand high.

- I vote to move forward.

That's when he heard a soft sigh of resignation coming from his side.

Ju-Hee wasn't too happy with his decision.

Most, however, seemed surprised by his decision.

Positively or not, depending on the group.

For some reason, this realization gave Jin-Woo a lot of satisfaction.

***

The corridor stretched on forever.

Up front, Mr. Song and the other stronger hunters took the lead. Song summoned a small flame on the tip of his hand to light the way forward, thus dispelling the ever-present blackness.

“We've really come a long way, haven't we? Shouldn't we also take into account the time we need to escape from here?

Kim looked at his watch.

- We walk for about... thirty minutes.

- The gate closes completely an hour after killing the boss, so we have about half an hour left. - Baku looked around, which didn't help him much because Mr. Song's flame only illuminated a small area around them. And everywhere else was black.

- If we don't find the boss in the next twenty minutes, I suggest we just give up.

- You're probably right. If the path to the boss is longer than an hour after killing him, we will not be able to get out.

Song nodded for a moment. Getting stuck underground after closing the gate meant certain death. Without water and food, they would quickly die here.

At the very back of the group was a spot reserved for Sung Jin-Woo, who had recently been seriously injured, and Ju-Hee, who had no fighting skills.

They both walked in uncomfortable silence.

Jin-Woo scratched the back of his neck, aware of the burning feeling of guilt as he kept glancing at the worried and irritated companion next to him.

- Hey... I'm sorry.

- What for?

– You know... It's my fault we came in here.

- Hmm. It's nothing, don't worry. - The girl said bitterly.

Jin-Woo looked carefully at Ju-Hui's expression. She definitely didn't look like she thought the situation was "no big deal" at all.

Jin-Woo tilted his head, trying to better read her mood before asking her again, even more carefully than before.

- Really?

This question prompted Ju-Hee to turn her gaze to him.

When their eyes met, Jin-Woo realized what a bad question he had asked.

- Honestly? No, of course not! Have you lost your mind?! You were stabbed a second ago! One centimeter and you would have a hole in your heart! I won't even mention your wounds on your arms and legs! And those from the earlier rally! I just cured you! What made you decide to vote this way? Did you get hit in the head too?!

She spoke so fast that Jin-Woo felt like his mind was going numb from listening to her.

But he couldn't say she was wrong.

If it weren't for the presence of the outstanding B-rank Healer, Lee Ju-Hee, Jin-Woo would have been dead long ago, let alone continued his work as a hunter. It's no wonder why such high-ranking and hard-to-find Healers were so highly regarded in the halls of the Association.

Jin-Woo owed a lot to the girl next to him.

Starting with health and ending with life.

Ju-Hee was a healer-type hunter, the rarest of all hunter classes.

Not only that, she had a B rank.

The Society always asked her to heal wounded hunters whenever the Gate opened. And whenever Jin-Woo participated in a raid, she almost always participated in the raid as well, keeping an eye on him.

"Does anything hurt? Please wait a moment and I'll help you."

“Haven't I seen you before....? Are you by any chance the person from the last rally?"

"Are you hurt again?"

“Wait, don't touch. That wound looks nasty."

"You really are very unlucky."

"We run into each other quite often, don't we?"

“You said your name was Jin-Woo? So, well... How are you feeling?"

"You know, this life of a hunter doesn't suit you somehow."

"Oh... I see you again."

“Show me your arm. No, not that. I meant the second one, the one with the fracture."

In that moment, Jin-Woo felt grateful for everything she had done and firmly apologized to her for causing her trouble.

He was paying her back beautifully at that moment. Dragging her to some unknown, potentially dangerous place.

How ungrateful of him.

After a few moments of silence, when Jin-Woo's expression darkened, Ju-Hee sighed softly, seeing the depression and guilt on Jin-Woo's face.

– Are you really sorry?

- Very.

Ju-Hee fell into deep contemplation for a moment before she looked at him out of the corner of her eye and slowly curled her lips.

- If you're really sorry, maybe you could invite me out for some food to make it up to me?

Oh, well...

Jin-Woo blinked in surprise. This offer was definitely unexpected.

Offer? More like... forgiveness.

Jin-Woo looked at her with a surprised expression and saw a teasing smile etched on her face like a teenager.

The truth was that Ju-Hee was still a young girl, barely into her twenties.

Didn't she say she would be twenty-one next year?

Sometimes... Well...

She always seemed much more mature and serious than her age would assume. Maybe that's why Jin-Woo was so surprised by her slight mischievousness.

If her long hair were replaced with something shorter and her current outfit was replaced with a school uniform, she would look just like a high school student.

So similar to his younger sister.

Probably if he felt attracted to women, this image would make his face turn red.

When Jin-Woo hesitated to answer, Ju-Hee's cheeks began to swell like a balloon.

- What? Don't you want to eat with me?

- NO! Why! Of course I want to...

Their conversation was interrupted by a commotion in the group of hunters walking just ahead of them.

- Is!

- It worked!

- This must be the boss's chamber!

Jin-Woo and Ju-Hee's gazes automatically moved forward.

And they saw a huge metal door blocking the passage.

The door was navy blue with rusty silver accents and two knockers that seemed to serve as door handles.

However, the doors were so large that the knockers were at the tops of their heads, instead of at the height of their torsos.

The hunters immediately surrounded the massive door.

- What is? Why is there a door at the end of the cave?

- Are there any boss chambers with... doors?!

- Uh... I expected everything... But not the door.

- Maybe they are here because there is something very dangerous hidden behind them?

- Or very expensive.

- They look solid...

The hunters began to express their doubts and fears one by one.

Since their own lives were at stake, they had to be careful and meticulous.

However, too much caution could result in missing out on an opportunity for a large profit, which practically fell out of the sky by itself.

Mr. Song apparently thought this was one of those cases.

- Do you want to come back empty-handed after all this?

Song placed his hands on the door.

- We can be the first to penetrate these undergrounds. Those who don't want to go can come back. I'll understand. If necessary, I will go there myself.

Apparently, Mr. Song has become very determined to find out what is behind this door.

Typically, this hunter, known in the community as an old timer, was considered rather prudent and sensible.

Song was a C-rank hunter with ten years of experience.

If it weren't for his age, which is over sixty, at least medium-sized guilds would be ready to fight for him. And maybe even bigger ones too.

And when such a Hunter expressed his opinion with such confidence, the others began to feel less anxious than before.

After all, someone among them who was considered reasonable and not risking his neck unnecessarily wanted to go in there, and no one would think that this honest magician would expose them to unnecessary risks.

He just wasn't that type of person.

Several hunters began to remember rumors of double dungeons.

Everyone searched their memory for any clues on which they could base their next decisions.

- I heard there are amazing treasures hidden in the double dungeons. Apparently, when such an underground opened in Greece, hunters came back with a hell of a lot of good equipment.

- I heard that a small guild from South America got quite rich after such an underground operation. But... which country was it?

- After all, monsters in the underground always have roughly the same strength no matter where they are, so the hunt itself shouldn't be too difficult...

- Basically yes. A category D underground is a category D underground.

What if the double dungeon held incredible treasures, as rumored, and the monsters behind those doors had roughly the same difficulty as the D and E rank monsters they had been fighting so far?

The difficulty would be small and the gain would be enormous.

- After all, what could happen in a D-rank underground? Well, without exaggeration...

- Postpartum care, clothes, care items, school fees for the first child and additionally rent...

Most hunters at this point had very similar opinions. Even most of those who initially wanted to turn back seemed interested in making a big profit at an easy cost.

Jin-Woo also felt very excited at the prospect of making money.

He didn't know anything about the double underworld, or even that such a thing existed.

But everyone here unanimously talked about the large profit, the small gap between the monsters in the inner and outer underground. There were experienced hunters in the group. Mr. Sung and Mr. Kim were already old and each of them had been in this profession for over five years.

More than half the time since gates even started appearing.

If there was even a hint of danger, they would object.

But they didn't. They were both among the most eager to get in there.

He couldn't go home with one E-rank magic core. He could barely buy groceries with that core. And in a few days he will have to pay for the apartment...

He still had to earn something. At least two more E-rank cores.

Or maybe even one more.

But... He didn't even have to leave here with more cores.

If there really was treasure behind that door...

Treasures or rare loot found in the dungeon would normally be divided equally among all raid participants.

Unless, of course, it was a guild and an independent group. It was obvious that in the guild the champion and vice-champion receive a dozen or even several dozen percent more.

Depending on how strong and large the guild was.

But their group were freelancers subordinated to the Association.

It was better to put it this way than to say out loud that no guilds wanted hunters... especially those of E rank.

Dividing the loot was completely different from dividing the magic cores that you had to get yourself by killing the monster. Whoever killed the beast took the core. This was the rule among freelancers.

And even some part of the guild also had this rule, instead of accumulating everything you get in the underground.

Jin-Woo swallowed nervously.

Mr. Song pushed open the door, which looked decidedly massive, old and rough.

However, it turned out that there must have been some mechanism installed in the door, since the physical strength of the sixty-year-old man, who was a magician, was enough to open it easily.

Although the hinges still creaked and groaned as the door opened. What would you expect from an unused old door.

Now that the door was wide open, the vast, open interior was revealed. The hunters hurried inside.

Mostly forgetting to stay alert. Deceived by the possibility of great loot at an easy cost.

Jin-Woo was afraid of being left behind, so he grabbed Ju-Hee's hand and began to gently pull her inside, anxious.

Ju-Hui's face flushed slightly as she followed him without much objection.

***

As soon as the Hunters entered, flames erupted from the numerous torches tightly packed on the walls at the same time.

Interestingly, the color of these flames was blue. Fire must therefore have been undoubtedly magical.

Thanks to this, the interior became much brighter, illuminated with cold blue light.

- What the hell?! What turned on all these lights?!

- But this is big...

- Something here seems... Different.

The hunters observed their surroundings carefully. The overall atmosphere of the place was that of an ancient temple.

Not only that, an old and somewhat ruined temple, something that could be buried and hidden underground; moss and weeds appeared sporadically on the floor, walls and ceiling.

The ceiling was a large, deep dome. The dome showed the signs of time. Water stains, small cracks, as well as moss and various types of weeds.

Various stone statues lined the walls of this circular room. Up to ten meters large.

Some of them had weapons in their hands, others had instruments, books and even unlit torches. None of them were empty-handed.

The most eye-catching statue, however, was the one opposite the door. Being at least twice as big as all the others.

A statue sitting upright on some great throne. His blank stone face stared straight ahead, expressing no emotion.

Several hunters stepped back, slightly disturbed by the monumentality and cold silent atmosphere.

- It's scary here.

- It feels... weird. As if something was watching me.

- It's cold... There are so many big torches here, but they don't give any warmth.

- What do you expect? It's magic fire. He doesn't have to heat up...

Leaving the terrified and very unsure hunters behind, the four strongest of the group went deeper.

- Let's search this place and get out.

The interior was senselessly huge. It was as big as several Olympic stadiums connected together.

- It's impossible for this big stone beast to be a boss, right?

Shocked gasps came from the hunters.

The first image that appeared in Jin-Woo's mind was the Statue of Liberty in New York. If this statue sat on a chair, wouldn't it be as big as the statue of this unknown... king? Prince? God?

Most of the hunters looked at the sitting statue, as if afraid that it was about to come to life.

But the statue didn't move an inch.

Totally damn lucky.

Even Song breathed a sigh of relief.

If this thing was a boss, everyone would be dead by now.

Now that they had some freedom, the Hunters broke into groups and began searching the area.

- There isn't a single monster here.

- There must be a boss around here somewhere.

- What's up with the monsters? I don't even see any stupid bug here. No ant or spider.

- Hey... Actually, now that I look at it all, despite the dirt and dust... there are no cobwebs.

The stone statue's chamber may have been massive, but its actual internal structure was frankly poor. There were countless torches on the walls. And in front of these walls, more stone statues, taller than a man, stood straight and still.

But despite all this, the room was... terribly empty.

No visible treasure or even monsters.

- These statues are terrible, but you can't say they aren't... beautiful.

- They really are impressive.

- Like works of art.

- Great, it feels like a stupid museum. Where's the money?!

- It looks more like a pagan temple than a museum.

- A museum, a temple... What difference does it make? This place is empty!

Mr. Song sighed, scratching his jaw. Then his gaze fell to his feet.

- Isn't this... Some kind of magical seal?

It looked mysterious, and the shapes drawn in it were unlike anything he knew. It looked more like jagged, irregular blobs.

However, he was interrupted from his thoughts by an uncertain voice that addressed him from another part of the room.

- Mr. Song! Something... something is written here. Please approach.

One of the hunters discovered a statue that was different from the others.

The other hunters gathered around the statue Song was heading towards.

Initially, in the multitude of statues, when you looked around the room for the first time, you could miss this statue.

But it was obvious that he was different from everyone else.

He was not wearing armor like those figures holding weapons, nor was he wearing a toga like those others wielding instruments or books.

This stone figure was clothed from head to toe in a robe.

The statue had a pair of wings as large as herself, but folded and held close to her body, and in her hands in front of her chest was a large stone tablet. What the hunters focused on were the letters carved on this board.

- It's... a runic text.

Words that could not be found anywhere on Earth. Language not created by man.

Only found in dungeons; only hunters who had "awakened" the magic profession could decipher them.

These hunters did not learn this alphabet. They had never seen it before their eyes. And yet, the first time around, any magician looking at this inhuman alphabet could decipher it.

It was one of the many mysteries brought by gates appearing out of nowhere on earth.

- Let me take a look. - Mr. Song tilted his head up. - Commandments of the Temple of Carthenon. First, honor your master. Secondly, praise your master.

With a deeply upset expression, Jin-Woo listened to the contents of the board read by Mr. Song.

Hoping that there will be any explanations on it. The more unknown, unexpected things he noticed here, the more nervous he became for some incomprehensible reason.

However, someone suddenly pulled his arm, interrupting his listening.

When he looked back, he noticed Ju-Hui and her deathly pale complexion.

At the same time as she pointed at something in front of him, Mr. Song read the third and final commandment.

- Thirdly, witness your faith.

- Her eyes moved. She looked at us... - Ju-Hee whispered in fear.

Surprised and confused, Jin-Woo looked at the huge motionless statue sitting on the throne.

- What? You must have seen something coming.

After these words, an unexpected chill ran down Jin-Woo's spine. As if someone had poured ice water on him.

He had a strange feeling... That in this quiet and peaceful place, everything had suddenly become... still. As if time had stopped. Suddenly there was such a deadly calm that the air became colder. Although it wasn't very warm here before.

- The unfortunate people who do not fulfill the commandments will not leave the temple alive. - Mr. Song read, becoming more and more worried.

After his last words, as if something wanted to emphasize them, the door to the temple slammed shut with a loud, terrifying creaking of rusty hinges.

The door closed with such great force that the two old knockers jumped up and then fell down, hitting the door and making more noise.

The previously prevailing atmosphere of anxiety in the group turned into pure fear.

The hunter who had been the first to oppose the continued exploration of the dungeon by raising his hand and voting to return, now began spitting curses as he took large steps towards the door.

- It was a mistake to come here. Keep doing this crap, but without me. I am off. Boss, treasure and whatever else you can think of! Take it all to hell!

The hunter looked at Song with an expression of reluctance and reproach before he turned his head and placed his hands on the door, wanting to push and open it.

However, as if sensing something was wrong, Mr. Song screamed.

- Don't touch the door!

But it was too late.

The hunter's head flew up and then fell to the ground with a thud, and on the previously clean door there was a large stain of splattered scarlet blood, contrasting greatly with the navy blue paint.

The hunters began to scream and moan in terror at the sight.

The stone statue that had crushed the hunter's head with its steel club returned to its original place next to the door as if nothing important had happened, even though its body was completely covered in fresh blood.

- It's moved!

- Impossible!

- We have to fight this thing!

- Does this mean that every statue here moves?!

However, unlike the others here, Jin-Woo knew the truth.

Their troubles were just beginning.

The eyes of the great statue were on them, the healer had told him so.

If what she said was true...

A chill quickly ran down his spine.

Jin-Woo forced his stiff neck to turn around so he could look back.

- Holy crap.

The stone statue of the god was looking straight at him.

***

Jin-Woo didn't know how long their stay in this hellish place had passed.

However, only six of the seventeen hunters remained. Two of them were seriously injured.

Jin-Woo lost his left leg up to the knee and Mr. Song lost his left arm above the elbow.

The key to their survival, or at least prolonging their lives, turned out to be the commandments read by Mr. Song earlier.

The large statue sitting on the throne was not a king as Jin-Woo had wrongly assumed before the whole massacre.

He was god.

This temple had certain rules.

These rules were read by Mr. Song from the stone tablet.

First, honor your master. Secondly, praise your master. Third, witness your faith.

Thanks to Jin-Woo, they managed to learn this pattern and fulfill the first two commandments of this place.

Unfortunately, this cost many hunters their lives.

Any mistake, wrong decision or even a movement of the body could cost them their lives. They have already experienced this many times.

Finally, with one movement of his hand, the great statue of God pulled the strange altar out of the ground. Its tip was the seal that Mr. Song had been looking at before all this carnage.

They didn't know what to do now. There was no chance of outside reinforcements arriving before those statues got to them. Today has been exactly a week since this gate appeared.

And that could mean disaster. Guilds were not interested in this gate because it had a poor D rank. A guild rally would be unprofitable considering the earnings that could be obtained from a gate of this category.

The association waited unwisely until the last minute, also downplaying the matter.

However...

Each gate opened after seven days.

Then any monster from a given gate could go to their world.

The hunters' main goal was to defeat the boss of the dungeon before the seven days expired.

And if they deceive now, these terrifying stone monsters will be able to move on to Seoul.

Each of these statues was terrifyingly unrealistically strong.

This room seemed to them to be at least category B. Or maybe even A.

This meant that if these monsters appeared in Seoul, before one of the three largest guilds in the country based in the capital appeared, these dowries could kill a lot of people.

Without much choice, all six of them approached the altar, watching with their hearts on the behavior of the god's statue. However, it wasn't moving yet, which meant they weren't doing anything wrong for now.

They didn't know what to do now. There was no chance of outside reinforcements arriving before those statues got to them. Today has been exactly a week since this gate appeared.

And that could mean disaster. Guilds were not interested in this gate because it had a poor D rank. A guild rally would be unprofitable considering the earnings that could be obtained from a gate of this category.

The association waited unwisely until the last minute, also downplaying the matter.

However...

Each gate opened after seven days.

Then any monster from a given gate could go to their world.

The hunters' main goal was to defeat the boss of the dungeon before the seven days expired.

And if they deceive now, these terrifying stone monsters will be able to move on to Seoul.

Each of these statues was terrifyingly unrealistically strong.

This room seemed to them to be at least category B. Or maybe even A.

This meant that if these monsters appeared in Seoul, before one of the three largest guilds in the country based in the capital appeared, these dowries could kill a lot of people.

Without much choice, all six of them approached the altar, watching with their hearts on the behavior of the god's statue. However, it wasn't moving yet, which meant they weren't doing anything wrong for now.

As the six of them approached the altar, small flames ignited around it. There were six of them.

There were as many hunters at the altar.

These flames were the usual color.

Then many more blue flames appeared in a larger circle around them. The same color as on the walls. Jin-Woo hurriedly counted their number. There were exactly 36 of them.

The next thing was the door opening. They simply burst open on their own as both types of flames appeared around them.

While everyone took their eyes off the stone statues and stared at the door in disbelief, the statues began to move again.

At first, none of the six knew why the statues started moving like that.

Only when Jin-Woo looked from one side did the statues stop, as if reacting to his gaze.

Surprised, he looked in another direction and realized that the statues on that side had stopped, and on the other side he was no longer looking at, they were moving again.

The statues started walking towards them when they weren't looking at them.

Each of the six hunters looked at the door at the same time when it suddenly opened. That's why the statues moved on them.

Jin-Woo shouted to the others not to take their eyes off the statues. They had to watch them all the time.

Suddenly the blue flames began to disappear. One after the other. At similar intervals.

Jin-Woo, still looking at the statues, raised his wrist, looking at his watch out of the corner of his eye.

One blue flame went out at an interval of one minute.

It was quite likely that one of the main points of the third law was to remain in the altar until all 36 blue flames were extinguished.

In other words, as long as everyone keeps a close eye on the statues, they will be safe. It's quite possible that no one had to die on this last task.

Wanting to get a more accurate estimate of the remaining time, Jin-Woo began counting the number of blue flames again.

There are still thirty left.

They only had to last thirty more minutes!

Unfortunately, Jin-Woo made a huge mistake just then.

As he counted the number of blue flames, his eyes briefly left the statues he was about to observe.

They started moving again.

The man standing on the opposite side saw this and screamed and ran towards the door without looking back. He just couldn't stand it anymore, mentally, what was happening.

As soon as he left the altar, one of the red flames disappeared.

Jin-Woo shouted after the man.

However, he ran like crazy and escaped through the open door, unstoppable by any of the statues.

- What the hell?! This guy just made it out alive?!

Kim screamed, upset.

Jin-Woo had his back to the door, so he couldn't tell what was going on.

- Has anything changed? - The boy asked urgently.

- The door closed a little.

- Are closing?!

- NO? NO. After the guy left, the door closed a little, but only slightly.

Jin-Woo remembered that one of the red flames disappeared as soon as the man left the altar.

He immediately felt cold in his heart.

One of the questions he had been unable to answer until now, as he stood atop that altar, finally found an answer.

How can standing at an altar be a sign of piety?

Indeed, he now had the answer to this dilemma.

***

After a few more minutes, the hunter unknown to Jin-Woo also couldn't stand it anymore and ran away.

Another red flame went out.

There are four hunters and four flames left.

Front, back, left and right.

To secure all four directions, the minimum necessary was four people.

Jin-Woo, Ju-Hee, Mr. Song and finally Mr. Kim. A single person leaving now would result in a gap in vision.

Kim wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked hurriedly.

- Sung, what the hell is going on here now?

- All we have to do is stand and look at the statues. Until all the blue flames are gone. The blue flames are a timer. We will be free when they are all gone.

Jin-Woo gasped out everything he had deduced so far while clenching his teeth.

The now throbbing, burning pain in his severed leg wasn't making it easy for him to think.

The stump was no longer bleeding thanks to Ju-Hee's medical attention, but it still hurt and the wound was still large and open.

Kim nodded as his ears perked up.

The laws of this chamber have always left the path open to survival. The final law would not deviate from this. It couldn't, it would destroy all previous rules.

Jin-Woo was sure that no one else would have to die as long as the remaining people trusted each other.

It's a pity that Kim's thoughts were completely different than those of the younger hunter.

- Hey, boy... you might be right. But won't the door close completely once these flames disappear?

Jin-Woo couldn't answer this question.

- No... I'm not sure. The third commandment was the testimony of faith... So, we must believe, I guess...

He came to a conclusion after considering several variables, but until the result came in, he couldn't be 100% sure of anything.

But what Kim wanted was a clear assurance. Instead of the uncertain promise of everyone's survival, the definitive survival of his own self ultimately proved much more appealing.

Man was a selfish creature. Mainly focused on meeting your needs and ensuring your own survival.

And although there were individuals ready to make sacrifices and great deeds, they did not stand up to the majority of their species.

Many were worried about themselves first and foremost.

- Honestly, I never thought someone as weak as you could be so helpful. I always looked down on you. I never expected anything from you even when you joined us. Many people died today. But those who survived owe it only to you. All because you were able to solve the puzzles. I owe my life to you too. Thank you. However...

Behind him, Jin-Woo heard the clang of a falling sword and a sniffle.

He already had a bad feeling about Mr. Kim's next words and actions.

- Panie Kim Sang-shik

- However... I also have a family. I don't want to die here. I don't want to die... Sorry. I can't stay here any longer.

With these parting words, Kim walked down the aisle. He then ignored Jin-Woo's desperate calls and ran towards the door. He stopped and looked behind him for a moment.

Although there was pain in his eyes, he did not retreat into the chamber. He turned and started running.

Jin-Woo gritted his teeth. Feeling tears leaking from his eyes.

Thanked him?

It's funny.

His escape...

It was the seal of their death.

He saved the lives of others, but what he received in return was definitely not something like gratitude. Maybe a disgusting substitute for it.

His whole body trembled with the pain of betrayal, but also with physical pain.

As he suspected, as soon as Kim abandoned them, a loophole was created. Three people couldn't guard in all four directions.

The statues placed in blind spots began to move closer to the altar.

Slowly, step by step, they inexorably reduced the distance between them and the hunters.

There was no other way.

All three could have died...

Or just himself.

His voice was full of resignation and pain.

- You have to run away from here.

Mr. Song's eyes widened.

- Kim was right, I brought us here. If anyone has to be left behind, it's me. The door will not close as long as there is at least one person at the altar.

- What are you saying?!

- You two have your whole life ahead of you, run away.

Jin-Woo... He didn't like this idea. He... couldn't live knowing he left someone to die. Mr. Song was a good man. Reasonable, kind and respectful to everyone.

Even to someone as useless as him.

Before Jin-Woo could start arguing with him, a groan and the sound of falling to the ground caught their attention.

Ju-Hee fell down in surprise, as if her legs had suddenly turned to cotton wool.

The girl tried to get up, but her efforts were apparently ineffective because tears began to appear in the corners of her eyes.

- My... My legs... I can't move!

Both Jin-Woo and Mister Song's expressions hardened in an instant.

Ju-Hee's current physical condition looked terrible even at first glance. Her lips were a pale shade of gray and were also dry and cracked, while her whole body was still shaking uncontrollably, as if someone was plugging her in every now and then.

She suffered from the side effects of overusing her mana to the limit, not only was her body itself on the verge of exhaustion from the constant running, dodging and kneeling, but the drying out of all the mana made her condition worse.

In such circumstances, without medical assistance, he will lose consciousness in a few minutes.

And her condition was his fault.

If she hadn't tried to heal his leg, it wouldn't have been in such a terrible condition.

The guilt hit him like an ice-cold shower.

His incompetence was dragging someone down again.

As always.

But he had no time to think. While they were talking, the statues had already come to a dangerous distance.

Jin-Woo spoke with a determined look on his face.

- Sir, you should take Ju-Hee out of here.

- I said I would stay.

- I lost my leg. I can't help Ju-Hee. We can't all just die here!

It was impossible for him to take Ju-Hee, who couldn't even stand properly, and get out the door at the allotted time. He couldn't stand on his own and was supporting his own weight. Not to mention someone else's.

Even if that burden was a slim girl younger than him.

Her body was now mostly limp. The limp body always felt heavier than normal.

There was another choice, abandoning Ju-Hee. However, Ju-Hee had already saved his life several times, and the only reason she was in this state was because she was trying her hardest to help him.

Additionally, it was his voice that decided to enter here.

This was all partly his fault.

He definitely didn't want to feel guilty about abandoning such a person in this God-forsaken place.

- We don't have time anymore. Please go!

Song's expression remained hard as he helped Ju-Hee up. She shook her head desperately as tears streamed down her face.

- NO! Jin-Woo... I prefer to stay here..!

- I promised I'd buy you dinner, right?

Jin-Woo took out an E-rank magic crystal from his pocket and placed it in her hand.

- Help yourself. I'll claim my share later.

A smile formed on Jin-Woo's face, prompting Ju-Hee to scream in anger.

- This is not the time for jokes.

At this point, Jin-Woo nodded to Mr. Song. The older man then lightly punched Ju-Hee on the back of the neck. Easily knocking her unconscious.

With such depletion of mana, body and psyche, she would no longer remain conscious for long.

After this, Ju-Hee lost consciousness. Song picked up the unconscious girl and placed her on his shoulder.

- I'm really sorry. - Mr. Song admitted.

Mr. Song bowed his head to Jin-Woo.

- Me too. But I'm glad you managed to escape.

After saying goodbye, Song quickly left the altar.

While the three were talking, the statues came within a stone's throw of them.

Jin-Woo knelt down and took a few deep breaths.

He noticed the sword Kim had left next to him. So he reached out and picked it up.

If he was going to die here, he would just take one monster with him.

When he looked back, Jin-Woo saw that Mr. Song was safely walking out the door with an unconscious Ju-Hee slung over his good arm.

What a relief that was.

Only he will die here. No one more.

He didn't do it because of some hidden nobility of his, wanting to heroically sacrifice himself for others.

His decision was well calculated.

Even if he survived and got out of here today, he would have to live as a cripple for the rest of his life.

Of course, being a hunter would then be impossible. And it was also doubtful whether he would be able to live a normal life either. He was only a high school graduate, and since he had no discernible job skills, he simply didn't have many opportunities to put food on the table.

It would only be an even bigger burden.

He wouldn't be able to pay for his sister's studies or his mother's hospitalization.

Not as an unemployed cripple.

If his little sister dies here, he will get quite good compensation.

His sister was young, but if she had money, she would manage somehow.

She was not a person who stupidly spent money left and right.

Since their father left, they both had to learn to save. And when their mother became ill, money problems worsened.

That's why she knew how much their absence hurts and how disastrous wasting them can be.

From what I knew, the compensation paid to family members of fallen hunters was quite large.

Three or four hundred million won (PLN 1,023,308 – 300,000,000 WON or PLN 1,364,411 – 400,000,000 WON)

It was a huge amount of money for the worthless life of an E-rank Hunter who was useless.

Finally the statues arrived.

The first to arrive climbed the altar. Jin-Woo glared at him and raised his sword.

The pain was blurring his judgment, and his vision was already darkening from blood loss and exhaustion. But he wasn't going to give up now.

Unfortunately, the expected attack did not come from the front, but from the rear.

A long spear pierced Jin-Woo's back and exited from his chest.

Jin-Woo took a painful breath, spitting out a lot of blood that stained his chin, neck and already ruined sweatshirt.

An unimaginable amount of pain came like a tsunami.

The stone statue raised its spear. Jin-Woo was lifted into the air, still pierced by that spear. However, he only struggled for a short while - as the statue threw him onto the altar.

He could hear the unpleasant, disgusting cracking of his own bones in his ears.

He instinctively doubled over in pain, which only made it worse.

As he began to shake, stone statues slowly surrounded him. They formed a circle around him. Jin-Woo raised his head and looked at them, barely conscious.

In his eyes, these statues were just increasingly blurry spots.

He didn't want to die so much.

Now, with his final moments ahead of him, tears came to his eyes again.

He remembered the faces of his family. He even remembered Ju-Hee's face, her face full of worry and concern for his safety.

He lived only twenty-four years. Was it supposed to end so miserably?

How can this be okay?

What kind of gratitude is this?

He was fed up with these constant betrayals!

He had a family too...!

He wanted to see her again too.

Didn't that count?

Was he really happy that he was the only one who would die here?

Will he deceive himself even in the last moments of his life?

No one will miss him except his sister.

But did that mean his life really had less value?

According to whom?

The stone statue wielding a sword took a step closer without a hint of emotion. Then she raised her sword high.

Even though he was shaking badly, Jin-Woo didn't look away from that son of a bitch.

Although he won't be a coward in the last seconds of his life.

Finally the statue's sword slashed.

If... He... Had... Just... One More... Chance.

Jin-Woo's eyes opened wider.

But suddenly something happened.

He heard a strange sound from an unidentified place.

As if someone was running some application on the computer.

When this sound echoed around him, the statue froze motionless with its sword raised up.

But now, to Jin-Woo's eyes, she was just a large blob of a barely recognizable shape.

As if someone had pressed the pause button, the terrifyingly fast-moving sword suddenly stopped in mid-air.

NO...

He didn't stop at all.

He... Slowed down?!

The vague shape of the sword continued to move.

But very slowly.

Even though the sword was still falling, it would take even a minute to reach it.

What... just happened?

It was then that a woman's voice he didn't know and had never heard before rang in his head.

ALARM

[YOU HAVE MEETED THE ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE HIDDEN QUEST "COURAGE OF THE WEAK"]

Co?

What was that?

Secret mission? Conditions?

Were... were they dreams?

But if so, why... like this?

Jin-Woo couldn't understand it.

- From where...? - Jin-Woo croaked with the last of his strength. However, the word was so distorted that no one would likely understand it.

The voice ignored the attempted question.

[YOU HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO BECOME A PLAYER. DO YOU AGREE?]

Did he get the right?

Right?

For what?

He grew up in poverty since childhood, so until now he has never refused freebies. However, this was a story from when he was still alive. What was the use of free stuff when he was dead?

When Jin-Woo hesitated and didn't answer, the voice in his head asked again, as if to encourage him.

[YOU HAVE NO TIME TO THINK.]

[IF YOU REJECT THE OFFER, YOUR HEART WILL STOP 0.02 SECONDS AFTER YOU MAKE YOUR DECISION. DO YOU WANT TO BECOME A PLAYER?]

[YES NO]

He couldn't tell if he was hallucinating or not, but he still knew he was just moments away from dying for good. He finally saw countless other weapons pointed at him besides that damn sword.

He had no time to think. But even if he had... his brain was already practically shut down.

He didn't agree.

He actually acted on instinct.

It was suggested so he said yes.

Or rather he thought. Because he no longer had the strength to even open his mouth. Let alone say anything.

ALARM

[HELLO, PLAYER]

Chapter Text

He suddenly opened his eyes, feeling threatened.

Then he jumped up and looked around in fear.

His surroundings were... a hospital room?

He felt the smell of detergents irritate his nose, and with a delay he also felt the feeling of a hard mattress beneath him.

Was he in hospital?

Since meeting B-rank healer Ju-Hee, his frequency of visits to hospital rooms had decreased somewhat, but hospitals were still a familiar place to Jin-Woo, as was the local grocery store.

So much so that he even heard a rumor that a special place was reserved for him in the hospital that accommodates hunters from the association.

Jin-Woo lifted his upper body. He then placed his hand on his chest and felt the blows coming from there.

His heart was beating without any problem.

It wasn't just that.

His body felt so light and... easy to move.

No matter how stupid it sounds.

Every time he woke up from the hospital bed, he felt heavy and tired.

He was often in pain, and once even high on painkillers.

But now it was a different story.

Now he felt as if he had woken up in his own bed after a good night's sleep.

What...?

This did not make sense.

Before he lost consciousness... he was on the verge of death.

His bones were broken, his chest was pierced by a spear, and...

He quickly uncovered the covers, looking with disbelief, relief and growing happiness at his two intact legs.

The sword fell on his head right before his eyes.

His leg was cut off. And because of this... Ju-Hee has exhausted all her mana.

So how come?

Even if he was lucky and the sword missed, he was still surrounded by countless terrifying enemies. Those damn things were strong enough to give an assault team made up entirely of A-rank hunters - no, S-rank hunters, a real beating.

And yet here he was.

He, an E-rank hunter.

Alive.

This all definitely happened. He couldn't dream.

These memories were real.

Memories full of blood, screams and pain.

Or was he wrong after all?

-Are you finally awake?

Jin-Woo was startled by the heavy male baritone voice coming from the corner of the hospital room and hurriedly turned his head to look in that direction.

Two tall men dressed in black suits entered through the door of his hospital room.

It's been a long time since he had such dissonance when looking at anyone.

On the one hand, the man who entered the room first was sinfully handsome.

He had dark blond hair combed back, apart from one small strand that fell gently on his forehead, his eyes were dark brown and his face clearly indicated that he could earn millions with it by posing for photos.

On the other hand, he looked as tired and tense as if he hadn't slept in two weeks. His suit, although well-fitted and impeccably clean, showed signs of creases and wrinkles. And there were dark circles under those pretty eyes.

The second man, looking slightly less tired, closed the door to the room and stood behind his companion.

- Who are you?

The tired man who had spoken earlier handed him a business card.

- Sorry for the intrusion.

Jin-Woo took the man's business card and read what was written on it.

— Woo Jin-Chul, Chief Inspector of the Hunter Monitoring Department. Association.

The Monitoring Department was the only department in the Hunters Association with many strong Hunters on its payroll. Well, since this department was tasked with managing the Hunters in the country, it was obvious that they would hire many high-class Hunters to facilitate this goal.

- What could the Monitoring Department want from me? - Jin-Woo asked carefully.

Woo Jin-Chul moved the chair closer to the bed and sat down.

Hell, this guy even sat with grace and attractiveness. He was definitely impressive.

But he definitely needed to sleep.

The other man, who must have been his subordinate, stood behind him.

The unspoken pressure emanating from two guys looking down in close proximity was quite intense.

However, the story they told was quite surprising.

- I was unconscious for four days?! What happened to Ju-Hee and Mr. Song Chi-Yu. They are safe.

The man nodded with a reassuring expression.

- They're in no danger. Song Chi-Yul lost his arm and will probably have to give up being a hunter and retire. Le Ju-Hee is still under surveillance and the entire incident has left her severely traumatized. It is not certain whether he will be able to return to work. As for the other hunters...

- NO. - Jin-Woo interrupted him. - I just wanted to know about these two. Thank you for the information.

If the man was surprised by his lack of concern for the other survivors, he didn't show it.

In general, his tired, handsome face was a mask of polite calm and professionalism.

- Six people managed to survive. Massacres like this are rare even in such a dangerous profession. Maybe you remember what happened before you lost consciousness?

- Yes, I remember. - Jin-Woo admitted grimly.

Jin-Woo told them everything truthfully, apart from the strange hallucinatory words he heard before he lost consciousness.

It must have been the blood loss.

- And then you passed out, didn't you?

- The next thing I remember was waking up right here.

Woo Jin-Chul and his subordinate exchanged significant glances. For some reason, they seemed perplexed by Jin-Woo's lack of knowledge.

In fact, Jin-Woo was the one who wanted to know the most about what happened at that temple.

- When the inspectors and members of the White Tiger guild arrived at the scene. There was no trace of the monsters. We only found you. No hall, no statues or any other clues.

The White Tiger Guild was the second largest Guild in Korea. The Association saw the danger, so it turned to such a huge Guild as the White Tiger Guild for help. Which would make sense and be quite reasonable.

But...

What happened there?

Jin-Woo swallowed nervously, feeling his throat constrict with nerves.

- It was hard for us to believe what we saw there. If the survivors' testimonies had differed in even one place, or if we had not found all the bodies, we would probably consider a different scenario.

Woo Jin-Chul pursed his lips into a thin line.

It had been six years since he got his "A" rank and started working in the Monitoring Division. He could confidently say that he had experienced almost everything during his career. But this situation was new and a real puzzle to him.

Despite being twenty-seven years old, he had no idea how to reasonably explain the situation.

He asked other Guilds as well as Associations in other countries, but the end result was not satisfactory.

Woo Jin-Chul opened his mouth, choosing his next words carefully.

They had to consider all the possibilities. Even if the odds were low, they had to confirm them all.

- There was no doubt that there were powerful creatures in this chamber. But none of them made it out of the gate. It is also not known exactly who killed them... This is just our theory. But we believe that you have received a second awakening.

Woo Jin-Chul carefully studied Jin-Woo's reactions as he continued.

Another awakening!

Jin-Woo's eyes opened wide.

Although extremely rare, there have been cases of a human increasing his abilities as a Hunter by undergoing a second awakening.

Originally, when the Hunter rank was assigned at the beginning, it changed terribly rarely.

However, there were a few who underwent the process of second awakening.

After waking up again, it happened that a C-rank hunter went straight to A rank. Or even from B rank straight to S. To the very top.

- You can check. - Jin-Woo said after a while, suppressing all hope.

He has always been a useless E-rank hunter, and he doesn't want to get his hopes up unnecessarily. He knows his strength. And nothing has changed in this respect.

- But I think you guys are wasting your time.

***

When the disappointed agents left his hospital room, Jin-Woo suddenly saw... words?

Additionally, he heard a female voice reading these words, which seemed familiar to him...

He looked up without thinking and then saw the "words" floating in the air.

MESSAGE

YOU HAVE AN UNREAD MESSAGE

He closed his eyes tightly, only to open them again after a moment.

MESSAGE

YOU HAVE AN UNREAD MESSAGE

The words floated there without any change. He shook his head hard a few times and even rubbed his eyes, but they were still there.

Jin-Woo rubbed his aching forehead and lowered his head

Could something in his head really be broken?

After all, there was a condition called PTSD. People who have been through a huge accident or traumatic event have usually suffered from this condition.

Just a few days ago, he had witnessed the death of many of his comrades, not to mention almost dying himself, so it wouldn't be that strange to hear or see unusual things as a possible side effect.

However, there were a few things that prevented him from accepting this explanation.

Jin-Woo's gaze fell on the leg - the leg that had been cut in half by the stone statue's shield, and yet it was now intact, intact, and not even a scratch on it.

That strange female voice.

And those words floating on nothing before his eyes.

There was a chance that all of these things weren't isolated events, but were related. As his thoughts arrived here, his aching head seemed a little clearer.

He needed to think about all this calmly.

However, before he could think about it any longer, his younger sister in a school uniform burst into his hospital room.

- He'll murder you! - Jin-Ah announced furiously, storming into the room. - I told you to stop hurting yourself! You have no idea how worried I was.

The girl attacked her brother and began to beat him furiously with her fists.

- Sorry. I didn't want you to worry again. - The boy said sadly, thinking about what his sister would feel if he really died.

For a long time they only had each other. Four years to be precise.

She would probably cry so much.

Had he really never thought of this before?

His... the money she would get after his death wouldn't solve the problem of her loneliness if something happened to him.

Eventually, the power behind Jin-Aha's punches gradually disappeared. She soon stopped, and when her head went down, she began to cry. Jin-Woo slowly patted his sobbing sister's back.

Feeling a burning sense of guilt.

He was glad he was alive and that his sister didn't have to go through the pain of losing him.

He had experienced a hellish terrifying nightmare. And he was so happy that he got out of it in one piece.

Jin-Woo's gaze moved slightly towards the words floating in the air.

MESSAGE

YOU HAVE AN UNREAD MESSAGE

Although it's possible he didn't fully wake up from this nightmare.

There were so many things he couldn't understand.

Fortunately, his strong sister stopped crying after a while. Unfortunately for him, however, her nagging continued for over an hour.

- Can you hear me? If you get hurt again, I will quit school, get a job, and make sure you never work as a Hunter again.

Jin-Ah's fierce gaze didn't match her pretty face, but it was a biological trait she shared with her older brother.

- All right, all right. I heard you.

Jin-Woo nodded as if he had given up.

Only after gaining his assurance several times did she show a hint of satisfaction and get up from her seat.

- I have to go back to school, I only got permission to visit you for a short time.

Jin-Woo nodded.

His sister was very committed to her studies. There were university entrance exams next year and she wanted to do them as well as she could. That's why she didn't want to miss class.

She may never have received private tutoring or taken extracurricular activities, but she has always been in the top ten in her school so far.

Jin-Ah dreamed of becoming a doctor.

Until a few years ago, she loved wasting her time on video games and things like that, but then when their mother got sick, she vowed to become a doctor and since then, she never stopped learning.

Jin-Woo really wanted his sister to fulfill her dream.

Wait a minute... play video games?

Suddenly, Jin-Woo's eyes flashed a little dangerously.

In the temple...

What exactly happened when he heard that woman's voice?

He became... a player, didn't he?

But how exactly did he agree to become a player?

No... he remembered what happened then.

Did he do anything specific?

He said?

No... I guess he couldn't speak. He didn't have the strength for it anymore.

How did he agree?!

He nodded?

No, he was too sore and broken to move.

He didn't seem to do anything important.

He just... agreed.

He wanted to.

But this uncertain knowledge will not help him understand how to open this strange message the letters were talking about.

Unless...

It doesn't cost him anything to try it.

Looking stubbornly at the letters he saw in the air, Jin-Woo wished for the message to open. He even tried to say "Open" quietly in his head just to be sure.

To his surprise, the letters responded to his request.

MESSAGE

HELLO [PLAYER] (UNREAD)

A NEW TASK HAS BEEN RECEIVED

[TODAY'S TASK: THE ROAD TOWARD POWER]

(UNREAD)

He thought the first message sounded familiar, like he'd heard it somewhere before.

So first message.

CONGRATULATIONS ON BECOME A "PLAYER" (UNREAD)

[THE SYSTEM WILL HELP THE "PLAYER" BECOME STRONGER.]

[IF "THE PLAYER DOES NOT FOLLOW THE SYSTEM'S INSTRUCTIONS, THEY MAY RECEIVE A PENALTY.]

ALARM

[YOU RECEIVED YOUR REWARDS]

Before passing out underground, he was called a player.

Of course then, and even now, he still couldn't really understand what was going on here and what it all meant.

"System", "punishments", "rewards".

It all sounded very mysterious without context.

How will it help him become stronger?

And what will she reward him with?

Seeing words that could only be found in a video game appear before his eyes without any prior explanation or context confused him even more.

MESSAGE

NEW TASK RECEIVED [TODAY'S TASK: THE ROAD TO POWER] (UNREAD)

Jin-Woo sighed in admiration after reading this rather suggestive title. His heart began to beat faster in anticipation.

- Choose. - After this quiet mutter under his breath, the screen changed showing some pure statistics.

DETAILS ABOUT THE TASK

TODAY'S TASK: THE ROAD TOWARD POWER

THE

[UNCOMPLETE] PUSH-UPS [0/100]

[UNCOMPLETE] CUMBS [0/100]

[INCOMPLETE] SQUATS [0/100]

[INCOMPLETE] RUN [0/10KM]

WARNING - FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE TASK WILL RESULT IN RECEIVING A HUGE PENALTY.

Jin-Woo reflexively spat out a stunned chuckle after confirming the content of the message.

- What is this supposed to be? Is this some kind of bad joke?

Was what he felt now disappointment?

Probably.

He didn't need to get nervous seeing all those strange windows in front of his face.

“The Road to Power sounded pretty badass.

 And now this strange System is telling him to do sit-ups?

Come on, I'm begging you. It sounded idiotic.

It doesn't matter how hard the hunter practices and trains. It was impossible to increase one's strength in this way. You couldn't jump between ranks.

The only such possibility was the Second Awakening, of which he had been unreasonably suspected a few hours ago.

Was this what this development and reward was talking about?

Maybe his tired, desperate mind wanted to help him become stronger at all costs? And he really had hallucinations seeing these windows in front of him.

How desperately did he want to get stronger just to see this stupid hallucination?

While it was fun, he also felt a little lonely inside.

And humiliated.

Jin-Woo shook his head, feeling even worse than before.

He suddenly thought he was a fool for finding answers to so many questions in fucking hallucinations.

Now that he thought about it, it was a good thing he hadn't admitted seeing these things to the inspector: "I'm too hot for this shit and I need a few fucking hours of sleep."

He wasn't going to bother with this humiliating nonsense any longer.

Jin-Woo lay down on the bed with his legs spread. He stared at the ceiling without saying a word.

He wasn't doing anything important, but time passed.

As soon as he began to feel the weight of silence filling his hospital room...

Jin-Woo abruptly lifted his torso from the bed.

What if something could change after doing these exercises?

As his thoughts were half filled with uncertain anticipation and half with unconvinced curiosity, he began to wonder if he should at least try.

Well, he had nothing to lose anyway.

There would be no reason not to try it if it was just a light muscle stretching workout or something, right?

Jin-Woo closed the mailbox without regret.

A hunter can't just get stronger. If it were like this, there would only be B, A and S rank hunters walking around the world.

Jin-Woo yawned long and covered himself with the blanket, lying down comfortably. 

He slept for four days. But he wanted to sleep some more.

He had nothing else to do here anyway.

Maybe these strange hallucinations and voices will go away once he sleeps.

His eyelids slowly closed. And Jin-Woo fell into a deep sleep.

The hours passed, his sleep continued, and the hands on the small clock drawn under the "Road to Power" task began to change.

The needles spun and spun until it read 23:59:57.

58, 59, 60....

The needles stopped exactly when they touched 12:00.

ALARM

YOU HAVE NOT COMPLETED YOUR TASK FOR TODAY. FOR A SPECIFIC TIME YOU WILL BE TRANSPORTED TO THE CRIMINAL JOURNAL

Jin-Woo opened his eyes when strange tremors shook his body and the entire bed. 

Jin-Woo sat up and grabbed the edges of the bed, terrified. The shaking was so strong that he couldn't keep his balance and everything in the room, not only the bed, began to jump and tremble restlessly.

As the seconds passed, the shaking became more and more aggressive, and the boy wondered if Seoul had been hit by some terrible earthquake.

Suddenly, to his disbelief and shock, he saw the furniture and objects in the room begin to turn to dust.

One of the steel bars of the hospital bed began to turn into dust before his eyes, followed by the rest of the metal structure.

Upon closer inspection, Jin-Woo realized that what the objects were turning into was not ash. And sand.

Eventually, Jin-Woo was thrown off the remains of the bed. He was jumping all over the hospital room and screaming. 

Finally, as he was being thrown helplessly from wall to wall, he felt something soft under his hands.

Fine grains of sand.

The damned earthquake has stopped.

Jin-Woo raised his head hurriedly and couldn't believe his eyes. 

There was sand all around him.

Sand and open space. No trace of the hospital windows or walls.

There was an orange sky above his head and sand beneath him.

And the temperature was definitely not like the room temperature anymore.

It was now closer to the temperature of some hot African country.

Jin-Woo frowned and stood up. All the sand that was in his clothes fell to the ground. He dusted off the sand caked on his chest, looking around.

Sand, sand and sand everywhere.

He wasn't an expert, but the place looked like a desert to him.

It didn't even look like it so much as it was it.

But this couldn't just happen! 

Just a few moments ago, he was sleeping on a bed in one of the hospitals in Seoul. And now, when he opened his eyes, he was... here.

Jin-Woo scooped up a handful of sand and ran it through his fingers. The fine grains fell straight to the ground.

The falling sand was not blown by any wind. Mainly because there clearly wasn't one here.

No bushes, trees or buildings. 

When he looked up in the dark orange sky, there was no sun, no moon, or even any star. Nothing.

Where was this strange place?

Before he could even get up and take a step in either direction, the sandy ground next to him collapsed, creating a deep sinkhole.

Jin-Woo desperately ran away to avoid being dragged there. The sinkhole became wider and wider until Jin-Woo was forced to crawl on all fours to avoid falling into the ever-expanding hole.

He sat on his butt, panting heavily and staring at the bottom of the pit. Quite strangely, he saw the sand "boiling" at the bottom.

The realization that just one mistake would cause him to fall into that strangely boiling sand below made him shiver.

Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

But why would sand behave like this anyway?

As he looked closer, he noticed 'something' quite large moving down there.

Jin-Woo instinctively forced himself to stand up. He had a really bad feeling now.

Sure enough, when Jin-Woo took a step back, the sand below suddenly exploded upwards.

Meanwhile, Jin-Woo's eyes became extremely round.

- Centipede?

The nasty, large creature that jumped out of the sand did indeed resemble a centipede. Even if she probably wasn't.

The last time Jin-Woo saw a centipede, it wasn't several times his size.

When it fully revealed itself, the damn thing's head was almost as high as a five-story building.

Jin-Woo swallowed anxiously.

However, the size and appearance of the hideous beast were not the only things that surprised him.

There were some letters floating above the monster's head.

Just like before his eyes.

This time, however, it was not written in a semi-transparent frame and they were a different color.

Was he dreaming again?

Jin-Woo closed and reopened his eyes, but nothing changed. Even now, four red words floated on top of the monster's head.

Just like some game monster.

GIANT POISONOUS SAND CENTIPED

Much like its terrifying and bizarre appearance, its name was also something he would like to avoid at all costs. What caught his attention the most were two adjectives. "Giant" and "venomous".

And although it was impossible to deny her greatness, the information that she was also poisonous did not comfort him at all. Or even the opposite.

As if to confirm his thoughts, he noticed a pair of child-sized fangs sticking out just under the monster's jaw. It didn't take a genius to figure out what might happen if he got stabbed by those fangs.

The beast looked at him for now. As if wondering what it would taste like.

As if it wasn't strange enough, a strange computer sound, already familiar to him, rang in his head and he heard a female voice reading the message that appeared before his eyes.

TASK DETAILS

[PUNISHMENT TASK: SURVIVE]

THE PURPOSE:

SURVIVE UNTIL THE ALLOWED TIME IS EXPIRED.

PENALTY DURATION: 4 HOURS

REMAINING: 3 HOURS 59 MINUTES 48 SECONDS

Well, no joke.

However, as soon as the "time remaining" changed to 3 hours, 59 minutes and 47 seconds, the centipede rushed towards him as if it couldn't wait any longer.

Jin-Woo turned around hurriedly and ran for his life.

There was no time to think.

About why he came here.

What sadistic joker sent him here.

Or how he'll get out of here.

If he wanted to live, he had to run away!

That was the only thought running through his head at the moment.

However, before he could take a few steps, another pillar of sand exploded into the air not far from his position.

Jin-Woo fell on his back, swept away by the massive wave caused by this sand explosion. He rolled across the sandy ground before quickly standing up. He wiped the sand from his face before his eyes opened even wider.

This time it wasn't just one or two of them.

Before he even noticed it, the same seven monsters were sticking out of the sand and all looking at him.

And neither of them was happy to see him.

For what sins?

***

REMAINING: 0 HOURS 0 MINUTES 6 SECONDS

5,4,3,2,1,0

Jin-Woo reappeared in the hospital room exactly four hours later.

Just as the message promised.

Jin-Woo fell to the floor and gasped painfully.

And that was the wonderful state of health he enjoyed after waking up in the hospital.

Everything hurt now. Especially the leg. He had sand in places he would rather not tell anyone about.

He was covered in sweat and covered in sand.

 And he was so short of breath that he could barely breathe.

His mouth was full of that rough, gritty taste. His eyes were also burning badly, as if particles of sand had gotten into them.

Lots of sand particles.

Yes, about two dump trucks.

Jin-Woo moaned for a long time before he fell helplessly onto his back. He no longer had the strength to lift even a finger.

Jin-Woo was still breathing heavily as the new message appeared in front of him. 

As if nothing had happened.

As if mocking him for being such a disbeliever.

ALARM

[YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE PUNISHMENT TASK.]

Jin-Woo's expression turned into something ugly. 

Penalty task?

Did he do something worthy of punishment? 

Jin-Woo carefully replayed his memories until he remembered the unfortunate task he chose to ignore.

Is that what all the fuss was about?

Or rather, so much risking his life!

About stupid squats?

When he thought about it for a moment, he vaguely remembered a line of text that mentioned a punishment if he failed to complete the task.

It wasn't a hallucination.

And.

Oh my.

He... really became... 'The Player'?

It's hard to assume that the last four hours just seemed like it to him.

The fatigue and pain he felt now were definitely real.

Indeed, it was neither a hallucination nor a dream.

Everything really happened. 

He almost died there.

Again.

The so-called punishment turned out to be throwing him into the place of execution!

At the same time, another ominous feeling appeared in his mind. If this event was indeed caused by "Today's Task", then it would undoubtedly not be the last time.

Sure enough, he heard another mechanical beep in his head, as if to mock his aching misery once again.

He flinched in surprise, but luckily it wasn't another mission or anything like that. 

MESSAGE

[YOU RECEIVED A REWARD FOR COMPLETING THE PUNISHMENT TASK]

[YOU WANT TO TAKE HER]

[YES NO]

Awards?

He saw the word reward.

And although any reward for those four hours was welcome, he didn't necessarily have the strength to worry about it at the moment.

His situation simply didn't allow it. 

The reward, unless it was a trip to another tropically dangerous place, could wait.

At first he felt like fainting a little.

His vision gradually blurred. 

Eventually, Jin-Woo's brain gave out and hard reset, and he fell to the floor. 

Chapter Text

It was not strange that in the nurses' station, during breaks or preparations for their shifts, nurses talked about patients currently staying in the hospital.

They shared their observations, warned each other if one of the patients seemed pushy or threatening, or shared some funny anecdotes that happened that particular day during their shift.

It was no different today when two young women were talking in the office, sitting on a small sofa with tea in their hands.

- You know that young hunter. Sung Jin Woo?

- Ah yes. I know him, I noticed that he runs every day even though he woke up from a coma a few days ago.

- What did the doctor say?

- He only said that hunters regenerate faster than ordinary people. - The woman shrugged. - Light exercise won't hurt him.

The second nurse accidentally looked out the window just as the hunter in question ran in front of him.

- Look, he's running even now.

- As long as he doesn't strain himself, he'll be fine.

- Hmm, how long has he been running like this?

***

It had been exactly four days since he woke up from his coma.

He had enough time, and unpleasant experiences with large sand centipedes, to convince himself that these strange messages appearing before his eyes were not just an illusion or a product of his damaged mind.

He discovered that these daily tasks were always the same. And they didn't bother him as much as he initially thought they would.

Instead of going to some deadly place and fighting who knows what, this whole system just told him to practice.

His body may suffer a bit. Better than coming close to death again.

ALARM

[RUN] COMPLETED [10/10KM]

Out of breath, Jin-Woo stopped, resting his hands on his bent knees, breathing heavily with his mouth open as he felt a bead of sweat trickle down the side of his nose.

No one else saw this message or any other message of this type.

What irritated him the most was the damn ten-kilometer route he had to run every day. Not a kilometer, not five. But as many as ten. This run was definitely the most tiring. And the first day after running this route, he thought that he would either die or his lungs would burst out of his nose, not wanting to work with his body anymore.

When he more or less got himself together, he moved to the nearest empty bench to sit down.

Once he did this, he looked at the next window that appeared in front of his face.

TASK REWARDS

FULL LIST OF AWARDS

REWARD 1# STRENGTH REGENERATION

REWARD 2# STAT POINTS +3

REWARD 3# RANDOM BOX +1

YOU ACCEPT

[YES NO]

The first reward after completing this task was always like a nice refreshment after the whole ordeal.

A spell that can get rid of fatigue after physical exercise. It made him feel like he hadn't exercised at all.

He was surrounded by a soft green-golden light that, of course, no one but him could see, and after a while he felt as if he had just got out of bed.

No soreness, muscle pain or lethargy.

Then there were points and a box with items. With points, he could increase any of his stats.

Since the System made him a "player", he had his statistics shown in the status window just like in the game.

He opened them now, looking at them.

STATUS

NAME: SUNG JIN-WOO

PROFESSION: NONE

TITLE: NONE

LEVEL: 1

FATIGUE: 0

HP: 100

MP: 10

STRENGTH: 16

DEXTERITY: 10

SENSES: 10

VITALITY: 10

INTELLIGENCE: 10

AVAILABLE POINTS: 3

As soon as he saw his stats for the first time, he didn't feel surprised. He had 1 level and 10 points for each skill. Which was obvious considering the fact that he was the weakest E-rank hunter. So he wasn't surprised by such low statistics.

Of course, he became more and more powerful as his stats increased. However, he did not know yet that his statistics would increase by any amount when he reached the next level.

He hoped that he would get some additional points to his statistics. Even if you can't allocate them at your own discretion, points have already been allocated to certain attributes.

As long as he has the opportunity to level up at all. He wasn't sure about that.

And he still remembered that there was no way hunters could jump between ranks. They couldn't get stronger.

So maybe his level will remain at level 1 all the time.

But even if that was the case, he wasn't going to complain. Just getting 3 stat points every day was great.

He would become stronger each day - compared to yesterday, he would be stronger today; compared to today, tomorrow he would be stronger again.

He didn't even think about climbing to the S or A ranks. Even the thought of getting to the C or D ranks like the Hunters he worked with would surely be ridiculous.

Then this dream would become truly unreal.

So far, he has already increased his strength by six points. He felt most confident in giving points to strength. After all, he was a warrior, and they mostly relied on her for their games.

He wasn't sure about Intelligence and Senses.

Investing in them did not seem profitable at the very beginning. He associated dexterity with assassins. Later, maybe he will start giving points in vitality, which probably meant the number of life points.

Not only the status windows were taken straight from some game.

He also discovered a hiding place and equipment.

He was controlled by some strange force... An Anomaly.

I guess that's how this whole "system" could be described.

After all, hunters probably didn't have the skills he acquired.

Although could the system be called skills?

Was this system some unknown Second Awakening that no other hunter had ever experienced?

He could only guess.

***

Jin-Woo walked to the hospital reception desk, where a young nurse was sitting, typing something into a computer.

- Can I go out today?

- I don't see any contraindications. May I know why?

- I have some things to do in town. - Jin-Woo admitted evasively, hoping the nurse wouldn't press further.

It would be difficult to explain to her what she wanted to do.

He gave the receptionist a nice smile and then left through the main entrance.

Standing in front of the large hospital building, Jin-Woo dug into his pocket and after a moment of searching, he pulled out a small gold key.

Be gold plated. He didn't know anything about it, and to tell you the truth, the alloy it was made of didn't matter at all.

[ITEM: UNDERGROUND KEY]

ITEM RANK: E

KEY TYPE

THE KEY ALLOWS YOU TO CREATE A TEMPORARY UNDERGROUND. YOU CAN USE IT AT HAPJUNG THIRD STATION.

Jin-Woo watched the key for a long time before putting it back in his pocket.

It's high time to check this little guy out.

He found this key in one of the random boxes he received as rewards for daily tasks.

Whether it was called "temporary" or not, the underground was the underground.

 Besides, aren't all undergrounds "temporary" in some way?

Finally, once the boss is killed, the gate disappears forever.

When it came to the underground, he had many painful memories there.

During this tragedy a week ago, he managed to survive only because he was not alone. Even though he was then abandoned to death anyway.

As he remembered Mr. Kim's words, something stirred in his heart.

But if he used this key to enter the underworld, it meant that he had to enter it all alone. 

He thought for a long time before making a decision.

On the other hand, maybe there won't be any problems if he just takes a look. He could always escape. After entering the underground, in most cases you could always turn back because the gate was able to let the hunters out without first clearing the underground.

He had been running 10 kilometers every day for the past few days, so he was pretty sure he would escape.

***

The key fell apart in his hand and he moved his fingers in surprise, as if expecting to still feel it in his hand.

He passed through a beam of energy quite similar to the gate that formed at the entrance of Hapjung Station.

As soon as he passed through this "temporary" gate, he heard a sound and a familiar female voice in his head.

WARNING

[YOU HAVE ENTERED THE UNDERGROUND]

Surprised, Jin-Woo turned around, feeling as if the temporary gate he had entered was getting darker.

To his disbelief and horror, the entrance closed, changing its structure from magical energy to something... like a crystal wall.

Jin-Woo could see the streets outside, but when he placed his hand on the entrance, it turned out to be hard and impassable.

Jin-Woo hit the obstacle with his fist and shouted, but the people walking on the street on the other side paid no attention to him. As if not seeing or hearing him.

His shock became even greater when a young boy passed him, staring at his phone, and as if nothing had happened, he walked out of the station and into the street.

As if the entrance wasn't blocked by a suddenly appearing wall.

Was he in some other dimension?

The only gates he knew that did not allow you to return to the normal world before killing the boss were the red gates.

But this barrier was not red. Additionally, red gates have always been very dangerous. But the description of the key indicated that these undergrounds were category E.

This was definitely not how it was supposed to be.

He won't be able to escape now if something goes wrong.

He placed his hands on the wall and started pushing against the wall, hoping that it would do something.

Whatever.

And he actually gave.

However, not the effect Jin-Woo expected.

ALARM

[YOU CANNOT LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND UNTIL YOU KILL THE BOSS OR USE THE RETURN CRYSTAL.]

Defeat the boss?!

Did the system wish him so much harm?

He saved him only to kill him here?!

After all, he had trouble killing one E-rank monster. Even a boss from the underground category meant a final and very painful end for him.

He was supposed to single-handedly clear the entire underground and defeat the boss.

It was unreal.

He looked down the stairs where it was definitely darker than it should have been at the station.

Sniffing, he grimaced at the smell of mud and rotting meat.

What an abomination

He definitely didn't want to go down there.

But he couldn't stand here forever.

Finding a side passage and escaping from here was probably out of the question.

The system probably wouldn't have left such an emergency gate since the message clearly stated that he had to kill the boss or use all the crystal he definitely didn't have with him.

Grimacing, Jin-Woo began to descend with no other options.

Maybe somewhere along the way he will get lucky and find a return crystal thanks to which he will be able to escape from here.

As it turned out, the interior of the station looked... bad.

Like a jungle. Tufts of dark grass grew between the tiles, which were cracked here and there. Most of the lamps on the ceiling were cracked, torn or otherwise damaged, so they did not work and the station was much darker than its normal counterpart. The walls were mossy and covered with vines, and there was a stench of mud, swamp, and rotten meat everywhere.

With each step he took, he felt less and less confident, even though he hadn't encountered any monsters yet.

Peace and silence did not give him a sense of comfort at all, he knew that in the darkness surrounding him, illuminated only here and there by single working lamps, there could be very hungry and angry monsters lurking.

It turned out after a few more minutes that he wasn't mistaken when from the darkness to his left he heard a quite loud growl and saw two red glowing eyes.

Then he saw the whole beast as it came out of the darkness.

It was a huge red wolf with a terrifyingly sharp and strange metal lower jaw.

He barely dodged when the monster snapped its large, half-metal jaw a few centimeters from his body.

Above its head, just like during the punishment task and encountering the sand centipedes, Jin-Woo saw the red name of the monster hanging in the air.

[STEEL-JAWED RAIKAN]

He had trouble defeating one goblin. And now he had to face something like this?!

What was such a monster doing here if it was supposed to be a category E underground?!

Clearly irritated by its victim's dodging, the monster made a circle and turned its mouth towards Jin-Woo again, growling menacingly.

Jin-Woo managed to dodge again, but while doing so, he felt his hand accidentally brush against the monster's red fur.

This time it was even closer to getting hurt than the first time.

This time, without waiting any longer, the wolf lunged once more.

The third time, with no way to dodge sideways with the wall next to him, Jin-Woo was forced to dodge backwards, which was much more difficult.

However, miraculously, his body worked without his help and the boy jumped behind him, landing upside down on one arm and then bouncing on it again, jumping up and landing even further on his feet and making another jump that ended with him landing on the bent legs. hands with back to the wall.

Far from the monster hungry for his blood.

Still upside down on his bent arms, Jin-Woo looked, clearly surprised, at the wolf starting its charge.

Without much choice, Jin-Woo pushed himself off the ground with his hands and jumped over the monster, shocked at how easy it was.

His body... became so light!

As if it weighed nothing on its own.

Was this due to his increased strength?

Initially, his strength was 10, the same as all other stats. But now his strength was 19. That's almost twice as strong.

Seeing that the wolf was charging towards him again with its mouth open, Jin-Woo clenched his fist and struck the metal underside of its mouth.

The effect of this hit was even better than he expected.

The monster flew into the window of one of the small shops located in this place, which are now mostly ruins.

He hoped that his blow would distract the monster, but instead it sent it flying back a meter and a half!

It was amazing.

Nevertheless, this blow was not enough to kill the monster, which after a while brushed itself off and jumped out of the store without looking very hurt.

The monster was still stronger than him.

Jin-Woo thought he could wait two more days to enter here and add another six points to his strength.

But now he won't go back on his mistake.

Seeing that the wolf was getting closer again, Jin-Woo hit it again in the metal part of its mouth. Trying to do it with even more force than before.

However, this attack was of little use. This time the monster was ready for it and its head snapped up, but it still stayed on its four legs.

Even this wolf, which was probably not a great threat to the average hunter, was deadly dangerous to him.

Go to hell!

He dodged again, this time sliding sideways quite painfully on the dirty cracked floor.

Now, however, Raikan's barks had reached him.

There were three, fortunately, not deep wounds left on his arm after being grazed by his teeth.

He felt that he was in a losing position.

Team, equipment, medic. He had nothing!

How could he defeat him then?!

He only had his body as a weapon!

One sec.

Weapon?!

Yeah!

When he was checking the system's capabilities in the hospital, he opened the inventory and, to his disbelief, one slot was occupied.

Through the sword icon.

He didn't check what it was exactly then, but now he needed it right away!

He called for his equipment and pulled out an ordinary long sword.

It's possible that it was something like a starting weapon that the system gave him.

In MMO RPG games, you always start with some of the worst weapons.

So maybe the system did the same.

Seeing the monster's next attack coming, Jin-Woo raised his sword and slashed with it as hard and as precisely as he could.

ALARM

YOU DEFEATED [STEEL-JAWED RAIKAN]

ALARM

YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL!

Seeing the second message, Jin-Woo's eyes became round with disbelief.

- Yes! - He shouted out loud, not thinking much about his dangerous surroundings.

This was the confirmation he was looking for!

Not only did he earn stat points for the daily task, but he could even increase his damn level!

He felt like he was going to start crying and screaming with happiness.

He could get stronger!

It will no longer be a pity for E! rank hunters.

Even if there was a level limit and he could get up to 10 levels, it would still be great!

He could get stronger! He could exceed impossible limits.

This news was unimaginably wonderful!

Groaning stupidly, Jin-Woo looked first at the remains of the wolf that had been attacking him for a while, and then at the blood-stained blade of the sword he was holding.

This sword looked... familiar.

Frowning, Jin-Woo took a closer look at the weapon.

And then, as if answering his silent question, the system showed him a window describing this sword.

And then Jin-Woo had an epiphany.

[ITEM: KIM SANG-SHIK'S STEEL SWORD]

TYPE: SWORD

+10 ATTACK.

And.

Yeah.

He had this sword in his hands before passing out in the Lair of Doom.

This sword belonged to Mr. Kim.

From what Jin-Woo remembered, Mr. Kim bought it for 3 million won. (3,000,000 WON – 10,241 PLN)

Dear.

Even though it was obvious that he was from the lowest level.

Personally, he couldn't even afford to hold this sword. Not to mention buying it.

Before he could check his status, he heard another growl behind him.

And then he realized that he had screamed very stupidly at almost the top of his lungs.

This sound probably lured more monsters to him.

Well... that was very smart of him.

This time two wolves came to him.

Well, two is definitely worse than one, but better than the whole herd that might have been lured by his noise.

Both monsters bared their fangs and quickly began to close the distance between them.

When he was about to pick up the sword, he realized his next stupid mistake.

He must have unintentionally swung it too hard and after killing Raikan, the sword got stuck quite deep in the floor.

At that moment the Wolf jumped at him with a furious, somewhat mechanical growl.

Jin-Woo ducked at the right moment and Raikan flew over his head, landing a meter behind him.

As his fangs sank into the stone floor, cracks immediately began to form in the hard surface.

Steeljaw didn't come out of nowhere.

This gave him some time to pull the sword with both hands, thanks to which it finally freed itself from the ground.

And that was the moment the second Raikan chose to attack.

With the sword in his hands, Jin-Woo swung it at the monster attacking him from the front.

To his surprise, Raikan caught the blade in its mouth and did not want to let go.

Remembering that he had another wolf behind his back that could attack his neck at any moment, Jin-Woo released one hand from the sword and punched Raikan in the stomach, knowing that hitting the metal lower jaw might not be very effective.

The monster howled, let go of the sword and flew high into the air, hitting the ceiling.

Jin-Woo's eyes opened very wide and he stared at his own fist in amazement.

And.

It was a surprising but nice experience.

Remembering that Jin-Woo had another opponent, he quickly turned around with his sword at the ready.

The wolf in front of him began to whine, folded his ears and tucked his tail.

Apparently, seeing his companion's quick defeat, he understood that he would not be able to cope on his own.

These Raikans were clearly not so stupidly bloodthirsty as to risk their lives in such a stupid way.

The wolf started to retreat and then unexpectedly gave him a wide berth and ran out of the darkness.

Seeing that his surroundings were moderately safe for now, Jin-Woo opened the status window.

STATUS

NAME: SUNG JIN-WOO

PROFESSION: NONE

TITLE: NONE

LEVEL: 2

FATIGUE: 0

HP: 205

MP: 22

STRENGTH: 20

DEXTERITY: 11

SENSES: 11

VITALITY: 11

INTELLIGENCE: 11

AVAILABLE POINTS: 0

PASSIVE SKILLS

-(NIENZANE) (LV. MAX.)

- MUSCULATURE (LV. 1)

ACTIVE SKILLS

-SPRINT (LV. 1)

Yes! He really moved up.

This increased all of his stats by 1 point.

Now he had confirmation that the daily quest was not the only way to increase stats.

As one of the rewards for a daily task, he received 3 points to distribute as he saw fit. For his level, he received one point for each statistic. The sum of these points was 5.

In the video game, low-level characters were able to level up quickly.

Only later will the problems begin. When he gets stronger, he will need stronger opponents and more time to level up.

But he will leave these worries for later.

He wondered what effect raising his stats by one point had on his body.

After a moment of reflection, he decided that such an influence probably depended on the number of points he already had in a given attribute.

When he increased his strength by 1 for the first time, he was already 1/10 stronger than before. It was the same with other statistics now. When he then increased the strength by 5, it increased by half.

This meant quite a significant impact. But one additional point, when it has, for example, a hundred of them, will be a small drop and will have a much smaller impact.

At least that's what peasant common sense concluded

If he wanted to get stronger, as strong as he could, he had to pull himself together. Leveling will probably bring very nice results. But if it gains more than one or two levels.

To raise his level he apparently had to kill monsters.

And so...

Where did that mangy bastard go?

He wasn't naive enough to think that the damn monster would give up.

It is very possible that he will return to it with his friends.

And one level up did not make him the master of the world.

These wolves were still almost as dangerous as they had been during his first encounter here.

He had to be careful.

Closing the status window, Jin-Woo walked over to one of the two slain wolves. He crouched over it and then realized that these monsters were not like those in normal dungeons.

As long as the underground can be called normal.

There were no magic cores after these monsters.

Until now, he thought that every monster had a core.

If a monster was very powerful, its core was also very powerful. Or it happened that such a monster gave more than one core.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the main goal of most Hunters during raids was to obtain magic cores.

Jin-Woo was a Hunter. Walking away from the hunt empty-handed left him feeling disappointed. Just to be on the safe side, he cut open the belly of one of the wolves, but found nothing.

So he probably won't make any money here. But he needed money.

These dungeons were created by this whole pseudo-game system. So monsters are also his creation.

When Jin-Woo wiped his hands and was ready to move on, he noticed that something... was shining in the monster's mouth.

Jin-Woo opened his dead opponent's jaws.

One of Raikan's teeth glowed with an unnatural light. As he reached for it, a message appeared.

[ITEM: RAIKAN FANG]

ITEM CLASS: NONE

TYPE: LAUGHTER

RAIKAN'S LARGE AND SHARP FANG. YOU CAN KEEP IT IN YOUR STORE OR SELL IT IN THE STORE.

Store?

This is something new.

The system was... confusing to say the least.

Usually in games there was a tutorial at the very beginning explaining everything the player needed to know.

But the system didn't explain much.

On the other hand, this system allows you to do something impossible - increase your strength.

He was quite a gift, so Jin-Woo could bear all these understatements more easily.

Just as he expected

When he called the store, another window appeared before his eyes.

STORE

[BUY] [SELL]

Wanting to check the store's offer, Jin-Woo was curious and chose buy.

ALARM

YOUR LEVEL IS TOO LOW TO MAKE PURCHASES IN THE STORE.

The system was obviously not very kind.

Used to rejection, Jin-Woo shrugged and looked at the other function.

DO YOU WANT TO SELL [ITEM: RAIKAN FANG]?

[SELL] [CANCEL]

With the sound of falling coins, his inventory opened. At the bottom of the inventory screen, the section labeled "Gold" now displayed 20 instead of 0 as it had been a while ago.

So he got all this gold. But he had no idea whether it was a lot or a little. He didn't know the conversion rate of this gold into won or the prices in stores.

Mainly because the system was stubborn and did not want to show him the store's offers.

But he sincerely doubted that a tusk from any random E-trash monster in the underground would be worth much.

He had to move on. He had to defeat the boss to get out of here.

Unless he manages to find the return crystal first. He had no food or water supplies, so he couldn't delay and stay here for long.

But even if it was a low-level dungeon, he won't be able to deal with the boss on his own.

At least not yet. If only he had taken at least a few more levels.

Then his chances will definitely increase, just a little.

As he stretched to relax his muscles, he heard a familiar growl behind him.

Hastily turning around, he saw a group of wolves.

It seemed that the monster that escaped had brought some friends to help him, just as Jin-Woo assumed.

The group consisted of about twenty individuals. Give or take two for accuracy.

The group was large.

They could easily overwhelm and tear him apart with their numbers.

On the other hand, he looked at his experience points.

As the entire swarm rushed towards him, Jin-Woo tightened his grip on the hilt.

And then he cut.

Left, then right. He dodged the snap of his fangs.

He stabbed the approaching Raikan, who managed to dodge.

Red bodies, cut and smeared with blood, fell one by one at his feet. But still, Jin-Woo didn't slow down.

One, two, three kills. It wasn't enough. Each of these wolves was dangerous and each of them could kill him if Jin-Woo made even one mistake.

If he died, he wouldn't be able to protect those he cares about.

He will lose everything.

He was fed up with constant losses.

ALARM

YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL

He couldn't walk around with his head down all his life and pretend it was raining while someone was spitting at him.

If it would make him stronger. He was willing to follow all these rules.

Put up with all these understatements.

Since the system gives him opportunities, he was not going to give them up.

ALARM

YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL

When this group was dead, he went on looking for more of these wolves.

Now he didn't feel like he usually did during rallies.

He didn't feel like a victim.

He finally felt like a hunter.

ALARM

YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL

As expected, its level rose quickly. After clearing the entire first floor of Raikans, Jin-Woo's level increased to seven.

Quite a big jump, up to five levels.

ALARM

YOU GOT [TITLE: WOLF SLAYER]

Title?

He remembered that in his statistics he had a section describing "title". However, it was empty.

At least until now.

Sitting down against the least dirty wall, Jin-Woo opened his status window and checked this whole title.

[Title: Wolf Slayer]

A TITLE GIVEN TO A HUNTER EXPERT IN FIGHTING WOLVES. YOU RECEIVE 40% MORE EXPERIENCE FOR DEFEATING BEAST-LIKE MONSTERS.

40% wasn't low at all, and although the title was only useful when fighting beasts, Jin-Woo honestly didn't think he would encounter anything other than beasts in this particular dungeon.

That 40% would make it easier for him to level up at least in this dungeon. Maybe he could even get one or two more than if he didn't have the title.

Unfortunately, however, the rest of the loot was rather disappointing.

34 fangs. Two handy daggers, a traveling cloak.

And.

And the crystal of return.

Okay. Maybe not as disappointing as he had just thought.

Daggers can become helpful if the sword is completely destroyed.

Jin-Woo looked at the bloody, cracked blade of the sword.

Each weapon had a certain durability, so such a quick failure of this weak sword did not surprise him at all.

Even these high-level weapons deteriorated after some time. However, if properly cared for, it could last for several years. And this sword was already looking bad halfway through the first raid.

He remembered when he once bought a dagger for over fifty thousand won. (50,000 WON – 170 PLN)

After purchasing the monster weapons, he did much better. However, it broke very easily during the boss fight.

He acquired three E-class crystals that day. The weapon didn't even pay off for him and he never bought it again.

He decided to use his own body as a weapon.

But it wasn't easy.

So if this sword got destroyed now. Jin-Woo could use the daggers he acquired.

But... If he had the return crystal now, should he even go further?

He was torn.

He knew that even now he probably had no chance against the boss.

On the other hand, he didn't know what would happen to the underground after using the crystal.

If it disappears, which is very likely as this place was created by the system for a specific purpose, then Jin-Woo will lose the ability to increase his strength.

Or at least in a relatively controlled way.

Who knew if he would be able to find another E-rank dungeon like this. After all, he only got here thanks to a key he got from a random box.

He wasn't sure whether ordinary dungeons and ordinary monsters would give him points and raise his level.

He didn't know how this system worked.

To be honest, he didn't want to turn back.

If this was his old self, he would have run away without a second thought. After all, it was the only way he survived many raids with his zero skills. Others called it a miracle, but he knew it was due to his clever moves.

He sighed deeply while putting the return crystal back into his inventory.

It's time for him to face the danger. He put the turning stone back in his pocket.

His steps on the stairs were light and springy.

***

ALARM

YOU'VE LEVELED IT!

ALARM

YOU'VE LEVELED IT!

Each time he hit a new level, fighting monsters became a little easier.

Unlike regular dungeons, the system dungeon had a respawn timer for enemies within it. The monsters on the first floor spawned while he dealt with the monsters on the second floor, and then the monsters on the second floor spawned while he dealt with the monsters on the first floor.

To be honest, it was a pretty cool patent.

Jin-Woo paced back and forth between the first and second floors until his level stopped rising.

He didn't know when he would get another chance like this, so he wanted to make the most of it.

Not only by their rebirth, but also by their behavior they did not give the impression of living creatures.

They fought like opponents in games. They performed pre-programmed attacks.

Once he knew their behavior patterns quite well, he could predict their attacks.

Monkey from above.

Cat from the side.

Wolf from behind.

The second wolf was right behind him.

[YOU DEFEATED SHADOW RAZAN]

[YOU DEFEATED THE SABER-TOOTH BRIG]

[YOU DEFEATED SHADOW RAZAN]

[YOU DEFEATED STEEL-JAWED RAIKAN]

As the next opponents fell, Jin-Woo looked at their titles floating above them even in death.

[STEEL-JAWED RAIKAN]

Now the names of the monsters he knew were no longer red but white.

From what he has observed, the color of their name changes depending on the threat they pose.

White means low, orange means dangerous and red means very dangerous.

Jin-Woo opened the status window, looking carefully at his level.

STATUS

NAME: SUNG JIN-WOO

PROFESSION: NONE

TITLE: THE WOLF SLAYER

LEVEL: 15

FATIGUE: 30

HP: 1105

MP: 22

STRENGTH: 45

DEXTERITY: 24

SENSES: 24

VITALITY: 24

INTELLIGENCE: 24

AVAILABLE POINTS: 0

He became much stronger than before. Considering the fact that initially each of his stats was 10 and now it is over 20, he has become at least twice as strong.

However, even in his current state, he wasn't sure he could handle this player on the third floor.

Even though the path to the third floor was wide open, there was a reason he spent so much time between the first and second floors.

He looked at the stairs leading down, pursing his lips.

At one point it got so dark on the stairs that he couldn't see anything.

He felt a dangerous cold coming from that place.

As his statistics increased, including his sense statistics, he felt the danger emanating from this floor more and more.

Additionally, his sword was already in really bad condition. There were more cracks, there was a small dent on one side of the blade, not to mention a lot of blood on it.

A large amount of dried blood probably does not have a good effect on the sharpness of the weapon.

A small amount of anxiety was good for maintaining the highest level of readiness. His current anxiety was not yet a fear that was bothering him.

Holding the sword in his hands, Jin-Woo slowly walked down the stairs.

Although the visibility on this floor was even worse than on the previous two, Jin-Woo had a strange feeling as if he couldn't see much worse on it.

Walking carefully down, he came across platforms with trains stopping next to them. But next to the platforms, instead of the tracks on which the trains ran, there was a huge mass of black water.

Very smelly black water is worth adding.

This place definitely looked like a full-fledged swamp.

There were even more vines, moss and grass around him than on the previous two floors.

Before Jin-Woo could get anywhere, a long dark shape emerged from said murky water.

It was so fast in the background that for a few seconds after it appeared it was just a blurry shape.

At the last moment, he managed to block the blow coming towards him.

A blow with a tentacle?

Or... tail.

The force of the blow was so great that Jin-Woo fell backwards, hitting the wall.

When he regained consciousness after the blow, he noticed that his sword had broken.

After the boss's first blow, the sword broke.

Bloody hell!

He expected that the boss fighting sword might not withstand.

But he didn't expect that it would fall apart after the first blow.

He wrongly thought that gaining a dozen or so levels would help, but the name of this abomination was still red in front of him.

[LORD OF THE WETLANDS, NAVY BLUE VENOMIOUS RASAKA]

The snake was actually navy blue. Additionally, it was very long, probably about ten meters long. Its terrifying eyes glowed yellow in the darkness, and its forked tongue kept tasting the air as it slipped out of its mouth.

Without waiting for anything, the snake rushed at Jin-Woo, opening its mouth in which two large curved venomous fangs gleamed like swords.

A cracked sword cannot pierce these shiny navy blue scales. Considering the strength of the boss's first hit, fists won't be of much use either.

Jin-Woo had to attack quickly and with great force, without trying to break through these terrible defenses, because it would be futile anyway.

As Rasaka lunged towards him, Jin-Woo quickly twisted his body to avoid the attack. At the same time, he maneuvered his movements in such a way as to get behind the snake's head, and when he succeeded, he grabbed it with both hands and squeezed it.

He had to finally cut himself off from his past.

NO. It may not cut off. He had to distinguish it from his current life with a thick line.

Forgetting this past will do him no good. But separating yourself from it, by all means.

But to succeed, he had to survive here.

He had to win.

Jin-Woo's strength stat was approaching 50. A lot of pressure was applied to the snake's arteries. Unable to escape its clutches, the snake thrashed and thrashed in pain. At the monster's resistance, Jin-Woo gritted his teeth and tightened his grip, seeing that his attempts to hurt him were working.

Even when the snake hit the walls and floor, trying to get rid of Jin-Woo from its body, he stubbornly stuck to it, digging into the scales with a trowel.

He came here to become stronger.

He knew perfectly well that weakness was not something worth boasting about.

He tasted strength.

Someone's force aimed at him.

Overwhelming power crushing his head into submission.

In the face of such power, even false hypocrisy could not protect him.

He was ignored because he was weak.

Even if he had the knowledge, the intelligence...

Even if people trusted him and were grateful to him, in the face of strength, it is easy to be betrayed.

Mr. Kim's face flashed before his eyes. A man who often smiled at him with pitying politeness.

He was fed up with such people.

He had to become stronger.

That's why he came here.

Blood began gushing from the snake's mouth. His movements, which were becoming more desperate from moment to moment, slowed down. Until he finally started falling to the ground.

With a sickening sound, Rasak's skull was crushed.

Jin-Woo let go of the body and crawled a little further, sitting down and using the dead boss as a backrest.

He panted heavily as his heart beat wildly.

After a few seconds, when he realized what he had done, he started laughing, unable to believe his own actions.

He defeated the boss.

Himself.

He defeated his first boss on his own.

Whereas just a week ago, the peak of his abilities was killing one goblin.

And two of them were already a big threat to him.

And now he was here. He was sitting next to the carcass of a monster at least five times stronger than an ordinary goblin.

He never dreamed he would do something like this.

He stopped dreaming about making a lot of money or defeating a boss a long time ago.

Somehow after his third or fourth raid when he came back cut, bruised and with no money gained from the raid.

ALARM

[YOU DEFEATED THE LORD OF THE WETLANDS, THE NAVY BLUE VENOMIOUS RASAK]

ALARM

YOU'VE LEVELED IT!

YOU'VE LEVELED IT!

As expected, defeating Rasaka earned him two levels. Jin-Woo smiled weakly in satisfaction, trying to steady his breathing. Levels that seemed to stop at 15 rose to 17.

He started the day at level 1 and now he was at level eighteen.

However...

For hunters who could not collect experience points, the most important items were the items obtainable from the boss.

When he looked at the snake's broken body, Jin-Woo saw two sources of light coming from its body.

[ITEM: RASAK VENOM]

SUBJECT CLASS: A

TYPE: DRINK

BAG WITH PURIFICATED RASAK VENOM. IT CAN BE OBTAINED BY DEFEATING RASAK. LOW CHANCE OF GETTING IT. DRINKING IT WILL HARDEN YOUR SKIN, BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT WILL LOSE YOUR STRENGTH.

- "RASAK SCALES" EFFECT - REDUCES PHYSICAL DAMAGE RECEIVED BY 20%

- WEAKENING "FLAX MUSCLES".

- DECREASES STRENGTH BY 35 POINTS.

A grade item!

Reducing physical damage by 20% or 1/5 would be truly amazing.

However, the catch of losing 35 points was very unpleasant.

After all, he couldn't deprive himself of most of his strength points, which were currently his greatest asset.

He couldn't hide the fact that he felt disappointed and irritated.

But on the other hand, he wasn't going to be too greedy.

As soon as he read about the loss of 35 points, his mind started looking for a solution to this problem.

He quickly came up with the idea that he could always store the venom and wait.

If he already had strength points above 100, losing those 35 wouldn't hurt as much as it does now.

After storing the venom in his inventory, Jin-Woo reached out to the second beam of light.

[ITEM: RASAK FANG]

ITEM GRADE: C

TYPE: DAGGER

ATTACK: +25

A DAGGER MADE FROM A RASAK FISH. IT IS ABLE TO PARALYZE THE ENEMY THROUGH THE RESIDENTS OF VENOM THAT LEFT ON HIM. APPLICATES A BLEEDING EFFECT. UTILITY ITEM. MAY BE SOLD OR STORED IN INVENTORY.

- "PARALYSIS" EFFECT - HAS A CHANCE TO APPLY A PARALYSIS EFFECT ON THE ATTACKED TARGET.

- "BLEEDING" EFFECT - ATTACKED ENEMY LOSES 1% HP EVERY SECOND.

And?

This dagger was no doubt a welcome wipe of tears after the mild letdown that was the venom.

Additionally, he got a replacement for Mr. Kim's destroyed sword.

Additionally, it was at least twice as good as his destroyed weapon.

So he didn't leave here empty-handed, and that's no doubt how he would feel if he got the venom here, which he can't use yet.

ALARM

[BOSS HAS BEEN DEFEATED. THE UNDERGROUND WILL BE DEACTIVATED.]

His surroundings became blurry. Jin-Woo felt a little dizzy as the world returned to normal.

Looking around, he saw that he was standing in the middle of a normal subway station. 

The lights were bright and the water filling the tracks had disappeared.

But why was the station empty?

In addition to the lack of people, there were also no trains. Wondering if it was past train time, Jin-Woo checked the time. The clock showed 9 p.m. He entered the underground shortly after dinner and spent almost 8 hours there.

If his advancement had not been accompanied by a complete reduction in fatigue, he probably would have died here some time ago.

But even at this hour, trains should still run.

Finding this very strange, Jin-Woo went to the upper levels.

He didn't see a living soul there either.

Finally, when he went out into the street, he heard a very pleasant sound near him.

Human voice.

Turning his head towards the sound, Jin-Woo saw a soldier holding a rifle.

- Who are you? How did you get there? Haven't you heard the broadcast?

- Oh... What happened? - Jin-Woo asked surprised.

- What do you mean "what happened"? You don't know anything?

The approaching soldier's eyes suddenly landed on the broken sword Jin-Woo was holding. He realized that the broken sword could not be hidden in the inventory. Not wanting to throw it away, Jin-Woo held it in his hands as he walked. Seeing the sword, the soldier's eyes changed. He carefully looked up and down at Jin-Woo, noticing the signs of struggle on his tattered clothes.

The soldier who had maintained a tough attitude suddenly became surprisingly friendly.

- Are you a hunter?

Confused, Jin-Woo nodded.

- Yes, I am, but...

- Please forgive me. I'll take you, sir. Follow me, please.

-Ah, good.

Deciding that trying to correct and explain to the soldier that he was quite weak would be rather embarrassing, Jin-Woo decided to take a look at what was happening.

Something obviously happened in the area. The roads were empty and there were only soldiers and policemen around. Additionally, the area was strewn with abandoned cars, damaged buildings, and the corpses of magical beasts.

Seeing all this mess, a light bulb went on in Jin-Woo's mind.

A gate must have opened somewhere nearby.

In today's world, proper management and monitoring of Gates resulted in most of them being discovered and cleared on time. However, every now and then a Gate would appear in a hidden location and go unnoticed until it was too late. 

When this happened, the military was deployed to buy time before the Hunters could arrive and deal with the threat.

However, such soldiers had little chance of surviving after a close encounter with monsters.

Of course, firearms or any other weapon used in the army had no effect on magical beasts. Despite this, the soldiers still fought as best they could to protect the citizens and give them time to escape.

If someone were to become a victim in such cases, it would be soldiers who often preferred to sacrifice their lives rather than those of civilians.

- Most of the magical beasts in the area have already been neutralized. Only one big one left.

Jin-Woo nodded. 

He already knew this without the soldier's report. Thanks to his enhanced sense statistics, he was able to detect the presence of a powerful life form nearby, surrounded by the energy of many hunters.  

Soon the figure of the boss appeared in their field of vision. In the empty lot in front of them, a dozen hunters were fighting a giant made of stone. The giant's height was slightly above a street lamp, it was a golem-type magical beast.

- My God...

The soldier took a step back. As if he was seeing a magical beast for the first time, the man froze at the sight of the golem. 

Any ordinary person would do the same. Being present with the magical beast in person was completely different than seeing it on a TV or computer screen.

Compared to the soldier, Jin-Woo watched the battle calmly.

- He doesn't weaken!

- Do our injuries do anything?!

- We don't have enough mages!

As Hunters who had been summoned on short notice, their ranks did not appear to be well organized. 

They had serious deficiencies in both defense and attack.

He slowly took a few steps back. The golem boss had high defense, but his overall strength seemed low. Compared to the pressure he felt from Rasak, the goal was a step below him.

What the Hunters needed was a powerful attack that could break through that stupid piece of rock. From a suitable distance, Jin-Woo tilted his arm into a throwing position. He gripped the broken sword tighter and the muscles in his arm tensed. 

It turns out that Mr. Kim's sword will be useful one last time.

This will be a good end to his service.

All his strength was concentrated in his right arm.

Then the arm, which was drawn back like a bowstring, shot forward at high speed.

He decided to buy time for the other Hunters to escape and hope that the high-ranking Hunters would arrive in time to defeat the golem.

However, the blow that he assumed would distract the golem actually hit, completely destroying it.

Clouds of dust rose from its disintegrating heavy body.

Seeing that the golem was dead, Jin-Woo shrugged his shoulders, turned around and moved forward, deciding that there was nothing left for him.

Apparently, those hunters must have drained him of life quite badly because he fell after one of his blows.

He could lay claim to the golem's magical cores, but that would be too much trouble.

Who would believe that it was an E-rank Hunter's attack that took down the golem? He had no proof; a broken sword or a soldier standing nearby didn't seem enough. Even if he was able to prove it, he would have to reveal how he obtained the power to defeat the golem. No matter how Jin-Woo looked at it, the costs outweighed the benefits.

Level turned out to be a better reward than cores.

And the confirmation that follows.

So he could advance by defeating monsters from ordinary dungeons.

This information was very important.

And very beneficial.

Chapter Text

On the outskirts of the city there was an old and dilapidated apartment block. Jin-Woo's house was located on the 9th floor of this building.

He was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon after undergoing some final minor tests to make sure everything was OK.

His level was currently eighteen.

After Jin-Woo returned from the underground two days ago, he had no way to gain further levels.

Hearing his sister quietly moving around in the hall, Jin-Woo finished his morning training and opened the door to his room.

His sister usually left very quietly, so most often he didn't hear her.

Their apartment had three bedrooms, but it was quite small, so it was easy to hear everything even from the other end of the apartment.

And now that his sense statistics had almost tripled, it was even easier for him to detect what was going on in the house.

- You're walking to the school? - Jin-Woo asked, seeing his sister tying her shoes.

Jin-Ah, not expecting to see her brother at such an early hour, flinched in surprise.

She finished tying her shoes and stood up and looked at her older brother in surprise.

- You've waken up? - He asked the surprised girl, looking at him.

- A moment ago. Be careful on the road, apparently a young student was hit nearby two days ago.

Jin-Ah looked at her brother in surprise, who was wearing a sweatshirt and looked like he was... ready to go.

- Are you going somewhere at this time? - He asked the surprised girl.

- Oh? I'm going for a run.

-To run? Seriously?

- What's weird about that?

- Oppa, you never run.

Jin-Woo shrugged, trying to come up with an excuse.

- There wasn't much to do in the hospital. You know... I started killing time by exercising. And somehow I liked it.

Jin-Ah looked at her brother strangely.

Not only did he get up so early, but he was also ready to leave the house.

It wasn't that Jin-Woo was lazy, but Jin-Ah was a diligent student who often got up at the crack of dawn for school, wanting to have plenty of time to get ready without rushing and take a leisurely ride to school, so she rarely saw her brother at this time.

And he wanted to exercise.

He never wanted to exercise before.

Looking at her brother carefully, Jin-Ah had a strange feeling as if he had become a little taller and wider in the shoulders.

Wasn't... he was only three or four centimeters taller than her before?

Now she had to lift her head a little to look at his face.

But it was impossible.

She must have imagined it or something.

People's bodies were not made of rubber, they did not stretch in a few days.

Finding this all rather strange, Jin-Ah slung her backpack over her shoulder.

- Take another umbrella. - Jin-Woo advised her, seeing that his sister was turning around and wanted to go towards the door.

- It's heavy and it doesn't look like it's going to rain today.

Jin-Woo rolled his eyes, gently grabbed his sister's backpack, immobilizing her, opened it and put the umbrella in the side pocket.

- Don't exaggerate, it's light. Better to have than not to have.

Groaning in pain, Jin-Ah adjusted her backpack and grabbed the door handle.

Jin-Woo followed her.

He had to meet his daily exercise quota.

He wasn't going to have to deal with those sandy abominations again.

***

When he got home and took a shower, he sat on the couch in the living room and opened the status window.

STATUS

NAME: SUNG JIN-WOO

LEVEL: 18

PROFESSION: NONE

TITLE: WOLF KILLER

HP: 2220

MP: 350

FATIGUE: 2

STRENGTH: 48

DEXTERITY: 27

SENSES: 27

VITALITY: 27

INTELLIGENCE: 27

(AVAILABLE STATISTICS POINTS: 12)

He noticed how Jin-Ah was looking at him strangely before going to school.

In fact, he himself noticed changes in his body.

His muscles have definitely grown.

Within a few days.

Such an effect would definitely be possible.

But with a proper diet and weeks, if not months, of exercise.

His increase in muscle mass was probably due to dumping so many stat points into strength.

On the other hand... Would it be a good idea to give all further points to strength?

High damage alone is not everything.

He needed balance.

Neither extreme was good.

If the opponent was incredibly fast or had very good senses, his strength might not be enough.

He wasn't sure what to do. 

Strength would combine well with dexterity. Speed for damage and strength for agility and evasion.

It would also be good to have good health. So he wouldn't regret spending points on vitality either.

The senses were more useful even at first he thought. Thanks to them, he was able to estimate how strong the opponent was and how to approach him.

It wasn't just about hearing or sight. It wasn't that simple.

Last was intelligence.

She was the problem. 

He wasn't sure what exactly this statistic meant.

It certainly wasn't about the mind.

After beating a dozen or so levels, he didn't feel smarter or notice his memory improving.

 He thought it might have been related to magic.

He wasn't sure about it, but he noticed that his mana points increased after each level. Always of the same value, just like life.

Vitality was responsible for life.

There had to be some way to increase mana points. And the only remaining statistic was intelligence.

If he was right, the question remained: did he actually need mana points?

He wasn't a magician. He didn't need a large pool of mana.

So he could cross her off the list for now. Each level his intelligence will increase by 1.

That's enough for him.

So he had to decide between four statistics.

After a moment of reflection, he decided that he would give two points to strength so that the number of points would not bother him.

50 strength should be enough for him for now.

What he liked most was the idea of investing a few points into dexterity.

So he gave as many as eight of them, which increased his dexterity to 35 points.

He decided that he would use the last two on his senses to be able to assess his situation during the fights as soberly as possible.

Vitality had to wait for now.

STATUS

NAME: SUNG JIN-WOO

LEVEL: 18

PROFESSION: NONE

TITLE: WOLF KILLER

HP: 2220

MP: 350

FATIGUE: 0

STRENGTH: 50

DEXTERITY: 35

SENSES: 29

VITALITY: 27

INTELLIGENCE: 27

(STATISTICS POINTS AVAILABLE: 0)

When he finished and looked at his status window, he was happy with his choice.

Although he regretted a bit that he was one point short of raising his senses to a round number.

His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the telephone lying on the table next to the sofa.

Was it a call from the Association?

In the past, when he heard the phone ringing, he prayed that they weren't calling him.

He knew he had to make money, but he hated going to rallies and wanted to postpone it as much as possible.

But now he wanted to fight. He wanted to test himself. And gain more experience.

- Hunter Sung Jin-Woo on the phone.

- You finally picked up! Why was there no contact with you?

- I'm very sorry! I had an accident and was in hospital.

-Ah. And now everything is clear. Well, boy... I'm calling about the rent...

- Ah yes...

- If you can't pay now, I can reschedule you for another month.

- No need, I'll make the transfer soon.

- I see. I'm not pressuring you, I know you work hard taking care of your mom and sister. Try to take care of yourself, okay?

- I'll try, I promise.

When the owner of the apartment hung up, Jin-Woo looked thoughtfully at the turned off phone.

If he really had a second awakening... or some unknown variant of it...

Anyway, whatever it was...

Now being stronger, he should be able to make money easily.

If he continues to develop at the same pace as now, and if his development does not slow down drastically, maybe in some time he will be among the best hunters in the country.

And then the money...

He will no longer have to worry about their lack.

It was clear that hunters made money by killing monsters.

The stronger and more experienced the hunter, the higher the rank, the stronger the monsters he fights.

As a result, it earns more money thanks to the very good cores it obtains.

To fight strong monsters, you need to cross the gate of a higher category.

Normally there is a lot of competition in the lower categories. There are plenty of E and D rank hunters.

While A-rank hunters could earn millions of dollars a year, E-rank hunters would not earn a million dollars even in ten years of work.

After all, Sam was an E rank and had never fought anything above a D rank. It would be difficult for him to find anything worth mentioning.

He wanted to develop. He wanted this very much. But E-rank monsters won't give him much. Especially with so much competition. Maybe many more D-rank monsters would be good for him. But competition was still a problem.

There were usually about 15 to 20 hunters entering a D-rank dungeon. Back then, everyone had at most three or four monsters per head, if you were lucky enough and fast.

That's why E and D rank hunters had to take on many orders a month to make a living from this profession.

Fortunately, there were the most E and D category gates and they appeared in large numbers every day.

Additionally, people chose based on opinions. And he was known as the weakest hunter in the world.

Should he request a re-verification of his rank?

It would cause... a sensation all over the world.

Hunters are easy fodder for the media and people love hearing about them.

On the one hand, the more publicity, the more money.

On the other hand, each step is observed and commented on.

If he wanted to reveal that he gets stronger with each monster he kills...

He would be the loudest hunter among them all.

Even the five strongest.

Then there might be people who, out of jealousy, envy or some other stupid reason, would want to get rid of him.

And currently he thought his rank was around D.

So the danger would be great.

And pretending that he had a second awakening like any other hunter with his current strength would be really stupid.

Showing that he only went up one rank would be a waste.

What would he do next?

Being as strong as a B-rank hunter, for example, would he join the Association a second time?

They would immediately realize that something was wrong.

There was no hunter who experienced twice the second awakening. And this within a few... weeks. Months. At most.

NO.

Coming out for now was a very bad idea.

Maybe in some time when he reaches A rank. Or even S rank.

Now he had to focus on paying the rent.

He had to catch some rally.

He did have money for rent. But after paying it, he won't find much to live on.

There was 800,000 won in his account. (PLN 2,731)

After paying PLN 500,000 for rent, he will only have PLN 300,000 left to live on. (PLN 1,706 and PLN 1,024).

It was really not much considering the fact that it's not even halfway through the month.

Of course, he was lucky that the rent was so low.

The 500,000 rent was due to him living in a rundown apartment on the outskirts of town, and what's more, the landlord, who had a soft heart for Jin-Woo's situation, hadn't raised the rent in the last few years, even though he should have, considering apartment prices had gone up. .

And no matter how you look at it, they also lived in the capital.

But now that he had the opportunity to earn more...

Maybe he would buy something extra, some extra food, give Jin-Ah some money. What he gave her for the whole month were some blackheads "just in case".

She couldn't go shopping or wander around pubs with her friends most of the time. At least not as often as she wanted.

His sister devoted a lot of time to studying, but she was still a young girl. High school student.

This fact often hurt him. But now that might have changed.

Eventually he found one interesting entry in the bulletin board section of the Website run by the Hunters Association.

It said that a group of hunters were looking for someone to join their ranks. Regardless of rank.

As it was written at the end of the post: "First come, first served."

It was...unheard of.

But it didn't cost him anything to check it out.

This was a newly created post. Quickly checking the details, he realized that the location was not far from his house. Jin-Woo quickly called the number provided in the ad. 

- Yes, are you listening?

Jin-Woo gave a short introduction and asked about the job offer.  

- Oh, you're an E-rank hunter?

The response was better than he expected.

- All right. All you have to do is come and help us fill the numbers. But since it's a Category C gate, you probably won't be of much help in combat. So we'll have to exclude you from sharing the spoils. Instead, we will give you a fixed amount of two million won. Is that OK with you?

As much as two million?! (PLN 6,827)

The conditions were great. Most people would accept this offer with a kiss. Getting two million for doing nothing is quite a bargain.

He regretted that he would be deprived of the spoils and potential experience, but money was money.

 This amount of money would be enough for him for the whole month.

- I'll be there in fifteen minutes.

***

Having finished preparing within three minutes, Jin-Woo hailed a taxi and arrived at the designated location.

There were 9 people waiting for him. The man who seemed to be their leader waved at Jin-Woo.

He was a muscular man with short black hair and a short stubble.

He smiled broadly and friendlyly at the approaching Jin-Woo.

- I'm Hwang Dong-Suk. Remind me your name?

- Sung Jin-Woo.

The men shook hands in greeting.

The man briefly introduced his teammates. The eight Hunters, including himself, were a group that had been working together for a long time. The Ninth Hunter, like Jin-Woo, came after seeing this proposal to fill the number needed for the raid.

As he greeted his teammates, Jin-Woo looked at their faces. Thanks to his enhanced sense statistics, he was able to perceive the approximate strength of the gathered hunters.

Five of them were about the same level. Four was definitely below. Five C and four D ranks.

The C-rank gate raid had its rules. It required a minimum of 10 people, and half of the team had to be at least rank C. Only then would the Association issue a permit for the rally.

Hence the need to select two people. Such practices were not unusual.

Then, after Hwang Dong Suk briefly outlined the rules, Jin-Woo signed two copies of the contract, keeping one for himself and giving the other to the group leader.

Jin-Woo's contract stipulated that he would neither participate in the fight nor receive a share of the loot. Instead, he would receive 2 million at the end of the rally. It was like Jin-Woo's phone call. However, the last line caught his attention.

"No matter what accident happens underground, the group will not take any responsibility..."

After reading this line, Jin-Woo felt a burning concern.

He had never participated in such a rally because he had never approached the gates of raga C.

It would be suicide for him.

So he didn't know whether such a record was normal in such a case or whether he should start to worry a lot.

- Looks like we're both in this together. - While Jin-Woo was reading the contract, he was approached by a young D-rank boy who, like Jin-Woo, came here to fulfill the requirements.

- I'm Yoo Jin-Hoo, I'm twenty-two years old and I'm a D rank.

- Uh. Cool. Nice to meet you. Sung Jin Woo. I'm twenty four years old.

Jin-Woo really tried not to stare.

But the equipment this guy had...

What D-rank hunter could afford such expensive armor?!

The guy had this rank and was 22 years old.

Was he the son of some millionaire?!

Nodding to Jin-Ho, Jin-Woo looked at Hwang Dong-Suk.

- What should I do?

- Few. Take care of our things.

Hwang Dong Suk pointed to a large backpack with many compartments that was lying nearby.

- Inside there is equipment, food, first aid kits... Just the basic things for the rally.

First aid kit underground?

It's like putting out a fire with a glass of milk.

- Are we going in without a medic? - Jin-Woo asked surprised while feeling concerned again.

- You know, it's hard to find people willing to take part in such a small rally. We always manage without.

Under the circumstances, the non-responsibility provision was even less amusing.

But now Jin-Woo understood why he was in the deal. And why the stakes for doing nothing were so high.

It is possible that it was difficult for them to find willing people without tempting them with high earnings.

But even when he explained everything rationally, he still had a very bad feeling.

If his skills were still as poor as before, he would probably never have agreed to this rally.

But now he was stronger. Therefore, he followed the group towards the gate, putting his backpack on his back.

But despite this, he promised himself that he would never agree to such disorganized crap again.

The gate opened on an abandoned construction site of some residential building.

Jin-Ho walked up to Jin-Woo and spoke in a low voice.

- I heard that investors and employees who worked here lost everything and are fighting for their lives. But the company's president fled the country with PLN 900 billion from the tender.

Jin-Woo muttered noncommittally under his breath.

How the hell did this kid know that?!

***

Waves of magical power leaked from the gate, and the amount of magical power in these waves would determine the categories of the Gate.

After the discovery, the Association sent special teams to measure magical power using the device. The information obtained was then made public, and individuals or guilds demanded raiding rights from the Association.

Most of the B and A category gates were taken over by large guilds. They were too dangerous for private groups. Such groups most often claimed rights to gates of rank C and lower.

This particular gate was very large, but it was not the size that determined its category, but rather its power.

It was surprisingly quiet in this basement.

And very dark.

Hwang Dong-Suk, who was at the head of the group, gave an order to the magician next to him.

- Too dark. Gyu-Hwan, spend some time.

The magician created a small ball of light on his open hand, which dispelled the darkness around them, showing them the interior of the underground.

Hwang Dong-Suk lowered his shield and tilted his head, looking around their small lit area.

Usually, here and there, glowing crystals grew underground and illuminated the underground. And they illuminated it quite well. However, there were none here and there were no monsters anywhere.

Usually, two or three monsters could be seen from the entrance. And here, not only did they not see any, it was also incredibly quiet.

Too quiet.

- Are there any dungeons without monsters? - Jin-Ho asked worried.

Jin-Woo put his finger to his lips, telling him to be quiet.

- Are there any dungeons without monsters? - Jin-Ho asked worried.

Jin-Woo put his finger to his lips, telling him to be quiet.

The lack of lighting and the emptiness around them were clues to any hunter who had been in this profession for some time.

If there was no lighting here, there must have been a reason for it.

This could mean that the monsters here like the dark.

And this led to further clues.

It's usually hard for monsters to survive underground without any light. However, if they were intelligent enough, it meant that they did not have to rely on sight.

It is possible that their eyesight was poorly developed, or they lacked it at all.

However, this would not mean that monsters without sight were less dangerous.

Jin-Woo heard something, barely.

The sound of very light footsteps.

A lot of steps.

The monsters here seemed to move in groups, living in the dark, and if they were heading here now, it meant maybe they were headed for the light.

And those growing sounds...

- They're insectoids! - Jin-Woo shouted when he finally connected all the steps.

- Insecticides?!

- Is this an ant nest?!

- Don't even fucking say that!

Of the many types of magical beasts, insects were particularly troublesome. They were difficult to kill for many reasons, they moved in groups, usually had hard armor and were fast. 

And among the insects, ants were the worst. Many Hunters have mistakenly entered a nest of magical ants and met a tragic end.

These magic ants have had a very bad association with Koreans for several years now, mainly for one reason.

- They're getting closer!

- I can not see!

- Damn, there are too many tunnels around us!

- Above us! - Jin-Woo finally shouted as the enemy was getting closer.

Giant dark red bugs fell out of the ceiling, or more precisely from the tunnels therein. If the warning had been just two seconds late, the worms would be falling on their heads right now. Against magical beasts such as insects that gathered in large concentrations on the ground, loss of balance was a death sentence.

Fortunately, there were no ants visible among the attacking bugs.

The eight hunters worked together surprisingly efficiently, burning, slashing, and crushing the insects around them.

It's clear that this group has been working together for a long time.

They didn't need many words to communicate with each other and defend each other's backs.

No wonder they didn't take a medic with them if they were doing so well.

Although they didn't look like nice people...

The bloodlust and brutality radiating from them...

This was too much even for hunters fighting monsters in the underground.

Many hunters enjoy fighting and killing monsters even more than making money from them.

But the sadism this group has now begun to display...

Watching it from the side was not only disturbing, but also frustrating.

He didn't want to stand and watch. He wanted to fight.

Now that he could get stronger...

He himself began to enjoy fighting and killing monsters.

Probably even more than making money.

- We'll calm down a bit and move on. - Hwang Dong-Suk decided when all the monsters were dead. - Take the magic cores from them, we will divide them later.

- This is my favorite part of the job.

- Yeah, mine too.

Hwang Dong-Suk, ignoring his companions collecting cores, approached Jin-Woo.

- You saved us. How did you know they would come out on top?

He couldn't say that his senses went much beyond mere sight.

- It's... a premonition.

- Well done, boy. Thanks to you, it went so smoothly. Thank you. But it would be better if you focused solely on your task.

- ABOUT? - Jin-Woo looked confused at the group commander, not understanding what he meant.

He helped them locate the monsters. Don't fall into a trap that could prove fatal to someone.

If he hadn't reacted so quickly...

So why did this guy say something like that?

- Boss, come here!

Hwang Dong-Suk turned and walked towards the magician who called him.

The hunters, looking at something lying on the ground, moved slightly apart to make room for the boss. He crouched down to get a better look and frowned in surprise.

At first glance it was just a dead worm, nothing out of the ordinary.

- Look at their wounds, boss. It's not from a sword or a dagger. It's not our doing.

Understanding what one of the hunters meant, Hwang Dong-Suk muttered under his breath.

- Looks like he was... bitten.

- Look there, more pieces like this.

Hwang Dong-Suk straightened up and looked around at the tunnels.

- The monsters were fighting for territory? This would mean that there are still some stronger beasts here. Or maybe it's the boss's doing, it could mean...

The eight hunters' eyes fell on Jin-Woo and Jin-Ho, the former of which looked away when he saw that the hunters were looking at him and Jin-Ho was not aware of this look as he checked his equipment.

For a second, Jin-Woo saw in the hunters' eyes... a strange greed towards the two of them.

The look was terrible.

- Jin-Ho, this equipment is very good. It must have been expensive? - Jin-Woo asked, seemingly without interest.

- Yes, my dad gave it to me on the occasion of my first rally. He was worried.

Jin-Woo hummed in understanding without taking his eyes off Hwang Dong-Suk's back.

The underground differed in many things. Shape, size, types of monsters.

Sometimes, in larger dungeons, even a dozen or so hours were needed, and in some, even an hour was enough.

Such searches often depended on luck.

This particular underground was built like a real maze. There wasn't much fighting, but it took forever to move.

Jin-Woo's job was to guard the luggage.

He didn't need to engage in combat and honestly, he preferred to stay as far away from these guys as possible without arousing their suspicions.

Something was bothering him all the time.

He could make a lot of money without committing himself, and yet he still felt strangely insecure.

His hunches were never wrong.

He always listened to what his instincts told him, and that's mainly why he survived for so long as the weakest hunter.

***

- We're in a shit. - Hwang Dong-Suk stated frustratedly. - We've been traveling for so long and yet we haven't encountered any monsters yet.

- There are only corpses everywhere. - The magician looked at their feet at the bitten pieces of insects. - The boss must be here somewhere.

Tired and weary, the hunters passed another corridor with no hope that they knew anything except a further route and perhaps more bodies.

Even cores that would wipe away their tears could not be obtained from the devoured insects.

In most cases, something ate the parts of the insects in which the cores were embedded.

- One sec.

Hwang Dong-Suk stopped, looking at the ground strewn with insect bodies.

There were three times more of them here than in the entire underground.

When he then looked up, he saw a lot of thick white spider webs with cocoons stuck to them on the ceiling.

- We hit the jackpot!

Hwang said happily as they moved further into the chamber and saw crystals growing on the walls.

- Mana crystals!

- I to ile?!

- They are worth less than cores due to their lower energy content, but in the same quantity. We should get a pretty penny for them. By the looks of it... maybe 10,000,000 Won. (PLN 34,138)

The magician looked around the room, calculating.

- Even your brother would envy us such a find. - One of the hunters turned to Hwang Dong-Suk.

- Hi. - The magician hissed. - You shouldn't mention him like that. Especially in light of recent events.

Hwang Dong-Suk ignored them both and looked up.

In the bossa.

- Sleeps. - The commander stated after a moment of uncertainty. - But we don't know for how long.

Everyone followed his example, looking at the disgusting giant spider.

Black, red, hairy and huge. That was the easiest way to describe this disgusting beast.

Jin-Woo was glad he didn't have arachnophobia, otherwise he probably would have fainted here by now.

Jin-Ho, standing next to him, took a step back, shaking.

Even though Jin-Woo wasn't shaking like he was, he had to admit that this boss... the ones in the D and E gates were apparently nothing compared to the C category bosses.

The monster was undoubtedly strong. Jin-Woo had no trouble feeling the magic radiating from him.

Hwang Dong-Suk looked away from the boss and looked around at the huge amount of crystals.

- After defeating the boss, the gate will close within an hour. Then we won't be able to get even 1/5 of the damn thing out. For this reason, we need to extract crystals before the fight. The boss has eaten enough and is sleeping. We couldn't have dreamed of a better opportunity. Cheul-Bin, did you take the equipment?

- Unfortunately, who would have expected that we would find mana crystals in category C undergrounds? I left it all in the car.

- Idiot... I told you to always take everything with you.

Pickaxes were needed to mine the crystals. The same ones that Jin-Woo was carrying on his back.

But still, they acted as if they hadn't taken the pickaxes at all.

Why?

- You fucked up, man. - Hwang Dong-Suk looked at Jin-Woo and Jin-Ho, scratching his beard. - I have a request, the two of you could guard this place. We have to go back for the equipment.

Hearing Hwang's request, Jin-Woo gritted his teeth. Is it betrayal?

- Should we be left alone with the boss? - Jin-Ho asked in disbelief.

- Don't worry. He shouldn't attack until you get closer.

Hwang laughed heartily, although his eyes sparkled in a rather strange way.

- You said this was your first rally, right? This is also Jin-Woo's first time in the vaults of this category. Trust me, okay? Nothing will happen, we have been making noise here for a long time and nothing bad has happened. I'd like to have a word with the others, let's have a smoke while we're at it. Let's be right back.

First they tried to leave them by talking about equipment.

And now suddenly Hwang has to talk to his people privately.

What does he have to tell them that Jin-Ho and Jin-Woo can't listen to?

He didn't even try very well to pretend that he wanted to leave them here to be eaten.

Jin-Woo gritted his teeth as he remembered the warning one of the hunters had received some time ago.

These bastards were lizards.

Not too surprised, Jin-Woo saw a loud explosion of fire destroying the entrance to the chamber, filling it up.

Jin-Ho stared in disbelief and horror at the buried entrance while Jin-Woo remained silent, silently seething inside.

“Being a hunter is a dangerous job, accidents happen to people. Crimes are also not uncommon, after all, who will prove them to you? There is no monitoring or random onlookers here. Nothing stops you from breaking the law. The weaker you are, the faster they will get rid of you, people cling to the strong. If they find you useless or getting in their way... Well... Just like lizards get rid of their tail, they'll get rid of you."

Jin-Woo clenched his fists, remembering those very words.

Jin-Woo wasn't afraid, but he didn't necessarily want to experience it either.

After all, who would want to experience betrayal and attempted murder?

He felt a little sorry for Jin-Ho.

This kid's first rally looked like this.

Jin-Woo couldn't help it.

If they tried something, Hwang's group would take matters into their own hands. What if they started fighting here, accompanied by the boss...

- So what do we do now? Entrance... These bastards tried to kill us... They want to kill us for the stupid crystals!

- Correction. They're still trying. Boss just got up.

Jin-Woo didn't have to turn around at all, he just heard the movements around him.

Big spider.

Boss rangi C.

Jin-Ho turned around in fear and Jin-Woo followed suit, watching a clearly evil spider descend towards them.

Pale and sweaty with fear, Jin-Ho took out his sword and shield with trembling hands.

- S-Stan behind me. Wait... I'll think of something in a moment.

Jin-Woo looked at the monster, looking for any weaknesses.

Many are blind.

A huge, hideous mouth with two rows of sharp teeth.

Overgrown long legs.

Compared to this, the pleasant Rasaka was suitable for breeding and placing in a terrarium.

Summoning his new dagger to his hand, Jin-Woo felt excited.

Maybe he was in a dangerous situation. Maybe the boss was stronger than him.

But even so, he couldn't help that the only thing he had in front of his eyes were experience points.

This boss will give him at least one level. And if he was lucky, maybe even two.

- I'll take care of it. - Jin-Woo said, avoiding Jin-Ho and going to meet the boss.

- Wait, what are you doing?! - Jin-Ho shouted after him. - How can you... Are you crazy?! Only the best with a C or B rank would be able to handle him.

- Focus on how to escape from here. -Jin-Woo advised him.

However, he knew that the boy was right.

Even after waking up again and reaching level 18, Jin-Woo was weaker than this boss.

But... Rasaka was also stronger than him.

What other choice did he have? Get eaten?

The spider accelerated, running towards Jin-Woo, making a lot of noise by moving its numerous legs.

Jin-Woo jumped and, flying over the boss, slashed at its abdomen.

He then landed behind the spider, which immediately turned to him.

Seeing that the blow did nothing to the monster, Jin-Woo moved towards it again, gripping his Rasaka Fang tighter in his hands.

This time the spider was not so easily attacked and instead began to launch its own attacks with its front legs.

Jin-Woo dodged after dodging until he finally saw an opportunity to attack and slashed the monster in one of its legs.

No wound occurred. No incision. It didn't help.

It had eight legs, had no blind spots and could easily break through rocks, which Jin-Woo found out unpleasantly when one of the legs, trying to hit him, hit the ground, making a big hole in it.

Meanwhile, as Jin-Woo fought the monster, Jin-Ho stood frozen in fear and shock as he watched what was happening right in front of him.

This was supposed to be an E-rank hunter?!

It was impossible!

On the other hand, the Association confirmed its rank. It had to.

But no one of his rank could move so fast, so agile, and with such strength.

Could Hunter Sung be...

A faker?!

At this thought, Jin-Ho swallowed in great fear.

Among the hunters there were sometimes those who were able to control the level of their power.

Having the ability to freely manipulate the test results, they could be cataloged at will.

Those who did so were called fakers.

The problem was...

That most such people turned out to be psychopaths who liked to kill just for fun!

He didn't know what was worse.

Locked up here with this spider or a potential Fake!

While Jin-Ho was dying internally, Jin-Woo launched attack after attack.

However, none of them gave anything.

He felt that he was slowly losing strength and the spider didn't stop attacking and didn't slow down at all.

He hasn't even managed to scratch it once yet.

It was really dangerous.

[fatigue: 57]

The greater his fatigue, the weaker his movements. And if you can hit it, this fight may already be decided.

All he has left is his special dagger skills.

Paralysis and bleeding.

The obvious target of the punch will be the head.

The weakest points on the head will be the eyes.

However, before he could get close enough to jump up, he noticed that the spider was standing and waiting, then opened its mouth and spat.

He spits acid right at Jin-Woo.

He jumped up, avoiding the attack and landing a few meters behind.

All this time, the spider had an ace up its sleeve.

Regardless of how stupid it sounded.

Jin-Woo will have to close the distance between them even faster while being careful with the acid.

A very difficult task.

He ran forward, looking carefully at the spider.

[SKILL: SPRINT ACTIVATED]

[YOUR SPEED INCREASED BY 30%]

Sprinting would quickly gain him fatigue points, but he had no choice but to use it.

He closed the distance.

He jumped.

He took aim.

[EFFECT: PARALYSIS HAS BEEN APPLIED]

[THE OPPONENT'S RESISTANCE WAS TOO HIGH. EFFECT CANCELED]

Cholera. Paralysis did nothing.

He had to hurry and end this now.

[fatigue: 68]

Even a little faster.

He dodged the leg flying towards him and jumped up, aiming for the head again.

[fatigue: 74]

However, unexpectedly, another leg hit him very painfully, throwing him back so hard that he hit the wall, making a hole in it.

The spider was about to deal another blow to the fallen hunter when the hunter, looking for a way out of this stalemate, remembered that he had not received today's training reward.

When the regeneration of strength took over his body, eliminating all his fatigue, Jin-Woo managed to avoid the leg flying towards him in time and jumped towards the head again.

Then he hit the eye.

First one, then the second and the third.

[EFFECT: PARALYSIS HAS BEEN APPLIED]

[EFFECT: BLEEDING WAS APPLIED]

[TARGET WILL LOSE 1% HP EVERY SECOND]

Jin-Woo didn't stop.

He stabbed a second time in the same eye.

Then the second, third and fourth ones he still managed to reach.

And then he jumped up as the spider began to wobble.

While he jumped back, the spider fell to the ground with a loud bang.

[THE UNDERGROUND BOSS HAS BEEN DEFEATED]

[YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL!]

[YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL!]

[YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL!]

Sighing in relief, Jin-Woo wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Fortunately, he didn't accept the reward for today's task earlier.

If it weren't for that, he would be in pieces.

And it gained three levels.

From 18 to 21.

Pretty good.

[YOU HAVE PROVIDED ABOVE LEVEL 20 AND THE SHOP FEATURE IS NOW ACTIVE]

And he could finally use the store! Nice too.

Then he simply took the cores from the boss, seeing that they were quite strong and there were as many as ten of them. Actually, one of them was from the boss and was worth about 10 million. (PLN 34,138) and the rest came from his belly and once belonged to eaten insects.

He wasn't going to give those cores to those pigs.

Not after this ugly betrayal.

- Uh... Sir... Would you mind storing your crystals in your backpack?

Seeing Jin-Ho who had a backpack on his back and an extremely sweaty and tense expression on his face, Jin-Woo tilted his head in confusion.

- If you are thirsty, please drink some water.

- Um... Thanks. Gladly. - Jin-Woo took the water from Jin-Ho, still looking at him strangely.

- The equipment was in the backpack. Lousy liars. I'll dig out some of these crystals while we're here.

The kid was definitely acting weird.

Although... after all, Jin-Woo saved his life. So maybe he was just grateful... or something.

However, before Jin-Ho could grab the pickaxe, a loud bang and a wall of fire came from the side of the passage.

When the fire died down and the dust settled, Jin-Woo noticed a group of eight hunters who had left them here.

The fight is probably not over yet.

Could he handle eight hunters?

He quickly opened the status window, glancing at it.

Every single one of his stats was at least at or above the threshold of 30.

He'll be fine.

- The boss is dead.

- What are they doing here?!

- What happened here?

- Sami go zabili?

- This spider was kind of crazy.

Hwang Dong-Suk looked coldly at the two hunters who were still alive.

With this equipment, could this sickly puppy kill the boss?

He had no experience, so how...?

That stupid spider was C-ranked!

But on the other hand, the boss probably didn't kill himself.

There was no way a shitty E-rank hunter could even help in a situation like this. So this brat had to defeat him alone.

In fact, he didn't know how powerful his equipment was.

- Hwang, what are we doing?

- We have to get him on our side. Yoo Jin Ho! We checked you out a bit and it turns out you're the son of a nice guy. Who would have thought that I was the kid of the president of the real estate agency Yoo Jin. He's your father, isn't he?

- So what?!

- I had suspicions that you might be someone's child, but I didn't think it could be true. I'd like to talk to your father about something. So we'll give you a chance... Kill Sung Jin-Woo.

- What!? - Jin-Ho shouted in disbelief, looking all red at the mostly maliciously smiling hunters.

- Kill him and join our team. It's the only way you'll survive. Otherwise you both will die.

Jin-Ho looked at the silent and unmoved Jin-Woo.

He just shrugged, unimpressed. At least on the outside.

Inside he was seething with anger and grief.

Now saving Jin-Ho's life, the boy's gratitude or his earlier, slightly tiring desire to start a conversation didn't matter.

The weak are always betrayed.

He was so naive...

- Why are you hesitating? Nobody will know about it. Or are you afraid to fight an E-rank hunter?

To the surprise of everyone in the chamber, including Jin-Woo himself, Jin-Ho drew his gun and stood in front of Jin-Woo as if to defend him.

- Are you going to fight us? - Hwang Dong-Suk asked with amusement.

- So what now, boss? - Gyu-Hwan looked at their leader.

- Let's deal with the weaker one first.

When Hwang took out his shield and sword and started walking towards them, an unexpected system message appeared before Jin-Woo's eyes.

[IMMEDIATE TASK RECEIVED.]

What?

Now?

Seriously. Now!?

Without saying anything, Jin-Woo ordered the message to be opened.

Four different windows appeared before his eyes.

IMMEDIATE [TASK: KILL ENEMIES]

UNITS APPEARED NEARBY WANTING TO KILL THE "PLAYER". GET RID OF THEM AND MAKE YOURSELF SAFE.

YOU WILL RECEIVE A PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE TASK.

NUMBER OF ENEMIES TO KILL: 8

KILLED: 0

What the hell was that!?

He was supposed to kill all eight of them?!

Before he could think about it, he noticed behind the half-transparent windows of the system a luminous arrow that appeared in the magician's hand and then started flying towards Jin-Woo.

It happened so quickly that he had no time to dodge.

The arrow hit him, causing a strong explosion and sending him crashing into the wall.

Under the influence of the impact, the wall cracked and pieces of it fell on Jin-Woo, covering him.

- Sung!

- Don't despair over the dead body and come to us.

With tears in his eyes, Jin-Ho looked away from where Jin-Woo had hit and glared at the still amused group of hunters across from him.

Meanwhile, Jin-Woo was in a daze, letting hundreds of chaotic thoughts run through his head.

Why?

Why did he forget about it?

Here, only the strongest will survive.

He's been going about it wrong this whole time.

It wasn't about getting stronger.

He had to stand at the very top.

Overtake everyone.

Even national level hunters.

Everyone.

He had to become the strongest.

Is this what the system wanted from the beginning?

Now encouraging him to kill?

[FOR FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE TASK, YOUR PUNISHMENT WILL BE A BLAST.]

System?

What does he really want?

She definitely wants him to survive.

Why else would he force him to kill?

For the system to work, Jin-Woo had to be alive.

It is neither divine will nor gift.

The system was taking advantage of him.

But that was okay.

It could go both ways.

The system used him.

And he was taking advantage of the system.

Jin-Woo slowly got to his feet, feeling blood trickle down his temple.

[HP: 1360/2600]

- Huh? This guy survived? - One of the hunters pointed at the rising Jin-Woo.

- Dude, did you miss?

- It's a shame, your attack wasn't able to kill that bream instantly.

- Gyu-Hwan, this is not the time to play. - Hwang Dong-Suk reminded him scoldingly.

- I know.

The mage watched in disbelief as the weak hunter simply got back on his feet despite attacking him with full force.

How the hell did he do that?

Actual miss?

Jin-Ho looked with a mixture of relief and disbelief as Jin-Woo passed him and looked at Hwang's group.

- You shouldn't play with people's lives. - Jin-Woo stated coldly.

- Don't worry, I'll take care of him.

One of the hunters walked up to Jin-Woo with laughter and contempt, threw his arm around his shoulders, leaned over him and looked at him with pity.

-You don't seem to really understand what's going on here...

Not intending to listen to this piece of trash that was intruding on his personal space, Jin-Woo pulled out his dagger and in one calm movement he cut off the pathetic hunter's head which fell to the ground and a moment later Jin-Woo pushed the rest of his body away from him while the blood from the hunter's arteries sprayed out. on his cheek.

- One off the head. Seven more.

-Jun-Tae!

- What?!

-When did he pull out that knife?!

The hunters watched in shock as an E-rank hunter killed one of them without any problem. Being a D-rank hunter.

Jin-Woo walked calmly towards the group.

He killed the hunter.

Human.

The fact that the system forced him to do it did not diminish his guilt.

Still, he couldn't bring himself to feel sorry.

If he doesn't kill them, they kill him.

Although no, the system will do it faster.

- I have no idea what he just did. But don't lose your vigilance. - Hwang ordered them, gripping the sword hilt tighter, feeling his breathing quicken. - Gyu-Hwan, come on again.

The magician sent the same attack towards Sung again, trying to put even more effort into it.

- You're a pain in the ass wizard. - Jin-Woo stated, appearing in front of the magician before his spell could hit anything.

Jin-Woo then cut down the pest with a few simple moves.

The other hunters, completely furious after seeing their other companion fall to the ground with a huge amount of blood oozing from his entire body, rushed at him at the same time.

But it wasn't enough.

Not on Jin-Woo.

They were too slow.

Their defense was too weak.

They didn't think logically.

[PARALYSIS EFFECT APPLIED]

[BLEEDING EFFECT APPLIED]

[BLEEDING EFFECT APPLIED]

NUMBER OF ENEMIES TO KILL: 1

KILLED:7

Almost end.

Jin-Woo lifted his head and looked at Dong Hwang-Suk with the eyes of a hungry predator.

- You killed the whole... Son of a bitch! You'll pay me for this! You've been hiding your true power all this time, you bastard? You're the one who defeated the boss.

Hwang swallowed, using his "reinforce" skill.

The bastard in front of him must have been pretty tired by now. First he fought the boss and then seven of his men.

He no longer has enough power to fight him. There was no way he could get his ridiculous dagger through his thick shield.

He looked like a skillful son of a bitch, so he shouldn't have had any skills to get past the guard.

It's over now.

However, as if he was just waiting for it, Jin-Woo stopped his charge with one hand, grabbing him by the face and throwing him to the ground.

Lying on the cracked ground, Hwang Dong-Suk coughed weakly, in deep shock at how this guy managed to take him down so easily.

Could he be the Sphinx?

- Wait... Don't kill me! Spare me! I will give you money! You can keep all the loot.

Hwang Dong-Suk barely got up on all fours and away from Jin-Woo.

- Three times. Are you begging for mercy from a man you tried to kill three times?

First, by filling in the entrance.

Then by trying to persuade Jin-Ho.

Then by Gyu-Hwan's magic.

- You said it yourself. What happens underground stays underground.

Realizing that begging would do no good, Hwang Dong-Suk turned red with anger and started screaming.

- You bastard! Do you have any idea who my little brother is...

Dong-Suk's head flew up, made a few turns around its axis and fell to the ground.

No, he had no idea.

And he didn't care.

As he sheathed his dagger, Jin-Woo looked at his jacket.

He got his clothes dirty again.

Not only did most of his clothes become too small for him, but he also stained the ones he was wearing with blood.

And the blood doesn't come off that easily.

Well, he clearly has some serious shopping to do.

He knew he did something wrong by killing other people.

But these people were just trash.

He couldn't feel sorry for them.

If he killed someone innocent, unable to defend himself, someone who had not done him any harm.

Then he wouldn't be able to look at himself in the mirror.

But he will never do it.

He wasn't trash like the dead ones here.

REWARD FOR A TASK COMPLETED

IMMEDIATE TASK: KILL ENEMIES

THE REQUIREMENTS HAVE BEEN MEET

DO YOU WANT TO COLLECT A PRIZE?

[YES NO]

He expected this. He has received rewards for every task so far.

He accepted, curious as to what he would get.

AWARDS FOR THE TASK

REWARD #1: STRENGTH REGENERATION

REWARD #2: STAT POINTS +10

REWARD #3: BLOOD LUST

DO YOU ACCEPT?

[YES NO]

As many as ten points?!

Great!

The new skill was probably even more satisfying than the points.

Quickly accepting, Jin-Woo looked at the new skill.

SKILL

[ACTIVE]

BLOOD LUST LV.1

100 MANY

- APPLICATES A TERRIBLE EFFECT ON THE SELECTED TARGET. LASTS ONE MINUTE.

- THE EFFECT CAN BE APPLIED TO MULTIPLE TARGETS.

- "FREEDY" EFFECT

- ALL ENEMY STATISTICS – 50%

Though temporary and mana-eating, it was truly powerful. Az halved enemy stats. It probably won't work on enemies with high resistance, just like the effects applied to his dagger.

Nevertheless, the skill was still good.

The cave shook as if reminding that the gate would soon close.

Jin-Woo looked at Jin-Ho, frozen in fear. When their eyes met, the young boy looked like he was about to faint.

- Don't kill me, I'm begging you!

He didn't want to hurt this boy.

He wasn't going to do that for a second.

The kid stood up for him twice.

When the boss woke up.

And when he was offered his own life in exchange for taking Jin-Woo's life.

But he couldn't let the boy start talking about what happened here.

Yoo Jin-Ho trembled uncontrollably. His face was completely pale. After all, he had just watched Jin-Woo kill eight people in cold blood. One of the most powerful weapons to control a person was "fear". So Jin-Woo decided to use it to his advantage. 

- Why should I?

Jin-Woo swore he heard Yoo Jin-Ho's heart stop and then break.

Did he overdo it?

- I have... I have money... I can give you...

- Who do you think i am?

Jin-Woo looked resentfully at the terrified boy. His whole life was marked by poverty, but he had no intention of using someone as a hostage for money. If he did that, he would be no different from Hwang Dong-Suk.

- Sorry!

Now that he thought about it, he realized that Jin-Woo had rejected Dong-Suk's offer of money in exchange for his life.

Apparently he was the type of person not interested in material gains, only transferring money. But if so, why did he take the cores from the boss?

A source of great power, magical cores had many uses beyond the creation of magical items. But to the Hunter they were no different than money.

The reason he got his hands dirty to look through the corpses was because he was fighting the boss for it. He would have no mercy for those who came against him, but he wanted nothing to do with what he had not earned with his sweat and blood. 

So despite his brutality, he had his iron rules.

No wonder Jin-Woo got angry at his proposal.

What he needed now wasn't "father's money."

Yoo Jinho quickly spoke,

- If you spare me, I will give you all the profits from this underground.

- Hmmm?

As expected, Jin-Woo looked interested.

— If nine out of ten people died and the only survivor took home all the profits, that would be very suspicious.  

Yoo Jin-Ho was sure that Jin-Woo was a faker. What's more, he was a powerful faker who liked to kill! Such a person could not attract the attention of others.

- So?

- On the other hand, if you and I leave here together, as agreed, all the magic cores will become mine. Even if eight others were dead, no one would suspect you if you had no visible advantages.

Of course, no one would suspect Yoo Jin-Ho either. He was the son of one of the most powerful CEOs in the country. Magic cores would be worth nothing to him.

- Of course the money would be yours. That's a "worthy price" for killing Hwang Dong-Suk's group and saving my life.

- Standing.

***

When he finally returned home, it was already dark outside and still raining.

After a quick shower and change of clothes, he opened the status window.

STATUS

NAME: SUNG JIN-WOO

LEVEL: 21

PROFESSION: NONE

TITLE: WOLF KILLER

HP: 2600

MP: 390

FATIGUE: 0

STRENGTH: 53

DEXTERITY: 38

SENSES: 32

VITALITY: 30

INTELLIGENCE: 30

(AVAILABLE STATISTICS POINTS: 10)

He still had 10 stat points from the quest. He was tempted to use them up. This was an amount that would normally require three days of daily tasks (one point missing) or two levels (but these points could not be freely distributed).

First, I will focus on dexterity. He saw today how useful statistics can be. Downright life-saving.

So he gave it 7 points. And the remaining 3 in the senses.

He was very happy with the three levels and points. Just like the money he earned.

49 cores. At an average price of 5 million per piece for the majority and 19 million for the spider core, he would get about 259 million. (PLN 884,185)

This was an astronomical amount of money that he had not earned in all four years of being a hunter.

Of course, the cores wouldn't be sold yet, so he didn't have the money.

Selling magic cores wasn't difficult. Demand was so high that they were snapped up as soon as they were introduced to the market. The question was where to sell them. He could have sold them personally to another person, to the Guild, or through a company. Looking at the amount he had, Jin-Woo decided that instead of selling in person or using an online marketplace, he would go to a broker to broker the deal.

Actually, he was curious if he could sell these cores in the store.

It would be rather convenient if the store accepted magic cores at face value, like garbage. Thinking about the store, Jin-Woo put his bag down. He realized yet another progress he had made today.

He forgot that the system told him after reaching level 21 that he could now use the store.

With that familiar electronic tone, a seemingly endless list of items for purchase appeared before his eyes. These ranged from cheap potions and various accessories to expensive armor and powerful weapons. Each of them was sold for gold. Of course, the better the item, the more expensive the gold cost. Some of the most powerful items cost up to 10 billion gold pieces.

His current gold was 112,000. It wasn't enough to buy something that seemed useful, but there was no need to rush. He had plenty of time.

And some of these items actually looked tempting.

While he was browsing the store, his sister returned to the apartment.

- Breaded Wings? - Jin-Ah asked, surprised, seeing her brother eating the bought wings while looking at the TV.

The truth was that he was looking at the shop window, not at the TV, but it might look a little strange from the side. And the noise of the TV didn't bother him.

The girl, seeing what her brother had bought, quickly changed her clothes, threw the books from the library into her room and ran into the living room, snatching her wings.

- What's the occasion? Something must have happened, you usually make everyone worse.

- I don't really know. Today I just had a very profitable rally and I'm in a good mood.

Jin-Woo shrugged, opening a can of beer and taking a sip.

After a moment, his hand trembled in surprise as he placed the can on the table and a system message appeared before his eyes.

ALARM

[A HARMFUL SUBSTANCE HAS BEEN DETECTED...]

[EFFECT: POISON REMOVAL ACTIVATED]

This was something new.

3,2,1... POISON REMOVAL COMPLETE.

Was it also the fault of the system?

Well, if he was getting messages, it must have been like that.

Jin-Woo finished the rest of the can in a gulp and seeing that his sister was busy flipping through the channels, he opened the second can and drank it all.

Despite drinking two cans of beer in such a short time, he felt nothing.

So he started searching his system mailbox for any messages explaining this poison removal.

It turned out that he had to go back to the very beginning of the box.

REWARD FOR COMPLETED TASK: "COURAGE OF THE WEAK"

-BLESSING OF THE GREAT WIZARD OF KANDIAR:

THE BLESSING WILL KEEP YOU HEALTHY AND STRENGTH FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

- TEMPORARY EFFECT: FULL REGENERATION OF DAMAGED LIMBS.

- FIXED EFFECTS:

LONGEVITY, ALL DISEASES, POISONS AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS WILL BE REMOVED, SLEEP SIGNIFICANTLY ACCELERATES REGENERATION.

Apparently it was because of this reward that he got his leg back.

And this reward prevented him from getting drunk by removing all the poisons from his body...

Wait a minute.

All poisons?

That would mean that...

Getting up from the couch, Jin-Woo headed to his room.

- You won't eat. If anything, I can eat your portion.

- Go ahead. If you want, go for it.

Closing the door to his room, Jin-Woo activated his equipment and took the familiar bag of liquid from it.

[ITEM: RASAK VENOM]

SUBJECT CLASS: A

TYPE: DRINK

BAG WITH PURIFICATED RASAK VENOM. IT CAN BE OBTAINED BY DEFEATING RASAK. LOW CHANCE OF GETTING IT. DRINKING IT WILL HARDEN YOUR SKIN, BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT WILL LOSE YOUR STRENGTH.

- "RASAK SCALES" EFFECT - REDUCES PHYSICAL DAMAGE RECEIVED BY 20%

- WEAKENING "FLAX MUSCLES".

- DECREASES STRENGTH BY 35 POINTS.

Theoretically, the negative effect should be offset by his ability.

If it also worked on things in a certain way... given to him by the system.

After all, he was the one who created that underground. And those monsters. And this prize.

He won't be sure if he doesn't take the risk.

He had 50 points.

Losing them would hurt him greatly.

He would be left with a paltry 15 points.

But he really wanted to find out.

He who doesn't take risks is dead.

Jin-Woo closed his eyes and drank the substance, a thick liquid with a decidedly unpleasant consistency flowing down his throat.

And oh shit, it was so bitter!

No medicine or other drink has ever been as bitter as this abomination.

[HARMFUL SUBSTANCE DETECTED]

3.2.1... POISON REMOVAL COMPLETE

After a while, another window appeared.

EFFECT: WEAKENING "WEAK MUSCLES" RASAKA VENOM APPLIED AFTER USING THE ITEM WAS AWAY.

Super!

Great!

He quickly opened the status window.

STRENGTH: 53

DEXTERITY: 38

SENSES: 32

VITALITY: 30

INTELLIGENCE: 30

PHYSICAL DAMAGE REDUCTION: 20% ACTIVE

Now all physical damage will be reduced by as much as 1/5!

Plus there was no way to poison it as it turns out!

How these two aspects were useful.

While he was silently enjoying this step forward, Jin-Ah knocked on the door to his room and after a while she poked her head into the room.

- Do you know a man named Yoo Jin-Ho?

-Who?

- He's calling right now.

Jin-Woo frowned in confusion.

***

Woo Jin-Chul wondered who was drunk or crazy enough to write the report he was reading.

It wasn't about spelling or stylistic errors, because there were none, but about the whole meaning of this incoherent gibberish.

- Boss.

Seeing one of his subordinates approaching his desk, Jin-Chul fought back a long sigh and looked at the documents the agent held in his hands.

Jin-Chul loved his job. And he devoted himself completely to her.

He just wishes the endless pile of papers on his desk would become... well, a little more finished.

So that the hunters would stop behaving like children in a sandbox who constantly pulled out their rakes, because Korea was not a sandbox and instead of rakes they had a lot of valuable buildings around them which are easy to damage when you have more power than a demolition machine.

And he would like to finally be able to get up and make some coffee.

- What is it about? - Jin-Chul asks calmly, trying not to look suspiciously at the unknown files in the agent's hands.

He didn't want to read them and put them on that miserable paper tower.

If he adds one more briefcase, this leaning tower will turn into a ruined tower and he will be buried under paper rubble.

And he didn't want the president to strain his delicate heart by worrying when he got the news that Jin-Chul had been killed by being crushed by the avalanche of reports.

- One case. 8 hunters died in the category C underground. - An employee reports. - Only two hunters, one with rank D and the other with rank E, managed to survive.

Reluctantly taking the folder with information from the agent, Jin-Chul begins to look through it.

Nothing interesting.

- They probably managed to escape. What's so special about it?

- They didn't run away. They cleared out the entire underground.

Taking his eyes off the information, he looked sharply at the man standing at his desk.

Okay, maybe it wasn't as boring as he initially thought.

- Yoo Jin-Ho had high-quality equipment. He might have been able to beat the boss. On the other hand, the boss shouldn't be a challenge for this group. It's strange that there were so many victims.

- So this hunter has experience.

- No, sir. According to him and confirmed by the Association's reports, this rally was his first.

A fresh D-rank hunter was supposed to defeat a C-rank boss single-handedly?

Unreal.

He would have to be incredibly talented to pull it off.

Unless the entire group died and seriously weakened the boss and he was lucky and only finished the job.

- Get to the point. - Jin-Chul asked calmly, trying not to look at the pile of work that awaited him today, even though it was already five o'clock. - Why are you bothering me with this?

- Well, among the surviving hunters there was also a hunter who was involved in another incident underground. It's about Sung Jin-Woo.

- This guy? - Jin-Chul asked in surprise, forgetting about the files scattered all over the desk screaming for his attention.

Sung Jin Woo. E-rank hunter. Suspected of reawakening.

Mistakenly.

It could have been just a coincidence.

The boy was probably very unlucky again.

- This may all look suspicious, but there's nothing to worry about. The device we used to check it was really high-class, we obtained it from an A-rank monster. Re-awakening is a rarity and there is no reason to suspect it. We checked it once and that was enough.

However, the agent didn't seem convinced.

- I'd like to think so too. However, this matter bothers me. Because one of the victims was Hwang Dong-Suk.

- Hwang Dong Suk? Hwang Dong-Su's older brother?

Keeping his head from hitting the desk, Jin-Chul decides that his stacks of files will have to wait. Even an hour.

Sung really had hopeless luck, as you can see.

- In that case, I can't ignore it.

Chapter Text

Jin-Woo met Jin-Ho the next day at a French café near his house.

It's nice that the kid thought that if he wants to drag him somewhere, at least that "somewhere" is close to his place of residence.

Not a big plus for him.

Yoo Jin-Ho greeted him happily. Jin-Woo's senses sharpened as he entered, but he didn't notice any other hunters. At least it wasn't an ambush intended as some kind of revenge. Maybe Jin-Woo was paranoid because this kid was kind, generous and stood up for him.

But he preferred to be careful.

He sat down opposite Yoo Jin-Ho. There was half-eaten ice cream in a bowl in front of the kid.

- I didn't think I'd see you again. - Jin-Woo raised an eyebrow in surprise.

However, the unimpressed Jin-Ho smiled broadly and started to get up.

- Have you ordered anything? Should I go get some coffee?

Will the system recognize caffeine in coffee as a poison?

Jin-Woo hoped not. He was already regretting that he couldn't get drunk. He didn't want to waste his coffee yet.

- Gladly. Could you please ask for one with plenty of milk?

- Of course. - The boy gave him a dazzling smile.

Well, if Jin-Woo was already forced to come here, at least he could drink coffee.

When the boy returned with the coffee, Jin-Woo thanked him politely, taking the drink and Jin-Ho sat down in front of him again.

- So why did you want us to meet?

Jin-Ho clenched his fists under the table.

This guy was dangerous.

And he was a faker, Jin-Ho should stay away from someone like that.

But he needed help, and Sung Jin-Woo was so incredibly strong.

- He wants to organize a group

- I refuse.

- You didn't even let me finish. - Jin-Ho noted miserably.

Sighing deeply, Jin-Woo crossed his arms.

- You want me to join your expedition. - Jin-Woo guessed.

- Only 20 times. No, only 19 times.

- You care so much. - Jin-Woo looked at the determined, hard expression on his interlocutor's face, a bit surprised.

No one who just wants to have fun in the underground and has a lot of money to survive would not have such an expression.

Jin-Ho looked ready to beg there. Jin-Woo tilted his head. There were three reasons why people became Hunters: Money, Duty, Adrenalin. Yoo Jin-Ho didn't seem to fit these ideals. The young heir didn't need the money from the underworld, and if a sense of duty had brought him there, he wouldn't have asked someone else to do all the work for him. And he definitely didn't look like someone looking for thrills and adventures.

- You will be fairly rewarded.

Jin-Woo wasn't greedy. He had a lot of money saved up now and didn't need more for now.

- Your last outing didn't teach you anything. Being a hunter is not an exoteric adventure. Have you seen how easy it is to die on the other side, and yet you want to start your own group?

As soon as he finished saying this, something flashed brightly in his head.

20 raids.

This number and no other.

Hwang's rally was his first.

And now he wanted to complete exactly 19 more of them, as he improved after a while.

- Do you want to start your own guild? - Jin-Woo asked surprised.

- Exactly!

- Why do you want to do that?

The kid's face turned red.

- Contrary to appearances, establishing a guild is not difficult. Participating in at least 20 raids will allow me to obtain permission to create my own guild. Of course, there is also an exam, but I'm not worried about it. I have a good head on my shoulders, otherwise I couldn't inherit the company.

-Hmm? Are you talking about Yoo-Jin Architecture Office?

Yoo-Jin was one of South Korea's leading construction companies. Despite the name, their activity was not limited only to construction. The company has been known to have a hand in many areas of the business, and recently even started getting involved in Hunter-related businesses, making a lot of money.

- Yes. To be honest, starting a guild is related to it. It's my father's idea.

The underground was a dangerous place, but full of precious treasures. Crystals are only a small part of them. Monster corpses are used to produce many things.

Magical jewelry, weapons or armor. It is logical that large corporations eventually became interested in this whole business.

The strongest hunters in the world were filthy rich. Even richer than most billionaires.

If the company wanted to do business in the hunter world, working with the Guilds was crucial. Obtaining magic cores, beast carcasses, mana crystals, and other treasures from B or A rank gates required cooperation with those who obtained them.

- Companies communicate with guilds and in return for a fixed remuneration, they give them all the loot from their expeditions. This way they don't have to buy materials from intermediaries.

- Yes. My father plans to hire an S-rank hunter and place him as the head of the guild. My brother will be his deputy, but he will actually be in charge of everything.

As soon as Jin-Woo heard about this plan, he spotted several loopholes.

- Korea has, or had, 9 S-rank hunters. One of them probably came to the States, the Head of the Association, two from the Hunters' guild, the head of the White Tiger, the heads of the Hall of Fame and Reapers' Guild. Min Beong-Gyu... he seems to have retired. And one died during the rally. Not only do you have no one to choose from, but I don't think someone of that rank would want to act as a puppet when every large guild would be fighting for him. And even if he agreed, there could still be clashes between him and your brother.

Jin-ho sighed, not looking surprised by Jin-Woo's words.

- Yes, I know. It's true that eventually a hunter can awaken as another S rank, so the lack of willing hunters can still be overcome, but...

At the young age of 31, elder brother Yoo Jin-Ho has already become an accomplished businessman. Compared to him, his younger brother was only a 22-year-old college student, aside from the fact that he was a D-rank hunter.

It was clear that the president intended to leave the Guild's interests to the firstborn. Although the elder brother could not become a Guild Master as a non-hunter, he had already achieved great results in the field of Hunter business.

But Jin-Woo somehow didn't want to believe that any S-rank hunter would want to listen to someone who wasn't even a hunter.

- What about you? Your experience is negligible at best, and your rank is quite low. You are probably not considered for this project. You want to train yourself a little to be useful to your father.

- Exactly!

Now Jin-Woo understood why Yoo Jin-Ho clung to him with so much desperation. If a young person simply hired a high-ranking hunter and obtained a license, it wouldn't be much different than purchasing that license. But what if he went with low-rank Hunters like him and completed 20 raids?

His father might be very interested in this.

Yoo Jin-Ho had to show that he could lead the remaining Hunters.

Once he became Guild Master, he could place an S-rank Hunter as a replacement and gather other skilled Hunters who would be interested in joining the guild where the S-rank hunter was.

It took 20 rallies to make all this happen. Preferably with low-rank hunters.

There is still the matter of loyalty for an S-rank hunter who might still not want to listen to a D-rank hunter.

But that wasn't Jin-Woo's problem, for him this plan had no chance of working.

- Information that you are a sf... means that you are hiding your real skills. I will take it with me to the grave. If you still want to take part in rallies, you might need someone like me? Completing a dungeon with an E-rank hunter will bring more splendor than doing it with someone stronger.

This kid was a good thinker, you had to admit it.

Jin-Woo would have trouble finding a raid and hiding his skills.

- Additionally. I have something that might be the right... payment for you.

He took the envelope he had prepared from his briefcase. Inside there was a plan of the building. He handed it to Jin-Woo.

– This is a building that is currently under construction. The estimated value is around 30 billion won. (PLN 102,415,340)

Even though the Association tried its best, the possibility of opening the gate was always there. Accordingly, in areas where large guilds had established their headquarters, land values increased dramatically. After all, life was the most precious resource. Even having a small Guild nearby would make them safer, but what if it was a large Guild instead? The value of land increased significantly.

Jin-Woo's eyes widened as 30 billion won kept buzzing in his ears.

- The building is located on the outskirts of the White Tiger's sphere of influence, very close to the beginning of the Hunter's guild area. Once built, it will become yours. You can do whatever you want with it.

Yesterday, in the C-rank underground, Jin-Ho learned that anything can happen during a raid. Entering with a weak Hunter may result in his death. On the other hand, if he hired a famously strong hunter, his father would not be convinced. There was also the possibility of encountering someone like Hwang Dong-Suk, something Jin-Ho really wanted to avoid.

But Jin-Woo was different, he was an E-rank Hunter who single-handedly defeated a C-rank boss and many C- and D-rank hunters without major injuries.

He was at least a B rank if he could deal with C rank hunters so easily.

Maybe even higher.

He will be safe with Jin-Woo.

- I have one condition.

Hunting together would reduce his experience points, and it would be difficult to operate under the supervision of others. Even in the last underground he had to make sure that Jin-Ho remained silent and did not reveal to anyone what happened there. It would also be very difficult to match his schedule with his teammates. No matter how he looked at it, there were too many negatives.

Unless no one but him and Jin-Ho enters the underground.

- Whatever you want. - Jin-Ho replied immediately.

- You and me. Only and no one else.

In one second, Jin-Ho's face turned pale and he looked like he was going to be sick.

- We... two? - The boy asked weakly. - Do you want us to clear the Category C underground?

- Bingo.

It was very difficult for an E-rank hunter like him to get into a private raid group. He realized this while trying to find the group yesterday. He couldn't book a dungeon with his rank, and he couldn't create his own raid group. But now Yoo Jin-Ho has offered to create a group for him.

It was the perfect opportunity.

- But... But we need at least 10 people to meet the required limit.

- We will do the same as Hwang Dong-Suk. We will pay people to get on the list and complete the formalities this way.

-Won't it be too dangerous?

- If we can cope with the two of us, more people don't make a difference. They'll be fine. Think about it, we will do 19 rallies and from each one the entire group will emerge unscathed. Your father will be impressed with your skills.

Jin-Ho's eyes widened in understanding.

He would be able to show that a regular D hunter could run 19 raids without any losses. This would be a testament to his ability to become a guild master. This would be the greatest feat he could present to his father.

- I don't know. Let's do it your way. I'll take care of everything.

***

The same day, when Jin-Woo was practicing with his sister, he noticed something interesting in the pair.

His timer, requiring 10 kilometers and 100 other exercises, did not stop at all after this attempt was achieved.

The counter kept going even then.

- PUSH-UPS [200/100]

- BUMBS [200/100]

- SQUATS [200/100]

- RUN [20/10KM]

After doubling the requirements of the daily quest, it turned into a hidden quest. And although he expected to get something extra for it, he didn't expect an S-rank item right away.

He could only choose one box.

"Blessed Random Box" or "Cursed Random Box".

The Blessed Random Box – it provided what the "player" wanted.

The cursed random box – it provided what the "player" needed.

The explanations were simple. This paradoxically made the decision even more difficult. If there had been no description of these items, he would have chosen the blessed one without a second thought. But after reading the explanation, he felt that he would regret his decision no matter which box he chose.

Something he wanted versus something he needed.

At first glance, both sounded good to him.

Something he "wanted" would be something he would need. But something he "needed" may not necessarily be something he wanted.

Jin-Woo opted for a less risky option. Without knowing the outcome yet, it was best to minimize the amount of regret. Feeling like he couldn't be disappointed with something he wanted, Jin-Woo made a cold decision.

He chose the Blessed Random Box.

Additionally, he also got +3 points to all statistics.

Adding 3 points to each stat was the same as leveling up three times. Although, in a way it was even better. It was obvious that he needed to gain more experience points for each level. Earning all these points without raising your levels would make leveling much easier and meant that the leveling threshold didn't get even higher.

He found a key in the box. A key that opened another underground.

[ITEM: DEMONIC PALACE KEY]

ADJECTIVE CLASS: S

TYPE: KEY

KEY TO ENTER THE UNDERGROUND: DEMONIC PALACE. CAN BE USED IN SONG PA GU TOWER.

Of course, there was no guarantee that the rarity of the key indicated the difficulty of the dungeon, but that would not be an unusual conclusion. After all, the dungeon he entered with the E-rank key was as simple as the rank dungeons he and E often dealt with.

What if the underground opened by this key was rated S? It would be difficult to clear them even with a team consisting only of S-rank Hunters. The probability of success would then be 50%.

Above rank B, the Gate's difficulty increases exponentially. In the last 10 years since the gates began appearing, only a handful of Category S gates have been opened worldwide.

Jeju Island was one such gateway.

After the South Korean Hunters failed to clear the island's underground, an S-category gate opened, rendering the entire island uninhabitable and abandoned by the country.

Is this what he really wanted?

This key "allowed you to enter" and did not "take you" to the underground. Which could mean that in the case of this gate, he could enter and exit at will, and even if the key disappeared after use like the first time, he still had the return crystal in his inventory.

Jin-Woo was currently standing in front of Song Pa Gu Tower. Standing exactly one hundred stories high, the building reached high into the sky. Even looking at him from below could make you feel dizzy.

It was nighttime at the moment and there was practically no one around. The absence of people created a dark, silent atmosphere.

Jin-Woo wanted to protect himself as much as possible when it came to entering the underground system, which he didn't do the first time.

He looked around and lowered his hood over his head. If someone saw a man just disappearing without a gate in sight, it would certainly cause a stir. And in case he gets caught on surveillance cameras here and there, a bit of anonymity would be nice. 

When he entered the gate, he turned around and checked if he was able to get out.

To his relief, his hand passed through the gate without any problems. This meant that the entrance was not closed.

Jin-Woo withdrew his hand, sighing in relief.

Unlike last time, there was no invisible wall blocking his exit. The key didn't disappear either, but remained in his pocket. 

When he had secured his escape route, he turned around and took off his hood, being very vigilant. He wasn't sure whether the rarity of the key corresponded to the gate category, so he had to be prepared.

When he looked ahead, he was greeted by a scene like from a horror movie, a disaster movie or hell.

Or these three mixed together.

Could this place even be called underground?

It was more of a new world than a full-fledged underground.

In the place of the building stood a massive tower.

The largest buildings in the world were no match for this nightmarish colossus before his eyes.

The tower that stretched towards the sky was surrounded by crimson flame. However, it did not seem that fire was destroying the tower, but rather it was its inherent element.

Demon Castle. A very appropriate description for his taste.

Could he even get inside?

Even if he could, there was another problem. The last underground of the system used a subway station as a template for its levels. If this dungeon used Song Pa Gu Tower as its template, Jin-Woo would have to clear a hundred different floors. He couldn't imagine how long it would take.

He took two steps forward and in an instant he felt an overwhelming presence.

Even though a moment ago he would have given up on himself that she wasn't here.

Power flowed from the opposite direction. From near the door.

Taking a closer look, he saw a black beast curled up on the ground, sleeping. The beast was the size of the largest species of elephant.

And she seemed to be starting to wake up judging by her increased movements.

Jin-Woo summoned the Rasak Fang, the dagger was not strong, but it had very good effects that already helped him in the fight.

The monster finally started to rise as its red eyes landed on Jin-Woo.

The monster turned its three large heads at him and began to grin.

The monster resembled a very muscular dog with three heads and its name hovered above the middle one.

The beast's tail caught Jin-Woo's eye for a moment. Long, whip-like, with flames decorating its tip. The same flames rose from two of the three heads. While on the middle head the fire ran only in the very center, resembling a mohawk, on the left head the flames were arranged in a lush mane growing only on the head and neck, not covering the throat. These two heads also had thick wavy horns. The third head had neither horns nor fire, but had a pointed mask on it that seemed to be an integral part of the face rather than an accessory.

The fangs were long enough to stick out up to the chin and each of the jaws was not covered by lips because the monster simply did not have them, which made its sharp teeth visible all the time.

[HELL GUARDIAN CERBERUS]

Its name was red, like those worms in the desert.

Except Jin-Woo was level 1 when he met them. Now he was 21 and it was possible that this monster here was stronger than those bugs.

The monster in front of him was definitely strong, but it didn't feel like an overwhelming pressure. This meant he wasn't in that much trouble.

Cerbeurs moved towards him, growling menacingly.

Jin-Woo quickly slid under Cerberus' body and avoided being bitten. At the same time, he ran his dagger over one of its front legs, wanting to check how much defense there was against the monster.

Cerberus didn't seem impressed by Jin-Woo's actions and instead attacked him. Jin-Woo quickly took a step back, trying to distance himself from Cerberus' attacks, and repeatedly blocked his bites with his dagger.

The sound of metal clashing with fangs echoed through the air. Even though he was swinging the dagger at incredible speeds, it was all he could do to block Cerberus' attacks.

It would probably be easier for him if there weren't three heads.

Cerberus' agility exceeded his expectations. Jinwoo tried to turn the tide of the battle with his ability.

ALARM

-SKILL: BLOOD LUST]

IT HAS BEEN CANCELED.

ALARM

[THE OPPONENT'S RESISTANCE WAS TOO HIGH. EFFECT NOT APPLIED]

It didn't work out, it's a pity.

He could have expected this from such a strong opponent.

As if reacting to his actions, Cerberus howled loudly, and Jin-Woo felt that the monster was strengthening its strength.

ALARM

- HELL GUARDIAN CERBERUS USES [SKILLS: ANGER]

ALARM

- ANGER LASTS 3 MINUTES.

- CERBERUS STATISTICS WILL BE DOUBLE.

Doubled?!

Well, wonderful. As if it wasn't bad enough before.

Jin-Woo shouted in frustration.

Cerberus flicked his tail at him.

Jin-Woo instinctively lowered his head to dodge, but it stopped his legs for a moment. Cerberus didn't miss this opportunity, one of its heads bit into the hunter's left shoulder.

In response to this attack, Jin-Woo stabbed his forehead with all his strength, feeling his fangs dig into his muscles.

Cerberus stepped back, releasing him, fortunately before the other two heads could attack.

His left shoulder was damaged. His left arm hung limply at his sides, the joints torn

Not willing to let up, Cerberus attacked again. Charging towards the hunter, Jin-Woo failed to react in time with only one working hand.

All three heads bit into Jin-Woo's body.

Jin-Woo gritted his teeth in pain. The beast simultaneously clamped down on his neck, side and thigh, then continued its momentum and slammed Jin-Woo into the castle gate.

[HP: 1290/3602]

[HP: 726/3602]

[HP: 411/3602]

ALARM

- BECAUSE YOUR HP HAS DROPPED BELOW 30%, [SKILL: ENDURANCE] HAS BEEN ACTIVATED. DAMAGE WILL BE REDUCED BY 50%.

Even now the system was trying to keep him alive.

It would be stupid to die now.

With great difficulty, Jin-Woo jumped away from the monster to the side, looking from the corner of his eye from time to time at the status window where the time until the end of Cerberus' skills was counted.

He pulled out his previously prepared ace up his sleeve.

Reward #1: Health regeneration.

Feeling his wounds heal, Jin-Woo breathed a sigh of relief.

... 178, 179, 180.

Three minutes passed and Cerberus' ability disappeared.

Great!

Now he had the opportunity.

He charged in, feeling all his life and stamina return.

At the arm's length they both maintained, even Cerberus, with all its agility, was unable to avoid Jin-Woo's next move. Deftly maneuvering around Cerberus' heads, he wrapped his left hand around Cerberus' neck.

With his right hand, Jin-Woo began stabbing mercilessly at the center of the beast's neck.

After his abilities were exhausted, Cerberus felt pain and lunged, trying to get Jin-Woo off of him.

As before, from the underground system, Jin-Woo held on to his opponent with all his might. As Cerberus thrashed back and forth, he tightened his grip on Cerberus' neck and continued stabbing.

The beast continued to howl in pain and desperately tried to bite Jin-Woo, but at this point the outcome of the fight was a foregone conclusion.

The light of battle in Cerberus's eyes began to fade.

Eventually, the beasts' heads began to drop, and after a second, their entire bodies began to wobble.

Jin-Woo jumped to the side as the body fell to the ground with a thud and sand began to fly up around it.

ALARM

[YOU DEFEATED THE GUARDIAN OF HELL CERBERUS]

ALARM

[YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL!]

[YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL!]

[YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL!]

[YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL!]

He advanced four levels.

However, this extremely difficult fight paid off.

He did the right thing by leaving the reward of life regeneration for this fight.

If it weren't for this, he might already be dead.

Jin-Woo leaned over, hands on his knees, breathing heavily.

Thanks to this fight, he realized that he would die if he crossed this gate.

If this guy was just a guard, then he didn't want to see what was behind the gate leading further.

He will come back here when he is stronger. Meanwhile, he approached the (fortunately motionless) body and took the items from it.

[ITEM: GUARDIAN NECKLACE]

SUBJECT CLASS: A

TYPE: NECKLACE

DEXTERITY +20

SENSES+20

Okay. This item was awesome.

Increasing his dexterity and senses stats by as much as 20 points was truly worthy of an A-rank item. It was probably the best item he had seen and obtained so far. Rasaka's venom was also A-ranked, but it was a drink.

However, taking a closer look at the necklace, Jin-woo hesitated. A circular gold headband with spikes sticking out around it, it was clearly a dog collar. Charmingly.

Considering putting it on with his eyes closed, Jin-Woo relented and moved it towards his neck.

He felt the necklace disappear from his hands. He felt his neck and realized that the necklace was not physically there.

It seemed that equipping items that came in some way from the System didn't necessarily mean physically layering them on top of each other. He was relieved that he wouldn't have to wear a dog collar on the street.

He opened the status window and looked at his stats.

STRENGTH: 60

DEXTERITY: 80

SENSES: 67

VITALITY: 39

INTELLIGENCE: 37

Indeed, his Dexterity and Senses stats have been increased by 20.

Wonderfully!

[ITEM: LOCK DOOR KEY]

SUBJECT CLASS: A

TYPE: KEY

THE KEY THAT OPENS THE DOOR TO THE DEMONS CASTLE.

OBTAINED BY KILLING A GUARD.

Okay. The guard had the key to the door. Well, that made sense.

However, this key will have to wait a while before it can be used.

Jin-Woo wasn't stupid or crazy, he wasn't going to go there.

[ITEM: CERBERUS FANG

ITEM CLASS: NONE

TYPE: LAUGHTER

FANG OBTAINED AFTER KILLING CERBERUS.

He acquired as many as three of them.

He opened a shop. 

Each tooth was sold for PLN 150,000. After selling 3 molars, Jin-Woo collected 450,000 gold pieces.

Crazy, what garbage is so expensive?

Not that he's complaining. A large sum fell into his pocket.

Jin-Woo looked at the top of the tower.

Its top was covered with a strange fog making it impossible to see anything.

This place was still too dangerous for him.

Regretfully, Jin-Woo hid his newly acquired key in his inventory.

***

- Fax me information about these two.

Hwang Dong-Su gritted his teeth, trying not to crush the phone in his hand. At least as long as he uses it for this conversation.

- Mr. Hwang, what are you doing at such a late hour?

Ending the conversation, Dong-Su walked to the device, waiting for the information he requested to appear.

- Lola, can I ask you something?

- Of course.

- What happens if I kill someone in Korea?

If the woman was surprised or concerned by his question, she didn't show it.

- Korea has not yet ratified the annex to the extradition agreement regarding offenses committed by hunters. Since you are an American hunter, you will be tried in America. The government should probably turn a blind eye to this for the sake of negotiations.

- All right. Some assholes killed my brother. I'm not going to let them get away with it.

Hwang's phone cracked and broke under the pressure of his squeezed hand.

His brother and his entire team died.

Only two breams survived. His brother wasn't the type of guy to sacrifice himself for weaklings.

Besides, they were only there to complete formalities. They weren't on his team.

They must have set some kind of trap.

Damn it!

He told his brother not to do anything stupid.

- I'll have to go to Korea for a while, can you cancel my meetings?

This time the woman looked a bit worried.

- Mr. Hwang, if you leave now, you will paralyze the entire guild.

Hwang Dong-Su muttered under his breath in annoyance.

After a while, however, he sighed.

- So when will I have some free time?

When the papers were ready, Dong-Su took them in his hands and started reading information about these two clowns.

- In about two months.

- Two months... I won't even be able to bury him properly. Let it be. Then cancel all my meetings scheduled for later.

- Are you sure this is a good idea? - The woman asked after a moment of silence.

- No worries. I hope these bastards don't die by the time I get there.

Hwang Dong-Su tore up the papers he was reading moments ago and then crumpled them in his hands.

***

The next days were quite calm. He spent time with his sister, made dinner, went shopping, and did his daily tasks.

He also received calls from Jin-Ho every day. Theoretically, the boy was just supposed to tell him how the process of recruiting a group for the rally and buying gates was going, but instead it usually ended with Jin-Ho keeping him on the phone for up to an hour and a half, talking about some nonsense.

But there was no way Jin-Woo was going to wait idly for Jin-Ho to complete his task. So today, like the last few days, Jin-Woo entered the Hunters' website. He kept checking the bulletin boards, but as expected, there were no private raids that would accept an E-rank Hunter. His meeting with Hwang Dong-Suk was a stroke of luck. Even if the bastard had dirty intentions, that rally was fruitful.

Thanks to it, he managed to earn some money and theoretically he would not have to work for the next year or even longer.

Moment. Did he just feel grateful towards Hwang?

Well, no exaggeration.

When he was about to get up and go make some tea, the phone in his pocket suddenly started ringing.

***

Jin-Woo did not expect to see Song Chi-Yul next to him when he walked to the place where the Association was.

- Sung? - The older man looked with wide eyes at the boy whom he last saw when he was on the verge of death.

But now this nice boy was... taller. And he looked like his shoulders were wider.

Had the not-so-long period of time during which they hadn't seen each other blurred his memory so much?

- I barely recognized you... You look like you've changed. What happened this month?

Mr. Song's eyes opened wider as he looked at both of the boy's legs. Both were intact.

- This may be inappropriate, but... How did you get your leg back?

Jin-Woo, expecting this particular question, replied calmly.

- I don't really know. When I woke up in the hospital, she was already there. Like I never lost her.

- What a relief. I'm glad! The life of an invalid is hard. Someone so young shouldn't have to experience this.

Jin-Woo's eyes moved to the man's left shoulder. At first glance, the sleeve was empty. Song Chi-Yul laughed at his look and shrugged.

- It's nothing. Don't worry, I'm lucky to be alive at all. To be honest, I heard rumors that you were okay, but I had a hard time believing it. Even now I can't believe my eyes.

- You came at the request of the Association?

- Yes, you too?

Both men moved to the place where the gate was supposed to be.

Jin-Woo's steps were incredibly light. Even standing right next to him, Song Chi-Yul had difficulty detecting his presence.

How come?

Despite being a veteran, he felt that if he and Sung were fighting right now, he wouldn't even be able to touch the young man.

Even if he was C-ranked while Jin-Woo was E-ranked.

When they finally approached the gate, Jin-Woo noticed three people standing near it. Probably hunters.

After the Double Underground Incident, the number of Hunters in the area had decreased significantly. According to what Mr. Song told him as they were walking here, the two surviving Hunters had even decided to retire due to the trauma.

As they got even closer, Jin-Woo felt his blood begin to boil and freeze at the same time.

Even if it wasn't possible.

Jin-Woo knew the faces of the two hunters who were standing close to each other and their eyes widened when they saw Mr. Song and him.

They were the two men who had abandoned him in the underground temple, Kim Sang-Shik and the man who had thrown Jin-Woo's injured body to the ground, even though he had been supporting him moments earlier. Seeing them, they both immediately looked away, nervous. It made sense that they were avoiding him.

However, before he could react to the sight of them, he felt a body hitting him forcefully.

- Jin-Woo!

He looked down and saw Ju-Hee's face and her eyes full of tears.

- It's really you. I'm so glad I know you. You've changed so much, I barely recognized you. And as your... what? Leg...

Ju-Hee kept looking between his face and the intact leg that shouldn't be there.

- What...? How is this possible.

- Well, then...

- What a romantic atmosphere. Are you missing a romance novel here?

His words were interrupted by an unknown man in a prison uniform who had just got out of the car.

As Jin-Woo watched in confusion, a man in a suit got out of the passenger seat. The man gave the prisoner a stern warning,

-Shut up, idiot.

The prisoner avoided his gaze, clearly trying not to grimace. While the man in the suit turned to the car, the prisoner winked at Ju-Hee. Jin-Woo's brow furrowed. Two additional men got out of the car. They all wore prison uniforms and were handcuffed. A man in a suit led the three prisoners to an Association employee waiting nearby and greeted her.

- You're finally here.

- Sorry. There was a small traffic jam on the way.

An employee of the Association handed the man several documents and he started signing them one by one. In the meantime, an employee of the Association called all the Hunters to his place.

- These are prisoners who will take part in the expedition.

- We have to work with criminals?! - Mr. Song asked in disbelief.

- After all, they're still hunters. Hunters often work off part of their sentence underground.

- God. - Song ran his hand over his face, mumbling something under his breath.

- Please understand, there are no hunters in the area, we have to use all available methods.

The woman meant that there were no hunters nearby who would like to deal with weak gates. Those with category D or E that no guild wanted to take.

- They will be under Kang Tea-Shik's control, you have nothing to worry about. He has a B rank while the prisoners only have a C rank. To defeat an average B rank hunter it takes 10 C rank. If the prisoners become dangerous the agent will kill them immediately, those are his guidelines.

Hearing that the criminals would be supervised by the agent, Mr. Song and all the other hunters relaxed a bit.

Almost all hunters.

Jin-Woo was still uneasy about the whole situation.

He felt a strange bloodlust as the agent and the prisoners came near them.

Perhaps it was due to his senses.

However, he did not know whether this desire came from the prisoners or the employee.

He leaned in and whispered softly to Ju-Hee.

- Something's not right here. Ju-Hee please go home.

- What about you? - The surprised girl asked.

- I'm going with them.

He wanted to keep an eye on these guys.

All four of them.

Besides, he liked and respected Mr. Song. He didn't want anything to happen to him.

If it was the other two hunters, well...

Jin-Woo kept his eyes on their retreating backs as they ran towards the door.

He didn't wish them dead, but he didn't stay here because of them.

- Then I'm going too.

Jin-Woo had experienced her stubbornness many times before, and she still considered him a useless E-rank hunter.

In her opinion, she had the right to worry about him.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to convince her, he gave in.

After all, if he was there, he always had the option to intervene if he wanted to.

Ju-Hee's presence or not won't change much. He just wanted her not to push herself into another dangerous situation.

The agent finished with the documents and then approached the hunters.

- I'm Kang Tae-Shik from the Hunter Supervision Department. I'm sure you've heard about the whole situation by now. I'll be keeping a close eye on them, so don't worry about those bastards.

He pointed to the prisoners and they approached him and stretched out their cuffed hands. One by one, Kang Tae-Shik unbuttoned them.

- What a relief.

– You can't treat us like this. We're not slaves, you know?

The released prisoners rubbed their wrists and complained. Ignoring them, Kang Tae-Shik turned to the Hunters.

- Who will lead today's rally?

Mr. Song raised his hand after a while, rather reluctantly.

Kang Tae-Shik nodded,

- I see.

With Mr. Song in the lead, the hunters began to enter the gate.

Remembering his last trip to the underworld, Ju-Hee lightly held onto Jin-Woo's sleeves as they entered.

***

Jin-Woo really started to appreciate his heightened senses.

It's a pity that he couldn't predict everything with their help.

While fighting the goblins, Jin-Woo felt less and less confident in the presence of the Association agent.

It was not these psychopathic sadists who seemed the most dangerous here, but the man who was supposed to guard them.

His fears were confirmed when they split into three groups. Jin-Woo, Ju-Hee and Song himself, Kang-Tae-Shki and the prisoners, and Mr. Kim and the second hunter named Jin-Woo were not on his mind.

When they heard screams and sounds of fighting, Jin-Woo's group rushed to this place, retreating.

When they reached the place where the sounds of fighting came from, it was all over.

The prisoners were dead.

As was the unnamed hunter, and Mr. Kim was clearly dying.

Sensing the attack that was aimed at Ju-Hee, Jin-Woo grabbed the association employee's hand in which he held his dagger. The gun stopped just two or three centimeters from Ju-Hee's face.

- What the hell are you doing here? - Jin-Woo asked coldly.

- Nice reflexes.

The agent wrenched his hand away and jumped back.

- According to the instructions, I was not to kill others, but I realized that a B-rank medic might thwart my plans, so I decided to get rid of her. But it looks like I'll have to change my plans. And he'll just kill you all.

- One sec! You are a member of the Association! - Mr. Song shouted, looking at him with wide eyes full of shock and rage.

Ju-Hee ran with Jin-Woo to the still barely conscious Kim Sang-Shik.

- You can not do it. It's too late for me. Can you... stop... I lost... too much blood.

- You have to survive. - Jin-Woo growled. - What about your family?! You have to... How else can I hate you?

- Sorry. Truly forgive... me. I didn't want... for the apology to look like this. I wanted to bow properly. But if... now... I put my head down... I would die.

Wheezing as more blood flowed from his mouth, Mr. Kim took a hoarse breath.

- Forgive me, Sung. I'm really sorry... If I could... take back what... I... did.

Kim Sang-Shik's head fell limply.

He was dead.

Feeling something inside him break, Jin-Woo immediately turned around and lunged at Kang Tae-Shik.

Kang Tae-Shik's fist flew towards Jin-Woo's face, but the man easily turned his head and dodged the attack.

Jin-Woo was surprised by the speed and strength of the attack he had dodged moments earlier.

- Why did you kill them? - Sung asked coldly.

- What do you mean? They could have been monsters. The hunters thoughtlessly entered the underground, where an overwhelming number of monsters were waiting for them. It happens. Day like everyday. I think I came up with a good story. Initially I thought about using goblins, but I had to change my plans. The criminals broke free and tried to escape. They killed the remaining hunters while I was busy fighting the boss. They failed to kill me and died.

Not wanting to listen to this bastard's words anymore, Jin-Woo began to launch attack after attack. However, the agent blocked each of them.

From a distance, Song and Ju-Hee watched the event with wide eyes.

The Association agent was a B rank and an Assassin.

Their attacks had incredible speed. This speed was so great that two hunters standing to the side could barely notice these attacks at all. The speed of a B-rank agent's movements was not surprising, but Sung Jin-Woo was not the man he remembered. The young man kept pace with the B-rank hunter.

His hunch from earlier wasn't wrong. Skun Jin-Woo wasn't the same boy he used to be.

- Who are you?! What rank are you? - There was genuine curiosity in the Assassin's voice.

- Sung Jin-Woo E-rank hunter.

Kang Tae-Shik felt like he had been punched in the face. Even some B-rank hunters couldn't match him in speed, and now the man who could keep up with him introduced himself as an E-rank hunter.

Kang gritted his teeth.

This taunt was definitely annoying.

After a while, however, something dawned on his mind.

If he's a high-ranking hunter, why does he stick with the Association and such a shitty underground?

The hunters who worked for the Association were basically just scraping by. After all, the Gates that the Association had to clear were those that had been bypassed by the Guilds or private groups because they were too weak. Compared to other Hunters, Hunters associated with the Association did not earn much and were often looked down upon.

So this son of a bitch was probably actually an E rank.

However, this did not mean that his skills corresponded to his rank. None of these things.

The puppy had to hide them carefully.

Faker?

NO. The faker would never let those who saw his true strength survive. And the kid obviously cared about this girl and the old man.

But even then, why would he work for the Society, feasting on a carcass that virtually no one wanted?

- Second Awakening, right?

Ju-Hee and Mr. Song let out gasps of disbelief at his words.

- Sung?!

- Awakening again?!

- Judging by the reaction, it must have happened recently. Well, it looks like you have some fighting experience.

When he thought about it more now, he remembered that his boss, who was the president's pet, personally went to check on some guy who was suspected of waking up again...

Kang Tae-Shik cursed himself as he realized that he should have remembered that Hunter's name. The boy had to either convince his boss that it was a mistake and evade the scan, which was impossible considering how stubborn his boss could be, or manipulate the results, which was surprising and commendable right after waking up again. 

To think he would be facing him now...

He carefully looked over the list of Hunters participating in today's raid, but did not pay attention to the possibility of a Reawakened Hunter showing up here.

If he had known about it, he would have demanded more money for the job.

- Three billion is definitely not enough for this job. - The agent cackled as he avoided subsequent attacks aimed at himself. - I don't know how many ranks you've advanced, but you won't follow me that easily. (3,000,000,000 WON – 2,507,982 PLN)

Two daggers collided with each other in a constant accompaniment of screeching and metal hitting metal as the hunters jumped around the room, dodging and counterattacking in turns.

The puppy was strong.

They may have had similar statistics and specialties, but they differed significantly in experience. This is the key to his victory over this insolent little shit.

Eventually, Kang gave up on openly attacking the hunter in front of him.

Jumping to the side and barely landing on one leg before the other one touched the ground, he started running towards the medic.

Seeing this, Jin-Woo quickly jumped in front of Ju-Hee, taking the blow aimed at her.

He felt his clothes being torn across his chest and a shallow cut appearing on his skin.

The 20% damage reduction was really useful. This attack only took him about 220 life points.

- You're a tough bastard. - Kang Tae-Shkik admitted with frustration, jumping back and avoiding Jin-Woo's attack.

ALARM

[IMMEDIATE TASK HAS BEEN ACTIVATED]

UNITS APPEARED NEARBY WANTING TO KILL THE "PLAYER".

GET RID OF THEM AND MAKE YOURSELF SAFE, FOR FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE TASK, YOUR PUNISHMENT WILL BE A BLAST.

NUMBER OF ENEMIES TO KILL: 1

KILLED: 0

Okay.

He couldn't honestly say he was complaining about this turn of events.

If he had to kill, at least he would get something for it.

When Jin-Woo was about to attack again, his opponent simply disappeared before his eyes.

He just disappeared.

However, Jin-Woo didn't have time to think about it long when he felt a blow coming from his right side at the level of his face.

He managed to block the blow even though he couldn't see his enemy.

When Kang Tae-Shik disappeared before his eyes, it surprised him a little. After all, the "Hide" skill was a rare skill. But the moment Jin-Woo focused his senses, he was able to sense the man's presence even with his eyes closed. That was the power of his heightened senses. He initially invested points in this stat to determine whether he will have to fight or flee from the enemy, but now he has found another use for it.

"Concealment" erased the sight, smell, aura and even all sounds of the user. Only a few Assassins had this rare ability.

However, Jin-Woo's next attack could not be blocked. It is possible that it was aimed too low. Not in his head, but in his leg.

Feeling the blade cut through his skin and muscles in his leg, Jin-Woo screamed in pain in surprise and fell to the ground, bending his good leg, hitting his knee on the ground.

He heard Ju-Hee's terrified voice behind him.

- Stand where you stand. - The agent ordered the girl, reappearing. -Your tendons are torn. It can be cured, but not from this distance. This girl won't help you. How long will it take for you to recover from these wounds? Your legs...

- Finally, shut up. - Jin-Woo ordered him, choosing to regenerate his strength. Every day he saves this particular reward for incidents like this. It's already saved his life twice. While fighting the spider and Cerberus.

It will be similar now.

He felt the bright light surround him, healing his chest wound and the one on his node, and erasing all his tiredness.

Seeing this, Ju-Hee and Mr. Song screamed in disbelief.

Kang Tae-Shki was as shocked as they were.

Has he recovered?!

So he wasn't an assassin after all. But his incredible speed rivaled even him. An offensive profession with healing skills? Did such hunters even exist?!

Any trick?

Or maybe a show?

No, the wounds he inflicted on him were definitely gone.

How many times can he use this strange ability?

It was hard to tell.

The puppy was dangerous.

The agent used "stealth" again. This time, however, Jin-Woo was more prepared for it.

Standing in one place, Jin-Woo waited.

Confident, he cut.

However, the surprised agent managed to dodge, although he staggered while dodging and had to take a moment to completely regain his balance.

- You didn't hesitate, aiming for my neck. Now I understand. I finally saw the difference between us and them.

The agent pointed his shinbolt at Mr. Song and Ju-Hee then smiled at Jin-Woo, wide and macabre with madness in his eyes.

- You've already killed someone, right? We are made of the same clay.

- Yes. - Jin-Woo admitted calmly. - I killed eight hunters. You will be the ninth. He will kill them and you in self-defense. Don't you dare compare me to yourself again. I'm not that trash.

[SKILL: BLOOD LUST HAS BEEN ACTIVATED]

Kang Tae-Shik looked into Jin-Woo's eyes and flinched, feeling the sudden terror that froze his body.

Jin-Woo was sure of victory. On the other hand, Kang Tae-Shik felt as if something had grabbed him with invisible ticks.

What happened to him?!

After meeting Jin-Woo's eyes, he suddenly felt like he was submerged in deep water. His body felt heavy and didn't want to listen to him. It didn't want to work properly. The speed he was so proud of was drastically reduced.

Jin-Woo intended to end this as soon as possible. He was honestly fed up with this fight.

He was fed up with this disgusting man.

He felt angry at the comparison between them.

Jin-Woo killed, it's true. He felt no remorse after that.

But he didn't feel joy either.

He killed because he was forced to!

Rasak's Poisoned Fang pierced deep into Kang Tae-Shik's chest.

The agent's eyes widened in pain and a moan escaped his lips. At that moment both men knew it was over, the winner had been determined.

Blood was seeping from the corner of Kang Tae-Shik's mouth.

He smiled, showing his teeth red with blood. Of all days, he just had to meet the Reawakened Hunter in a D-rank dungeon today.

The knife in his hand fell to the ground.

He won't need it anymore.

Neither now nor ever.

Jin-Woo pulled the dagger from the man's chest. One last weak spurt shook his body, then the light in his bloodshot eyes went out and his head fell down, his chin resting on his chest.

He took a life again.

The murder left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Some unnoticed tiny part of his mind was enjoying the bitterness he felt.

No joy in murder - that was what distinguished him from Hwang Dong-Suk or Kang Tae-Shik.

That made him human.

TASK COMPLETE

[IMMEDIATE TASK: KILL ENEMIES]

TASK REWARD

[LIST OF AVAILABLE PRIZES:]

REWARD 1#: FIVE STAT POINTS.

Jin-Woo grimaced at the reward.

It was worse than the previous reward from this type of task.

Apparently, what mattered was the number of people killed, not whether they were easy opponents or not.

Compared to the fight that took place a moment ago with Hwang Dong-Suk's group, it was child's play.

He had heard rumors that the gap between rank B and C was much greater than between E and D or D and C. But only now he saw it for himself.

Or it wasn't true and this guy was just one of the strongest B-rank hunters.

In any case, looking at the prize, he felt a bit cheated.

Suddenly, something outside the system's semi-transparent window caught Jin-Woo's attention.

Something in Kang Tae-Shik's body.

Quickly accepting the reward, Jin-Woo closed the window and walked over to the dead body.

He couldn't believe it, but it was the same light falling from the bodies of monsters, both the systemic ones and the normal ones with cores inside them.

ALARM

YOU RECEIVED [RUNE: HIDING].

The skill that Kang Tae-Shik used was left as a runestone on his corpse?!

This was wonderful news.

"Stealth" was such a rare skill that only a handful of people in Korea probably had it.

He broke the rune before he could check the status window, but he heard the raised voices of the other two hunters behind him.

- Jin-Woo?!

- Everything's all right?!

Standing up and turning to face his companions, Jin-Woo let out a long sigh.

- I'm fine.

Song Chi-Yul and Lee Ju-Hee looked at him in disbelief. To think that E-rank hunter Jin-Woo, who was trembling in fear in an E-rank dungeon, defeated a B-rank hunter as strong as Kang Tae-Shik. Lee Ju-Hee, being a medic, may not have fully understood the situation, but Song Chi-Yul, being a C-ranker, understood how incredible this feat was.

- Thank you, if it weren't for you, we would be dead. - Mr. Song looked at the boy gratefully.

- But what now? Should we go out and report this to the Association?

- We should finish cleaning the underground first. - Jin-Woo noticed.

He came here for experience and didn't want to leave empty-handed, in that sense.

The goblins were too weak and gave him no points. Fortunately, he had no experience from humans.

That would be too macabre and strange.

- Don't tell me you want a room alone... Ah. Never mind, I've just seen what can happen. I'm not going to stop you.

- Can you wait for me in the basement in front of the gate? - Jin-Woo asked after a moment of thought. - It would be strange if we went out separately. And this mess will be difficult to explain in itself anyway.

- Of course. Good luck.

Once they were both gone, Jin-Woo sighed, moaning miserably and leaning his head back in resignation.

He wanted to hide his skills as long as possible.

But now that there were two additional witnesses, there was no chance of that happening anymore.

He didn't want to threaten Mr. Song or Ju-Hee. He wasn't going to do that, they had already been through too much and they were the only people from his past who respected him.

Killing a B-rank Hunter would be considered an act of self-defense. Since he had two witnesses, there would be no problem. The problem was explaining how an E-rank Hunter defeated a B-rank Hunter.

The only excuse available was the Second Awakening.

No one would believe the truth about the System or the promotions, and he didn't want to reveal those details.

Disappointment bit him very hard

He wanted to keep his secret as long as possible. And now when he is forced to reveal his new rank, he probably won't get higher than a B.

He wanted to wait until he was S-ranked. And if it came out now, he really didn't see what he would do next.

If he got B now, someone might later notice that he is stronger than a B-rank hunter, and this will lead to further problems.

He will worry about this when he comes out of the underground. Now he still has a boss left.

Jin-Woo turned his gaze to one of the prisoners lying on the ground in blood.

- I know you're alive. Get up. Why are you playing dead? Have you tried to escape when the opportunity arises?

It was the prisoner who winked at Ju-Hee.

This fact made him want to get rid of it even more.

The hunter rose slightly and groaned.

Jin-Woo saw blood seeping from the condemned man's neck.

The agent slit his throat hard enough to damage his vocal cords, but not enough to kill him.

Woefully imprecise work for such a strong B-rank assassin.

- You can't talk... What a sloppy job. He would probably kill you in the most painful way he knew if he realized you were alive. I have to hurry, because you're about to bleed out... I mean, in about... five minutes. You're a tough bastard.

Jin-Woo grabbed the back of the collar of his prison clothes and in a less than gentle way began to drag the man along the ground to where Jin-Woo already knew the boss was.

At the end of the corridor he followed with Mr. Song and Ju-Hee before this whole nightmare started.

The man tried to struggle, but he had lost too much blood, was too bruised and Jin-Woo was stronger than him, which he showed by killing his would-be torturer.

Entering the boss's chamber, which was a large purple hobogoblin, accompanied by a dozen or so ordinary goblins, Jin-Woo leaned against the wooden primitive door separating the boss's chamber from the rest of the underground and watched as the boss, assisted by the goblins, approached the terrified prisoner.

- You're even more trash than Kang Tae-Shik.

***

After killing the hobogoblin, he advanced two levels. Quite nice, but even that couldn't bring him much joy when he thought that he might soon be discovered.

STATUS

NAME: SUNG JIN-WOO

LEVEL: 27

PROFESSION: NONE

TITLE: KILLER OF WOLVES

HP: 5114

MP: 548

FATIGUE: 2

STRENGTH: 72

DEXTERITY: 82

SENSES: 69

VITALITY: 43

INTELLIGENCE: 39

(AVAILABLE STATISTICS POINTS: 5)

Physical Damage Reduction: 20%

After leaving the underground, the employees who were waiting in front of the gate immediately alerted the Association about everything.

***

As he got out of the car, Woo Jin-Chul wondered if this particular area was cursed.

First the double underground, then Hwang Dong-Suk and now this.

How unlucky can you be to have three incidents happen within a month?

No, it definitely wasn't bad luck.

It was more like one person.

One person connecting these three events.

Sung Jin-Woo.

He was informed by phone about the names of the survivors.

Lee Ju-Hee, rank B medic.

Song Chi-Yul ranga C, mag.

Sung Jin-Woo E rank, warrior.

He remembered all three of them.

Each of them survived the double underground.

And now all three of them were in danger again.

Because of the Association agent.

However, two of them had nothing to do with Hwang Dong-Suk's death.

And Hunter Sung...

It was hard for him to believe both that he had a hand in it and that he was innocent.

- How long has it been since the underground was cleared? - Jin-Chul asked, seeing an employee of the Association who dealt with this region of Seoul coming to him.

A young woman with short black hair and round glasses.

- About 40 minutes.

- So we have 20... That's not enough. Try to get the bodies of the victims. If you can't do it in 8 minutes, back out.

- The survivors defeated the boss on their own? - Jin-Chul asked, guessing the answer.

- Yes. According to their accounts, it was a hobogoblin.

Jin Chul nodded.

Killing a hobogoblin with three people was not impossible, but he remembered what ranks and specializations these people had.

Medic, magician and warrior.

Would they be able to cope?

From what he knew, Miss Lee Ju-Hee was severely traumatized and Song Chi-Yul had lost an arm, and that was problematic even for a magician.

Somehow he didn't want to believe that the three of them would be able to cope with the barely useful help of a very weak E-rank hunter.

Although the bigger problem here was Kang Tae-Shik and not the boss.

An idiot tried to kill witnesses after completing a murder contract...

To be honest, he'd rather no one get to the bodies.

It was easier to hide something that way.

This loss of 40 minutes was to his advantage, no one will blame him for protecting his agents and not wanting to expose them to the risk of being stuck underground.

When he finally stood in front of the three hunters, the first thing that struck him was the intact state of Lee Ju-Hee and Song Chi-Yul's bodies and clothes.

A quick scan of Sung's body showed him traces of blood and cuts. On the chest and leg. Clearly already healed.

But he was the only one of the three with wounds.

If the magician and the medic were to fight Kang Tae-Shik and by some impossible miracle they won, they would probably look like they had been pulled from hell.

And Sung Jin-Woo clearly showed that he had suffered injuries.

Now he was sure that he had been wrong in the hospital.

But how did the boy manage to fool such an accurate and sensitive device as the one they used to measure him?

Faker?

NO.

He rejected it immediately.

The history of his previous rallies indicated that he was very weak.

He was hospitalized very often, was always injured in some way, and collected woefully little cores, barely able to cope in combat.

Before the double underground event, he was definitely E-ranked.

But before he entered his hospital room, the boy was conscious for only a few minutes.

His posture was one of shock, confusion, and exhaustion. Then he wouldn't have thought of simply deceiving them.

And why would he do it?

Was it really him who destroyed the double underground?

He definitely killed Hwang and his team.

An untrained D-rank hunter of 22 years would never be able to handle a group of eight.

Even if he had equipment worthy of an S-rank hunter, he would have astronomical problems fighting eight people.

A medic and a mage couldn't kill a hunter as strong and cunning as Kang.

Sung Jin-Woo was no longer E-ranked.

Woo Jin-Chul would die for this.

But what rank did he have now?

He defeated a group of D and C rank hunters. And now a B rank assassin who is near the top of his rank.

Minimum B.

Jin-Chul tried to detect any power radiating from the boy, but he was unable to sense anything. Just like when they first met.

Weird.

Either he still had so pitifully little mana that he could fit it in a thimble, or he was hiding it now.

His appearance also indicated that changes had taken place in him.

On the hospital bed, Jin-Chul saw a rather small, thin boy with delicate facial features.

If Woo Jin-Chul wasn't a professional, he would probably describe him as "cute".

The twentysomething in front of him no longer resembled a boy but a man.

He was still slightly shorter than Jin-Chul, but they were a few centimeters or five at most apart.

He hadn't seen him standing or sitting on the bed before, but from what he could tell from the length of his limbs, the boy was at least fifteen centimeters shorter than him.

His shoulders were noticeably broader, the thin T-shirt that hugged his torso and his hoodie unable to hide his hard muscles even if they tried.

His facial features were sharper and clearer, and his entire face was much more mature.

The only question is whether Sung will confess or will he play the role of an E-rank hunter?

And what should Jin-Chul do in such a situation?

- We meet again, hunter.

- Oh, you were the one who interrogated me.

Fortunately, at least the boy's voice didn't change, because then the absurdity of this whole situation would have thrown Jin-Chul into orbit.

- My name is Woo Jin-Chul, head of the Hunter Monitoring Department. Looks like one of my employees has gotten under your skin quite a bit. Kang Tae-Shik's nature always seemed... wild to me, and I often wondered why he chose to work for the Association, but he always followed orders and there was no abuse. Until today. As soon as we complete our investigation into this matter, you will receive an official apology. The case will be taken over by the Investigation Department.

Maintaining a calm, polite expression, Jin-Woo looked at the hunter across from him.

He already knew that there was no point in boasting about killing a B-rank hunter.

He didn't realize it when he first met him, but this guy in front of him was very strong.

Class A?

Definitely.

Probably the upper limit.

He would have no chance in a fight against him.

Two, his blows and he would be dead.

This guy was in a completely different league.

Actually, not only in terms of rank.

Now that he didn't appear to have been taken down from the cross, he was truly a sight to behold.

This time, the clean, perfectly ironed suit fit his body very nicely, showing his slim, but probably muscular build.

His limbs were quite long, but in a very nice healthy way.

The light brown hair was perfectly combed back and treated with a probably invisible amount of gel this time, and only one lock, the same as before, gently fell onto the forehead, curling slightly.

Slightly tanned skin, darker than Jin-Woo's.

He stood with his back straight, his hands behind them, and his chin slightly raised, but not too much.

He exuded authority, seriousness and respect.

The face was long, slightly triangular and very, very pretty.

Dark brown eyes, slightly bent nose, thin lips...

Holy crap, looking this good should be a punishable offense.

With this look, he could work as a model.

Jin-Woo tried to keep his face calm, but he felt his cheeks getting warm and hot.

Did Kang Tae-Shik hit him in the head at some point and damage his brain?

- I have a few questions for you.

Even his voice was perfect. Deep, polite, but also firm, reminding Jin-Woo of honey.

He had no fucking idea why honey.

I think he's going crazy.

- If you cooperate, everything should go smoothly.

The hunters nodded.

Mr. Song and Ju-Hee standing next to him also seemed to fall under the man's spell. And in this case, they were more ensnared by his authority and self-confidence than by his appearance and voice quality.

- Let me ask you directly.

The man's voice, although still polite, became a bit sharper and no longer looked as friendly as it had a moment earlier, although it couldn't be said that he was trying to intimidate or threaten them.

-Who killed Kang Tae-Shik?

He has to confess. He won't be able to hide his skills any longer. Additionally, he will have to break his contract with Jin-Ho since he needed someone of low rank.

- It was me.

Hearing this, Jin-Woo glanced at Mr. Song out of the corner of his eye, glad that the shock he felt at his declaration did not appear on his face at the same time.

- I killed him.

-You are a C rank, correct? - Woo Jin-Chul asked calmly. He didn't look like he didn't believe him. He didn't look like he believed him either.

However, what mattered to Jin-Woo was that the inspector's eyes were not currently on him.

Maybe he doesn't suspect anything.

- Are you telling me that you defeated a B-rank hunter?

Mr. Song pointed to Ju-Hee standing slightly behind him with a poker face.

- Do you see that woman behind me?

The inspector's gaze moved to the silent Ju-Hee.

After a while, a strange glint appeared in his eyes, which worried Jin-Woo. However, as quickly as he appeared, he disappeared and Jin-Woo did not sense any dishonest intentions coming from this man.

But the glow looked like... amusement to him?

- With the support of a B-rank medic, it's possible... - The agent admitted after a while, looking thoughtful.

Nonsense.

My natural country?

He put it into words nicely.

This man seemed simply a beast to him.

For him, not dangerous, but still a beast.

Jin-Chul knew the Assassin would have no chance against him. Kang was also aware of this, so he tried to stay away from him as much as possible. His attitude suited Jin-Chul well.

A medic with trauma clearly noted by doctors and a magician who is 60 years old.

Only a complete fool would believe such nonsense.

Jin-Chul didn't think of himself as such.

He glanced quickly at Hunter Sung.

The boy remained silent and looked as if he agreed with this version of events.

- Please come with my men, we're going to need your help filling out some reports.

Before the hunter could leave, Jin-Woo leaned over him and asked in a whisper.

- Sir, why did you lie? If the Association discovered this...

- Take it easy, boy. You saved my life twice. At least this is how I can repay you. I assume you'd rather keep your skills a secret. Isn't that so? Although you probably won't avoid the interrogation anyway.

When the gentleman left, Jin-Woo was approached by Inspector Woo Jin-Chul, who had previously been talking to his agents.

He had his hands in his pockets and seemed oddly amused, as his eyes showed, although his face was still just a mask of politeness.

- Can we talk for a moment... off the record?

Jin-Woo blinked in surprise.

- Unofficially... Yes, of course.

Jin-Chul and Jin-Woo moved away from the wandering agents to give them some privacy.

- I have been working in the Association for six years and I do not believe this version. But let's make it official. Neither a D-rank hunter would be able to kill eight more experienced hunters, nor would a medic and a magician be able to defeat Kang Tae-Shik.

Swallowing, Jin-Woo felt his pulse quicken.

He knew.

The agent's dark eyes showed confidence in his words.

Bloody hell!

So now the trouble began.

- I don't know what rank you are. I don't know why you don't want to reveal it. But you've got me interested, I'll let you continue this charade and we'll see where it takes us. You have my word that what I know will not be entered into any of the Association's files. Not until you make the move yourself.

Struggling to say anything, made it difficult due to his dry and tight throat, Jin-Woo finally managed to say something.

- Why... Why don't you reveal it... Isn't this breaking the law?

Cholera!

He shouldn't have put it that way! It sounded like he was encouraging him to come clean. Or like he was disrespecting him or something!

The agent let out a long growl, raising his eyebrows while still looking at Jin-Woo.

He seemed strangely... lazy and not at all concerned.

- Honestly... You don't seem like a bad person in any way.

- You X-rayed me. - Jin-Woo guessed.

The agent nodded slightly.

- Your mother fell into "Eternal Sleep" four years ago, your sister goes to high school and is in the top ten best students at school, there have never been any complaints about her. You supported her and yourself, risking your life in the underground for a pittance. That's why I just didn't report you, but I should have. You're right, concealing your rank if you've been reawakened is a crime, you're misleading the Association. Plus, you're involved in two incidents. But don't worry, my Department is very disliked among hunters, but despite In my opinion, I'm not a heartless bureaucrat, but I consider myself to be one. I won't reveal your secret because you haven't done anything wrong so far. However, if you break the law using your rank, I won't hesitate to punish you.

Jin-Woo stared at the agent with round, bulging eyes.

He simply said that he knew, but he would keep it to himself.

How lucky was Jin-Woo to have found such a sensible guy?

Or how unlucky it was that anyone connected the dots at all?

If Inspector Woo can figure it out... then someone else can too.

And should he believe this man that he won't betray him?

The man didn't seem the lying type.

On the other hand, if he wanted to turn him in, would he waste his time talking to him and saying all this?

- You killed Hwang in self-defense, just like Kang, you had the right to fight for your life and the life of your companions.

Jin-Woo turned pale when the agent openly spoke about killing Hwang Dong-Suk.

- Many hunters died because of him. We have suspected him of committing crimes for a long time. - Woo Jin-Chul continued calmly. - But we couldn't touch him.

-Why?

- And here we come to the heart of your entire current problem. Hwang Dong-Suk's brother was an S-rank hunter who emigrated to the United States some time ago. Hwang Dong Su. This man is hot-tempered and dangerous. You may be stronger, you probably won't tell me how much. However, there has never been a case of an E-rank hunter reawakening as an S-rank hunter. So you won't win against him. He will seek revenge. The truth doesn't matter whether it is this or not. It won't necessarily matter to him. All that matters is that you survived and his brother didn't. As an S-rank hunter, he doesn't care about laws and regulations. Be careful. You may be targeted by someone even the monsters themselves fear. The safest thing would be to take your loved ones and leave the country, but I have a strange feeling that you probably won't listen to me. But even then, no matter what you do, be vigilant.

Surprised, Jin-Woo opened his mouth a little.

This man...

He didn't have to help him at all.

He didn't have to keep his secret to himself.

He didn't have to worry about it.

But for some reason he did it.

Jin-Woo felt really grateful for this for some strange reason.

During their first meeting, Jin-Woo noticed the agent. But then he noticed his tiredness and politeness.

Today he saw much more.

The energy that Woo Jin-Chul gave off put him in the top A-rank hunters, very close to S, but at the same time very far away. He moved with the grace of someone comfortable in his own skin and confident in his place in the world. He directed his agents with calm, precise orders, and no one hesitated for even a second to obey those orders.

And for some inexplicable reason, he cared.

- Thank you, Inspector, for the warning. And... - Jin-Woo looks away, unsure of what to say. - And thank you for keeping it a secret.

- I wonder what path you will take. I hope I won't regret my decision.

- You won't. - He promised him with confidence and determination that surprised both himself and Woo Jin-Chul.

Maybe he was exaggerating, but he couldn't remember the last time anyone believed in him.

It was a really nice feeling.

Jin-Woo swore to himself that he would not break the trust this agent had placed in him.

Even if he didn't know this man.

Even if he didn't know anything about him.

Even if their paths don't cross very often.

***

After three hours of interrogation, the president of the gold processing company confessed to everything and cleared Jin-Woo and his companions of any charges.

During their interrogation, Inspector Woo Jin-Chul was present in the room, but he was not the one who interrogated him and only watched from the side, silently.

He watched Jin-Woo with moderate curiosity, not being too intrusive, still maintaining his polite yet strict professionalism.

He didn't look at him with suspicion or uncertainty, as if waiting for Jin-Woo to do something bad and break the trust he had in him.

And to be honest, a small part of Jin-Woo had expected this.

When they were finally released from the Association, Ju-Hee asked Jin-Woo for a short walk.

Juhee stared at his feet as they walked. Every time she looked up, she looked at Jin-Woo. She wanted to, but she couldn't ignore the fact that the man seemed and was much stronger than before. In the past, she had found being close to him very comfortable. Now it was difficult to even start a conversation with him.

What has become of him?

Not least the fact that he easily defeated a B-rank Hunter. The man's presence seemed completely different than before. He asked her to keep quiet, so she didn't want to press the issue.

But his sudden change worried her for some reason.

She wanted him to finally say something.

The currently silent Jin-Woo seemed so cold and distant to her, unlike the boy she had met. Gathering her courage, Ju-Hee opened her mouth with great difficulty,

- Do you remember that? I don't think I'll be able to eat anything today, so I wanted to give it back to you.

Ju-Hee gave Jin-Woo a magic core. It was the same core he had given her in the underground temple. Her hand that transferred the magic core was trembling.

- You've changed, you know? - The girl asked a bit sadly. Jin-Woo pretended that nothing bothered him after her words. -And I'm still standing still.

- You have experienced many hardships yourself. Everyone experiences such things differently.

- Maybe you're right. - Ju-Hee looked at the already darkening sky. - I'm too scared to be a hunter. I tried to overcome my fear, but it was not that easy. As a B-rank hunter, I was supposed to take part in raids on category B dungeons, or at worst C. But I was still stuck in category D or even E dungeons... That's why I kept meeting you. The treatment for your wounds was virtually endless. I thought you were just reckless... But... You always somehow managed to survive.

Not knowing how to respond, Jin-Woo looked at the core in his hand.

- Today is not the only day we can eat dinner. You don't have to return it right away.

Ju-Hee smiled sadly, shaking her head.

- I'm going back to my hometown, Busa. I'm retiring. Call me if you're ever around. I'll buy you some fresh Sashimi.

Jin-Woo was disappointed. And sad.

Maybe he didn't participate in the raids on the E and D undergrounds anymore, so he wouldn't meet Ju-Hee, but he still felt like the last part of his old life, the part he didn't want to get rid of, was falling out of his hands.

Jin-Woo smiled and Ju-Hee smiled back. And so, after saying the words she wanted to say, they both said goodbye.

The road home has never been so long and so lonely.

***

Despite the late hour, Woo Jin-Chul knocked on the door of the office of the president of the Go Gun-Hee Association.

What happened today required informing my superior.

Honestly, Woo Jin-Chul was surprised by his decision to keep his mouth shut.

He didn't regret it, but he was afraid that the president might be dissatisfied with his stupid decision.

- Come in.

Jun-Chul opened the door and walked through it, feeling the bitterness of fear in his mouth.

The last thing he wanted was to disappoint the man he respected so much.

Nevertheless, he could no longer go back on his decision like a mere coward.

Only when the president orders him to do so will Woo Jin-Chul break.

But he really hoped the man wouldn't force him to do it.

Go Gun-Hee was not a man who forced anything on his people unless he had a very good reason.

An elderly, portly man was sitting behind his desk, looking through some papers.

- How's the case going regarding Kang Tae-Shik?

- Slowly... - Jin-Chul admitted carefully, standing in front of the president's desk and giving him the report from today and the description of the hunters who confessed to killing Kang. - Song Chi-Yul, a C-rank hunter mage who lost one arm in a double dungeon a month ago, and Lee Ju-Hee, a B-rank mage with a recorded trauma from the same incident, confessed to killing him.

- I see. - The president read the files given to him and summarized by Jin-Chul. - The third participant was Sung Jin-Woo, an E-rank warrior. Suspected of reawakening. Did you find this boy on the altar?

- Correct.

- Did you believe them? - Gun-Hee asked calmly, looking curiously at his subordinate.

Woo Jin-Chul was a truly sensible, intelligent young man, and Go Gun-Hee often consulted his decisions with him, trusting his judgment.

He really liked his unconventional but very rational way of thinking.

- No, sir.

- However, you signed their confession. - He noted with curiosity, looking over the documents at the agent. - Why?

- Even though Sung Jin-Woo was still E-ranked after being checked out at the hospital... He was responsible for Kang's death.

A bit taken aback, Go Gun-Hee raised his eyebrows in surprise, he could see Jin-Chul being slightly nervous, which was a rather unusual sight.

- I think it's a longer story. Please start from the moment you checked his rank at the hospital.

Jin-Chul handed more papers to his superior. He opened it without a word. And he started reading.

-Ah. One of the two survivors of the Hwang Dong-Suk incident was Hunter Sung.

- The younger son of the president, Yoo Myung-Han, confessed to killing hunter Hwang and seven of his companions, five of whom, including Hwang, were C-rank hunters.

- This boy? - The president looked carefully at the young, smiling face of the boy.

- It was his first rally. He had no experience, and when testifying, it seemed that he barely knew the basic rules of the hunting community and raids. Although he had good quality equipment, I don't believe he could have killed eight very experienced hunters, five of whom had a higher rank than him.

- I agree. - Go Gun-Hee admitted slowly, still reading the notes from that incident. - If any equipment could increase the strength of hunters and cover their deficiencies, rich E or D rank hunters could compete with those B rank hunters. Complete absurdity. Hmm, the only other survivor was Sung Jin-Woo.

Go Gun-Hee looked at Jin-Chul with a frown.

- Neither a D-rank hunter would be able to kill eight stronger and experienced hunters, nor would a crippled mage with a stigmatized healer be able to deal with Kang Tae-Shik. The common points in these matters are the hunter Sung. He cheated the measuring device?

- I sincerely doubt it. He woke up just a few minutes before we entered his room. He was surprised, scared and tired. He would have no idea of his increased power, much less how to fool such an accurate device. There is also no possibility that he would have experienced a second awakening before then.

- So he's definitely not a faker?

- NO. The history of rallying has clearly demonstrated this. Underground ranks D and E, numerous accidents, frequent hospital stays with quite serious injuries. No faker would go to such lengths to keep up appearances. He... really was weak.

Woo Jin-Chul didn't mean it as an insult or mockery. He calmly stated an obvious fact without emotion.

- Could there have been a second awakening after the hospital stay? - Gun-Hee asked Go.

- We cannot rule it out because we have no grounds for it. But we can't confirm that either. But... talking to him... informally, when I warned him about Hwang Dong-Suk, I stated that I knew that he was the one who killed Kang Tae-Shik and Hwang Dong-Suk, he didn't deny it. He looked rather horrified that I knew. He even asked why I agreed to Mr. Song Chi-Yul's version.

- I understand, so it's a second awakening. Although to be honest... I'm also curious why you let them lie?

Pressing his lips into a thin line for a moment, Woo Jin-Chul took a calming breath through his nose and continued.

- I thought it would be worth observing him for now and finding out why he was hiding. - Woo Jin-Chul admitted honestly. - I am fully aware that I am acting against the Association's rules.

- Do you think anything good can come out of these observations?

- I don't know. - Woo Jin-Chul admitted honestly. - The murders he committed were in self-defense. He protected young Yoo Jin-Ho and then Lee Ju-Hee and Song Chi-Yul. For four years he risked his life to support himself and his younger sister, one of the top students in his high school, while his mother fell into "Eternal Sleep". It's strange that, given the opportunity to increase his rank and earn more money, he still holds on to the rank of E and since his stay in the hospital he has only been on two rallies. One with Hwang for a C rank gate and one today for DA... if he is a strong hunter... he must have at least a B, he could prove valuable to the Association.

- Do you think that... he could be recruited if he had a B or A rank? - Gun-Hee asked Go.

- I don't know. But it doesn't hurt to try. If he really destroyed the double underground, he either doesn't admit it or doesn't remember it. And to do this he would have to have at least an A.

- Do you think even higher? - Go Gun-Hee asked with great interest and skepticism.

- I do not know that. But... The Association needs strong hunters in its ranks. Additionally, we lost one today. Kang Tae-Shik was a disgusting man, but he was a strong hunter.

- Losing him is a blow. -Go Gun-Hee agreed. - I give you permission to observe him quietly. If you think he won't do anything inappropriate by breaking the law, I'll trust your judgment.

- Thank you. I warned him that if he broke the law in any way, I would immediately reveal his secret and bring him to very severe criminal responsibility. He seemed... - Woo Jin-Chul hesitated.

- So?

- He seemed very grateful that I wouldn't reveal what I knew. He promised that... I wouldn't regret my decision. He sounded very serious. And sincere.

- We'll see what comes out.

Go Gun-Hee himself was curious how this would develop. He couldn't say that he would have acted like Woo Jin-Chul in this case, but he didn't think his subordinate had done anything very wrong or reckless.

At least until young hunter Sung Jin-Woo does something very stupid and law-breaking.

However, he trusted Woo Jin-Chul's judgment. 

Chapter Text

The gate that stood before them was large even for a Category C gate.

And near the gate stood the rest of the group.

Rubbing his eyes, Jin-Woo looked back at the hunters in front of him.

Well, Jin-Ho did his best to select the team for the rallies.

Eight hunters.

A student, a drunk, an injured guy, a guy who looked like a student, a guy too obese to tie his boots standing up, much less make it underground.

Nice group.

- Um, what kind of gathering is this? - Jin-Woo asked quietly, sighing and already guessing the answer.

- What gathering? These are our people.

Jin-Woo refrained from slapping his hand to his face and nodded.

- Having a license, but for various reasons cannot take part in rallies. I have collected the cream of the crop of hunters who do not actively participate in competitions for life reasons. They want to make money quickly.

- So this brat has a license? - Jin-Woo asked with a little doubt.

- As far as I know, there is no age limit. If one has been awakened as a hunter, even as a child, one can participate in paradises.

- Smartie?! What a jerk you are. I'm a full-fledged hunter. - The girl got angry.

- Sure, kid. You don't get that feverish. You're a high school student, right? Do you have any experience?

- None.

Jin-Woo scratched his chin.

- It doesn't matter anyway. You don't have to go underground with us. Only Jin-Ho and I enter.

- They wouldn't let us into the Category C dungeons with just the two of us, so that's why we have you. - Jin-Ho explained.

Everyone looked at them as if they were crazy.

They want to do a category C dungeon together?!

Are they really that strong?

It divides.

- Will we really receive 3 million won (PLN 10,241) just for being here? - A boy who looked like a student asked after a moment of hesitation.

- Of course. 3 million for each rally you take part in. Quite a good offer considering you don't have to do anything. Just wait here. You have a provision on this subject in your contracts. If you break it, you will have to pay as a penalty an amount ten times greater than the money you earned.

The hunters whispered among themselves. Speculating, what were these two planning to do underground that would make them offer such a contract? They were curious but couldn't ask any questions. This was also part of the confidentiality clause.

Jin-Woo wanted to keep his special skills a secret, while Yoo Jin-Ho wanted to keep his plans to become a Guild Master a secret. As such, they carefully planned to keep their teammates silent.

Everyone was suspicious, but none of them wanted to back down. The reason was obvious. The conditions were too good. Even Jin-Woo had previously accepted similar terms for 2 million. Compared to the Hwang Dong-Suk incident, the couple decided to add an extra million to the contract due to the non-disclosure clause.

- You know, I'm wondering... - After a moment of staring at the gate, Jin-Woo began, glancing at his companion out of the corner of his eye. However, he stopped his thought mid-sentence, frowning at what Jin-Ho was wearing.

- What the hell are you wearing?

He asked, looking critically at the black and red armor with numerous decorations.

- Full armor made by an Italian armorer from one of the best local guilds. It's just the two of us going, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to be prepared.

Jin-Woo placed a finger on the chest plate of his armor and gently pushed him back. The huge armor easily pulled Jin-Ho to the ground.

- Don't be a clown and take it off. -Jin-Woo advised him.

- All right. - After a while, when Jin-Ho realized that he couldn't get up, he let out a suffering groan. - Brother, help.

As the pair entered the Gate, the Hunters approached it one by one and looked. One of them said anxiously,

- They didn't inspire confidence.

- Her.

Their words broke the dam of silence from the other Hunters. Everyone had something they wanted to say.

- What will happen to our payment if these two kick the bucket there?

- Well, we already received money for this underground.

- Why do they want only the two of them to enter the category C underground?

- If they are so strong, why doesn't he join a larger guild to fight in high-class dungeons?

- They didn't look strong, actually.

- What were their names?

The man with a cast on one leg quickly took out his phone and checked their employers.

- Yoo Jin-Ho i Sung Jin-Woo.

- Are you kidding me? The raid boss has a D?!

The hunters groaned at this news. The next piece of information surprised them even more.

— A ten drugi to Rank E!

- Isn't it suicide for an E rank hunter to enter the C category underground?

- These two want to clear the underground themselves?!

- Hey! Damn it! The raid leader only has one previous raid under his belt! He has no experience.

- Why does someone as young as them go to such dangerous places?!

To the other Hunters, Jin-Woo and Jin-Ho's actions were simply a creative way to commit suicide. There was a reason why the Association had a minimum number of people for C-ranked gates: 10. Additionally, half of the hunters present at the raid must be C-ranked.

The hunters were at a loss for words. Feeling like they were aiding someone's suicide, they didn't feel any good about their current situation. Even if they were complete strangers, no one wanted to see, or rather know, that someone was about to die in the Gate before them. Moreover, they felt disappointed with the idea that they would not be paid for the remaining 18 rallies. It's regrettable, but there was no way these two men would come back alive.

- Should we notify the Association?

- What if we are held responsible? For not stopping them or forging the list or something?!

At this time, the Gate wavered, and Jin-Woo and Jin-Ho emerged from the underground.

Although the two hunters' faces were full of exhaustion, especially Jin-Ho who was desperately gasping for air, both of them were practically intact in terms of their physical condition.

- Did they manage to escape?

- They were damn lucky.

The hunters greeted the couple with relief. Due to the short time they spent in the underground, the Hunters assumed that the pair had been wandering aimlessly near the entrance and managed to escape when they encountered the first monster. But suddenly the Hunters' expression began to change. Someone shouted

- The gate is closing!

- What?!

- They managed to kill the boss?!

- The two of us?!

- Where is the next gate? - Jin-Woo asked, ignoring the hunters talking around them. He wasn't surprised that everyone expected them to escape instead of clearing the underground. After all, they had certain ranks. At least on paper.

-Er? About an hour away. - Jin-Ho admitted after a while, then raised his voice and shouted cheerfully to the rest of the group.

- We still have two dungeons to clean today. Let's not waste time. I assume that everyone is coming with us, probably no one will give up such an easy 9 million.

The hunters' mouths opened even wider than a moment ago when they heard that these two wanted to conquer two more category C dungeons on their own today.

As if cleaning one C gate with two people with such ranks was not enough for them.

***

- I have information about hunter Sung Jin-Woo's next raids. - The agent announced as he entered his boss's office.

Woo Jin-Chul put aside and looked at the agent who had a clearly worried face, the agent gave him a list with the planned next raids along with the days on which the hunters planned raids on each of the gates.

Since the Association measured the strength of gates and issued permits for raids, it was obvious that they had access to the list of raids, the days on which they were scheduled and even the list of hunters taking part in them.

The list included 11 booked rallies, which was nothing strange. However, Jin-Chul's eye was caught by the fact that three gates were reserved for today.

Jin-Chul only got this list because Sung Jin-Woo was supposed to take part in these raids.

It turns out that the boy wanted to take part in three rallies today. For category C bams.

Such action was unheard of. Hunters usually did not clean several dungeons a day because it was simply too dangerous. Each raid was tiring, and a tired hunter was weaker and slower, making mistakes. And these factors could very easily lead to tragedy.

Sometimes it happened that hunters cleaned gates of high categories, such as A, B or C, two or even three days in a row. But even these were sporadic cases and only concerned the largest and strongest guilds.

Each raid was tiring, and a tired hunter can die much more easily.

Therefore, it is generally accepted that guilds usually rest for two or even three days after a raid, depending on the wounds suffered in battle.

Unless the guild had so many strong members that it could afford to have two raid groups. As was the case with the Hunters or the White Tiger, then these groups operated alternately and the profits were huge and they did not slow down one of the groups due to rest, since the other was then underground and earning money.

But for a single non-guild hunter to participate in three raids in a row in one day.

- At the very bottom there are the names of people taking part in the raids... The same group wants to clear all these dungeons?! - Woo Jin-Chul asked in disbelief.

- Yes, sir, but... But that's not the strangest thing. - The agent admitted.

The agent, Ha Su-Woon, was the deputy of the Hunter Monitoring Department and Jin-Chul's right-hand man. He was in the hospital with him, so he knew that the measurement showed nothing.

- I checked these hunters. None of them are suitable for the duties of a hunter.

- What do you mean? - Jin-Chul asked interested, reading each name. The only one he recognized was Yoo Jin-Ho. The kid who was involved in Hwang's death. Didn't they part ways after this incident? Interesting.

- A rank E high school student, a D rank alcoholic, a C rank student, a C rank hunter who got injured, a severely overweight man rank C. Each of them either has no experience at all or is incapable of fighting in one way or another. However, they have already reported cleaning two of the three basements.

Woo Jin-Chul really couldn't figure out why Sung Jin-Woo was doing all this.

Assembling such a team is pure stupidity. Cleaning C-rank dungeons with them is even greater.

- Have they reported any accidents?

- No, sir. Raid boss Yoo Jin-Ho only reported successful clearing of the dungeons.

And he thought everyone would believe he still had raga E? Somewhat naively, if all this had been discovered by someone other than Woo Jin-Chul, they could have immediately revealed it and forced him to re-measure.

Hiding things like this from the Association is much harder than this boy thinks.

- So the third rally is still going on? - Jin-Chul asked after a while. - I'd like to... take a look at this group. The surveillance of Sung Jin-Woo is secret, no one can yet know that the boy actually underwent the Second Awakening, ordered by the president.

Nodding in surprise, Ha Su-Woon asked.

- So... after all? The measurement in the hospital showed nothing.

- Exactly. And it had to have happened either in the double underground or after he left the hospital. I'll explain everything to you on the way, let's go.

***

The second rally went just as easily and quickly as the first, much to the group's dismay and surprise. Now they understood the terms of secrecy and no questions asked.

This situation required asking a lot of questions. But as long as they were getting the money, the urge to ask what the hell was going on was surprisingly bearable.

During the third rally, the atmosphere was much more confident and calm as they expected that their bosses would soon return intact and they would get the money.

At least for most of the rally, this was the atmosphere.

Until a black SUV drove up close to them, and most hunters associated such cars only with trouble.

To the growing panic of most of the group, two men in black suits and sunglasses emerged from the car.

- Holy crap. - The man smoking a cigarette swore.

- What is it about? - Asked the confused high school student who was the only one who didn't understand why everyone suddenly became so nervous.

- These are guys from the Association. - The obese man explained to her.

- Worse. The higher one is the head of the Monitoring Department. - A man smoking a cigarette continued. - Scary son of a bitch. He locked up my brother for six years. For some innocent forgery of rally permits or something equally stupid.

The men approached them calmly while every hunter present held their breath and watched them with concern.

- How can we help you? - The man with a cast on his leg asked after a while, looking carefully at the two agents.

- Chief Inspector Woo Jin-Chul and Inspector Ha Su-Woon Hunter Monitoring Department.

Woo Jin-Chul looked at the group in front of him.

The description on paper did not reflect... the shortcomings of this group.

And most interestingly, neither Yoo Jin-Ho nor Sung Jin-Woo were among them.

Did these two go underground alone?

This would explain the group's selection, they did not need strong hunters, but people who could fill the gaps.

But why did D-rank hunter Yoo Jin-Ho go underground with Sung Jin-Woo?

Why was he even here?

- We would like to talk to hunters Sung Jin-Woo and Yoo Jin-Ho, but as I see, the raid is not over yet.

- We're not doing anything wrong. - He noticed gloomily the man smoking a cigarette.

- You're not doing anything wrong. - Woo Jin-Chul agreed calmly.

In theory, anyone who obtained a license could enter the underground, and if the group looked like this, well... it wasn't a crime to have health problems or addictions (depending on which ones).

However, if two hunters entering the underground died alone there and it turned out that the remaining group was outside to fill in the places and they took money for it... Well, there was a section for that.

However, merely paying hunters to join private groups to fill required slots was not prohibited. This was a transaction that was common in the hunting world, and prohibiting it could affect private groups, lone shooters and weaken the market for items mined from the underground. At least for a while.

And discourage hunters from joining the Association even more.

Banning this would be too much of a mess.

The gate began to wave and two hunters finally came out, the one carrying a backpack with supplies was clearly more tired, but he didn't have any signs of any fighting, unlike the few minor scratches Sung Jin-Woo had.

- Hey, bro, we managed to clear this underground the fastest. Less than twenty minutes!

- Truly worth congratulating. - Woo Jin-Chul admitted politely, taking off his glasses and looking at them carefully.

Seeing them, Yoo Jin-Ho turned deathly pale and swallowed, looking at Sung Jin-Woo.

Hunter Sung was visibly calmer, although he also seemed surprised by the presence of the agents.

- Hello Hunter Sung, Hunter Yoo.

- Inspector Woo. - Jin-Woo greeted politely. - Um, I don't want to sound rude, but what brings you here?

- I wanted to talk to you. - The agent admitted calmly. - What... what you're doing here isn't illegal. But it's definitely unusual.

- All right. - Jin-Woo admitted in surprise, nodding his head to Jin-Ho.

While Jin-Ho, visibly flustered, talked to Jin-Chul's deputies. The agent moved aside and Jin-Woo could talk calmly.

- I apologize for intruding, as I have no serious grounds for doing so. - The agent began calmly. - However, seeing the description of the rallies you take part in, the group selection and their frequency... sooner or later someone in the Association would be interested in it.

Jin-Woo ran his hand over his face in frustration.

Of course, Jin-Ho accepted everyone, which is why this strange group for the rally was probably recorded in the Association's papers.

Why didn't he think about it more when he saw them this morning?!

- As I told the raid members, you are not doing anything wrong. As long as no one dies while clearing the dungeons. But that probably won't happen, so I don't see any problems. However, I wanted to make you aware that the Association knows more and sees more than you may think. I don't encourage you to lie to us in any way, because that would have serious consequences. I was curious why you created such a group and why Yoo Jin-Ho was the only one accompanying you. But this is not my scope of competence, it is only your private matters and I have no right to interfere in them.

Jin-Woo was nodding his head, listening to the inspector and wondering whether the world loved him or actually hated him.

The Association discovered so pitifully quickly the strange raids that Jin-Woo and Jin-Ho were about to undertake, mainly due to the latter's lack of caution. However, Jin-Woo also missed the fact that the Association has insight into what the hunters are doing.

Who does he go to rallies with, when, how many times a day. All.

Previously, as an E-rank trash hunter, he didn't think about it because he received orders from the Association to clean the E and D undergrounds and that was where it all ended. Back then, there was no registration, no minimum number of people. Although even then, the Association probably recorded which hunter he was calling when sending him to the rally, when and where.

Until now, he hadn't thought much about the Association's role in the hunters' lives. And how deep their competences reach and how many eyes they have around them.

Now, however, he began to understand why it was not for nothing that it was sometimes said that the president of the Association was one of the most powerful people in the country.

- The president of the Association is the only one who knows about your situation, because I couldn't help but inform him about the whole matter. However, he gave me permission to simply observe you and let you do as you wish for now. Remember, however, that my silence does not make you go unpunished.

- I see. - Jin-Woo nodded seriously. - I don't intend to abuse... your patience. And thank you again.

- I'll watch you, but I won't breathe into your neck. That's it. Thank you for your time, Hunter Sung, and sorry for the intrusion.

Once the agents got into the car, Jin-Ho hurriedly approached Jin-Woo and asked.

- What was it about?

- That `s nothing. I was warned and... I don't know. Anyway, he became interested in our rallies because of the group you chose.

- It's matter? - Jin-Ho was worried.

- A student, an injured person, an alcoholic, a guy so fat that he could barely move for the bus... They see who takes part in rallies.

- Oh. - Fear began to shine in Jin-Ho's eyes. - So we have to...

- NO. The inspector said... he would keep it to himself. Only the president of the Association and the inspector know... that I am not an E rank.

- And they won't tell anyone? - Jin-Ho asked, a bit surprised.

- Until I start breaking the law.

The inspector was obviously interested in him.

NO.

He was interested in his activities.

Not him.

It's a big difference.

He felt his cheeks starting to burn.

Why does this man have to be the fucking embodiment of perfection and constantly revolve around it?!

***

It turned out that the Association was not the only one interested in Jin-Woo's rallies.

On the third day of raids, the White Tiger Guild was in a frenzy.

The head of the Second Management Department, Ahn Sang-Min, had a headache from the very morning.

- So just spend more money on your reservation! Is our Guild short of money or manpower? What exactly is the problem?! Training of new recruits tomorrow! And we have no place to train them!

At Ahn Sang-Min's screams, the entire Second Management Department fell silent, as if at a funeral. It's been a while since Ahn Sang-Min has been this angry.

The White Tiger Guild wasn't just any bunch of idiots. Or at least it shouldn't be! So why did his people have trouble booking the stupid Category C gate?!

It was one of the top 5 guilds in South Korea.

Its employees had to be suitably qualified. Deputy Hyun Gee-Chul was also a good employee who had never made a mistake so far. And to think that such a man couldn't even reserve the Gate for training new recruits!

- Boss, look at this...

Deputy Hyun Gee-Chul handed over the briefcase to the boss looking ready to tear his hair out, while the other one looked ready to commit murder.

- 200 Million and 5 thousand?! Someone spent 200,005,000 Won to acquire the rights to clear the Category C underground!? (PLN 682,786)

Ahn Sang-Min looked at the papers handed to him in disbelief.

He was completely lost for words. The maximum amount of profit that could be made on a Category C gate was 200 million. Using the same amount...

In fact, even five thousand more was stupid.

- Their original offer was around seventy million. But when I outbid them to a hundred million, these bastards raised their bid to two hundred.

In the White Tiger Guild, the default maximum amount for reserving Category C gates was 100 million. If what he said was true, he wasn't at fault.

- Recently, a team started digging up the rights to every category C dungeon they could find.

Ahn Sang-Min's fingers started jumping around on the keyboard. The search results immediately appeared on the screen. As Gee-Chul said, rally permits for all the Category C gates in the area were snapped up with incredible speed and at a very unreasonable price.

At first he thought maybe it was some other guild's way of sabotaging them. But no guild would be crazy enough to waste money just to sabotage them.

Besides, there would be no guild stupid enough to start a dispute with the White Tiger guild.

Not even Hunters or Reapers could do that.

But in addition, it quickly turned out that it was a private group.

- The head of this group is Yoo Jin-Ho. I've never heard of him.

- As far as I know, he is the younger son of the president of the real estate company. It looks like he's buying the gates using his father's money. - Hyun Gee-Chul stated helpfully.

- Alright. But it's still a waste of money. He will be a weak president.

After a moment of searching through the list of rally participants, Ahn Sang-Min's gaze landed on one of the participants whose name seemed strangely familiar to him.

- Gee-Chul, what was the name of that survivor of the massacre two or three months ago?

- Oh... From what I remember... Sung Jin-Woo.

First he survived the double underground and now he was just having fun in the category C underground? Something was wrong here.

- No matter what you're doing right now, you need to stop and find me everything you can about the hunters Sung Jin-Woo and Yoo Jin-Ho.

The speed of the employees' reaction to this sudden task may have been surprising. It was not without reason that they were called elites. One by one, reports quickly appeared before Ahn Sang-Min.

Honestly, there was nothing special about Yoo Jin-Ho. He was the second son of the president of Yoo Jin Construction, but apart from that there was nothing special about him.

Sung Jin-Woo was different.

- So including the double underground incident, he was involved in three such incidents in quite a short period of time.

Sung Jin-Woo and Yoo Jin-Ho met during Yoo Jin-Ho's first raid and were the only survivors.

The third was related to the murder of an Association inspector.

And now the pair formed a team and conquered 2-3 dungeons a day. It was unimaginable speed.

– What do you think they are doing?

Jin-Ho had connections with Yoo Jin's company.

There have been rumors for some time that the president of this form is contacting talented hunters and gathering a team to create a guild.

More and more pieces of the puzzle were emerging for Ahn Sang-Min.

- This son of a bitch has had a second awakening!

Hyun Gee-Chul looked at his boss with wide eyes.

An E-rank hunter was only slightly stronger than an ordinary human. If an accident occurred, almost everyone was presumed dead. But Sung Jin-Woo went through many incidents in which his friends, most often being stronger than him, died while he escaped uninjured.

He might get lucky once or twice at most.

But not as many as three.

Especially not the third one.

The incident in which a hunter from the Surveillance Department, Kang Tae-Shik, committed a contract murder and then murdered witnesses was different. Records showed that a C-rank mage and a B-rank medic teamed up to defeat Kang.

If Kang Taeshik wasn't an idiot, he would have tried to take care of it with the highest rank first, the strongest being a B-rank medic. That gave two reasons to eliminate her. It was not only about the rank but also about the ability to strengthen and heal that she had.

– According to the report, a C-rank mage defeated Kang. What nonsense.

Mage-class hunters were weak compared to melee hunters, and among them, their worst possible matchup would be against the Assassin class. Perhaps Kang Tae-Shik could have arrogantly ignored the presence of a B-rank Healer, but it was unlikely that a three-year veteran of the Association would have made such a mistake.

It wasn't Song Chi-Yul who stopped the Association agent that day.

He didn't have solid proof, but Ahn Sang-Min was confident in his theory.

Sung Jin-Woo underwent a second awakening and became a high-ranking hunter. Yoo Jin-Ho witnessed his power in their raid and decided to test him to place him in his father's Guild. Everything fell into place.

If he defeated Kang Tae-Shik who has a B rank, then the rank must be above.

Now the question is whether no one has already discovered it?

It's possible that Yoo Jin-Ho's father knew. But if that was the case, he would keep this secret close to himself, after all, the success of his guild depended on it.

Association?

These guys knew way more than any guild. More than the White Tiger or even the Hunters.

He also wondered why experienced agents from the Association were so easily fooled by the tale of Kang's death.

By accessing the Association's website from an account representing the White Tiger guild, Sang-Min checked who was investigating the matter.

Not being very surprised, he saw the name of Chief Inspector of the Hunter Monitoring Department, Woo Jin-Chul.

He knew more about this man than the average civilian.

Typically, the public and the media were interested in hunters from top guilds, writing about their lives and careers. No one in the Association cared about hunters, no matter how strong they were. A and B rank hunters operating in the Association were anonymous. Working there did not bring them little or huge wealth, and they did not clean strong underground areas every few days, thus attracting media attention.

Ahn Sang-Min had never met the Chief Inspector, but the largest guilds that often worked with the Association knew a lot about him. After all, he was the head of the Department dealing with hunters, cooperation with them and care for them. Additionally, Woo Jin-Chul was a very strong A-rank hunter that the White Tiger Guild would fight fiercely for if the man was ever interested in joining the guild.

But he wasn't. Never.

The head of the White Tiger Guild spoke highly of this man several times.

It was also known that he was practically the shadow of the President of the Go Gun-Hee Association and the president greatly valued his advice and opinions.

It seemed absurd that someone like that would simply believe that Kang, his subordinate whose skills he should have known, had been defeated by a magician and a medic.

Additionally, he must have known about the incident with Hwang Dong-Suk, who was the younger brother of an S-rank hunter.

He couldn't believe that Inspector Woo would be fooled like a child.

It was very likely that he had connected the dots, but he remained silent and let Sung remain silent for now.

And if that was the case... Then Sung may have been A-ranked or even higher and had made some sort of agreement with the Association.

Cholera!

This empty space in the information bothered him a lot, but he had no way to fill it.

But he could have operated without this information.

Now their priority will be to acquire Sung Jin-Woo before other Guilds do it, or even the Association if they are interested in him as Ahn Sang-Min thought. The competition would become fierce after Sung's retest. Even if the man hadn't turned out to be so highly ranked, it wouldn't have mattered. Since their worldwide numbers were incredibly small, the Awakened Hunter would be a prime target for the press. This alone would make a man an incredible source of advertising power that money cannot buy.

It is possible that this is what the Association has noticed, which has recently begun to lose its importance and popularity.

Eventually they will need new strong hunters.

And few were willing to join them, leaving behind huge amounts of money and fame.

- We don't have time to waste.

Ahn Sang-Min grabbed his coat on the chair.

– Gee-Chul, let's go.

Hyun Gee-Chul was surprised by his boss's actions.

- Where to?

- For scouting.

- Oh? Okay, I'm going now.

Ahn Sang-Min quickly turned to leave. Hyun Gee-Chul followed him with his head tilted.

Since he became the boss 2 years ago, this was the first time Ahn Sang-Min went out directly for recruitment.

***

Leveling up in the C rank gates was really profitable. In addition to the levels, he managed to acquire some cool skills and strengthen the ones he already has.

ALARM

[SKILL: ACCURATE ATTACK LV.1] HAS BEEN ACQUIRED. (ACTIVE)

70 MANY

APPLIES TO DAGGERS ONLY

- YOU KNOW HOW TO HANDLE A DAGGER. YOUR ATTACKS TO YOUR ENEMY'S VITAL POINTS WILL DEAL CRITICAL DAMAGE.

ALARM

[SKILL ADVANCED DAGGER LV.1] HAS BEEN ACQUIRED (PASSIVE)

APPLIES TO DAGGERS ONLY

- YOU HAVE USED A DAGGER FOR A LONG TIME. AS A RESULT, YOUR MOVEMENTS WILL BE MUCH MORE CONFIDENT

- YOUR DAGGER ATTACKS WILL DEAL AN ADDITIONAL 33% DAMAGE.

ALARM

[SKILL: SPRINT] REACHED A NEW LEVEL

However, at the end of cleaning another dungeon, something interesting happened.

The announcement of a new level was followed by another one.

ALARM

[YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL]

ALARM

[PLAYER] HAS REACHED THE REQUIRED LEVEL.

NEW TASK

A NEW TASK HAS APPEARED:

[CHANGE OF PROFESSION]

DO YOU ACCEPT THE TASK?

[YES NO]

Change of profession?

Something interesting.

So far, the word "none" appeared in the "profession" column.

However, it was clear that now he was strong enough and the system gave him a task that allowed him to acquire a profession.

However, he was not sure what the system meant by "profession".

Nevertheless, it should be interesting.

He will accept any opportunity to become stronger.

***

Someone finally took an interest and connected the dots.

Someone who wasn't a sinfully hot Association inspector.

Some guy from the White Tiger guild seemed to be aware that Jin-Woo was a strong hunter and asked to talk to him at the cafe.

At first, Jin-Woo thought it might have been something to do with the double underground, because it was the White Tiger Guild and the Association's employees who found it.

But it's been too long. So Jin-Woo assumed that was it.

The cafe the man suggested was the same cafe where he met Jin-Ho.

Which could mean that this man knew where Jin-Woo lived.

He only went there to get all the stupid ideas out of his head.

Even the Association's website did not list the hunter's home address, only his name and rank. An individual Hunter could choose to add additional information to their profile, but Jin-Woo was not one of those people. So if they knew his whereabouts, they must have investigated him thoroughly.

And he didn't like that very much.

- Hunters, Reapers, Knight, Fame and us - the White Tiger. You must have heard about us at least once.

Ahn Sang-Min listed the top 5 guilds in South Korea. Among them, the number one guild was the "Hunters". However, this was not always the case. Originally, the number one guild in Korea was the "Reapers", but some Reaper members left the guild and formed their own "White Tiger", and as a result, the "Hunters" took first place. place. And like the apprentice surpassing the master, the White Tiger, as a Guild, surpassed the Reapers, becoming number two, while the Reapers fell from the top of the podium to third place.

Rolling his eyes, Jin-Woo replied.

- I am the person who oversees the recruitment and management of new Hunters for one of the top five Guilds. My name is Ahn Sang-Min, head of the Second Management Department.

Other Hunters would bow their heads at a 90-degree angle before even receiving a business card. Unless you were an S-rank hunter or stood at the top of the A-rank, the White Tiger Guild was highly desired by most Hunters. Truth be told, Ahn Sang-Min was hoping for such a reaction from Jin-Woo, but he was disappointed. As if he wasn't impressed, Jin-Woo calmly asked the question he came for:

- Why did a person working for the White Tiger start exposing me?

To think that he would sound dissatisfied after hearing about the White Tiger Guild.

He immediately realized that recruiting Jin-Woo would not be an easy task. But that made him want to bring the hunter to their side even more. A recruit with a fighting spirit wasn't a bad thing.

- I'll get to the point, I don't want to waste your time.

Just in time, Jin-Woo bit his tongue before he noticed that he was already doing it.

- We want to hire you. We'll beat your current salary twice.

Jin-Woo was still calm, only mainly because he sensed no ill intentions from the man. It seemed like he saw Jin-Woo as just another recruit.

As if to convince him, the man revealed a few more facts.

- This may be top secret information, but we are well aware of Chairman Yoo Myung-Han's plans to create a new Guild.

Jin-Woo neither confirmed nor denied. Ahn Sang-Min continued:

- And when we noticed that Yoo Jin-Ho, the man's son, and you had made contact, we were able to draw conclusions. Hunter Sung, you are a reawakened hunter, and Yoo Jin Construction wanted you to join their Guild.

As expected, Ahn Sang-Min thought he was an Awakened Hunter.

He wasn't going to disabuse him.

Ahn Sang-Min quickly added:

We were hoping to talk to you before you signed an official contract with Yoo Jin. That's why we contacted you unexpectedly. We apologize again for our rudeness.

- All right.

It would be different if they came to him with bad intentions, but now that they were so apologetic, there was no need for Jin-Woo to be angry.

However, he didn't know how to deal with this whole situation.

The White Tiger Guild was one of the five strongest guilds in the country. She was actually in second place. The choice wouldn't be that bad.

But he didn't want to join the guild just yet.

Once he reaches the level of an S-rank hunter and completes the whole mysterious task of changing his profession, although it would be more accurate to say that he acquired a profession, he may think about joining a guild.

Now, for now, he was completing C-rank dungeons. But one day he will be able to complete B- or A-rank dungeons.

On the other hand, if he could clean the underground himself...

The income from the high-class underground was beyond imagination. Clearing out such dungeons allowed large guilds to grow to the level of large corporations. When you factor in high-quality magical cores, magical beast carcasses, minerals, runestones, and artifacts, the Hunter business was astronomically profitable. If he could maintain a monopoly on all the profits from the vaults if he could clean them himself, was there any reason he should join the Guild?

And until he was promoted, this scenario was not impossible.

Additionally, he didn't know how much stronger he would become after changing his profession.

I guess, just thinking about it, he figured out a way to get this guy off his back.

- You said my salary would be doubled?

- Yes. And if we decide that the price is insufficient for your skills, we will be happy to raise it.

- So what is the value of our White Tiger guild? - Jin-Woo asked casually.

Ahn Sang-Min froze for a second.

Was he questioning the financial strength of their guild?

Well, there was no need to panic. It was an opportunity to show off the Guild. There was no need to hide or hold my tongue. Ahn Sang-Min was rather pleased with this opportunity.

- The estimated value is about fifty billion. We do not use the entire building, but the deed is our property.

Ahn Sang-Min spoke proudly. In the past, they rented their office in the building, but when the Guild strengthened its position in the country, they immediately bought the entire building. It took them a year to achieve this. This was a testament to how much the big guilds were making. Ahn Sang-Min was ready to discuss White Tyrgys' finances and income in detail, but froze when Jin-Woo spoke.

- Sixty billion.

This building, could you give it to me? How much is it worth, hmm?

- I'm sorry, but what?

Ahn Sang-Min's eyes were wide open. He doubted his hearing and asked:

- What do you mean? Um... About 50 billion.

Jin-Woo calmly explained what he meant.

- Yoo Jin promised me a building worth thirty billion. While it's not exactly double, I'll happily take the price of fifty billion in the form of the White Tiger building.

– Thirty billion?

Sung Jin-Woo's hunter career spanned 4 years, but he was an E-rank hunter. He hadn't done anything special until recently, which means his Awakening must have been recent. So what power did this man demonstrate that Yoo Myung-Han, a man known for his business acumen, would offer him 30 billion won?And that was before he had even finished testing him.

Maybe he's bluffing and just wants to artificially inflate his value so that the White Tiger will offer him more.

It was lunchtime and the cafe was almost empty. Jin-Woo deliberately turned the volume to the highest setting.

– Jin-Ho, let me ask you something.

- Hi brother. Of course, ask.

Jin Ho? As in Yoo Jin-Ho? Ahn Sang-Min swallowed.

Is he planning to give it to Yoo Jin-Ho?

But his guesses didn't come true. Instead, Jin-Woo brought up another topic,

- That building you promised me. Can you remind me what its value is?

- Current estimates are thirty billion, but when we establish our Guild there, the value will certainly increase significantly, but we will have to wait a while until the guild stabilizes. Oh that's right! Do you need a copy of our contract? Should I fax it to you?

- No, it's okay. Thank you. Take care.

After Jin-Woo finished the conversation, he noticed that Ahn Sang-Min's expression had completely changed. The man's eyes were trembling slightly.

Even before they founded the Guild, Yoo Jin Construction promised him thirty billion as contract fee? And the respectful way the president's son addressed him...

Was he that strong?!

Is it possible that he has the rank of...?!

But if that was the case, why would he be limited to C-rank gates?!

Is there any specific reason?!

If so, what kind?

- Um... it's beyond my authority to make such an offer. If you give me some time, I can talk to the management.

Had he screwed up?

If only he had known the details of the contract in advance and had better prepared for the conversation.

He was angry with himself for rushing through it all. He was blinded by the prospect of winning big and moved too carelessly.

He had to report all this to the Guild Master.

If Jin-Woo was a hunter worth 30 billion to Chairman Yoo Myung-Han, he could be worth 50 or maybe even 100 billion. It wasn't too late.

Shaking his head slightly, Jin-Woo stated.

- There's no need. It doesn't matter how much you offer me. I will not agree. Ah... Well, yes. Where did you get information about me?

Before his eyes, Sung Jin-Woo, who was sitting just like that a moment ago, vanished into thin air. Disappeared. As if he was never there.

Ahn Sang-Min immediately recognized this rare powerful skill.

Hiding!

- Do not turn around. - Jin-Woo advised him quietly, his voice coming from behind Sang-Min.

Now he understood the offer made by Yoo Jin, which no longer surprised him at all.

- It was an accident. - Sang-Min admitted with his heart in his throat. - One of the employees in our office noticed that someone was quickly cleaning the category C underground, so we decided to investigate. There have been three recent incidents. You participated in all of them. Only someone who had woken up again could survive something like that. Especially the last one. Yoo Jin-Ho had to see what you were capable of and decided to cooperate with you. By connecting all the dots, everything started to make sense. And so we found ourselves here.

Jin-Woo pursed his lips in irritation. Not necessarily at the man in front of him, because he hadn't really done anything wrong.

He was just doing his job.

He was just angry. Not necessarily even on yourself.

First the Association, then this guy from White Tiger.

In the Association, however, only Chief Inspector Woo knew, and apparently the fucking president himself. Still, only two people and for now they were just watching him.

It's possible that they will finally lose their patience and want him to stop hiding.

But so far they haven't shown any such thing.

Now he just had to check how many people in the White Tiger guild knew about him.

As it turns out, it's quite easy to put the whole story together if you have enough pieces of the puzzle.

This meant that a) their quick dungeon cleaning had been noticed and b) he might have to hurry up to the S-rank and end this cover-up charade before he was noticed.

- How many people know about me?

- Only me and my subordinate, but only him. The rest of my people just know that I was gathering information on you.

Jin-Woo nodded.

Just as he thought.

It would all be too much for one man. Investigation, surveillance and contact. The damning evidence was contact. He was called as soon as he returned home.

Someone must have been watching him and giving the signal when the rally was over and he started heading back home.

They wanted to meet him, but they couldn't afford for Yoo Jin-Ho to find out about it.

But he managed to confirm that not the entire Guild was interested in him, but two people.

To be honest, he was very relieved about this.

It was easier to blow off two people than the whole damn guild knowing his secret, and if they really wanted to win him over, they could even try to blackmail him by revealing it.

The man's words were confirmed by his earlier reaction to 50 billion. The man panicked when Jin-Woo raised an amount he had no right to agree to. If the Guild superiors were involved, the man would have at least tried to contact them. And so Jin-Woo suspected that there was only a small team involved, and as he believed, it was actually only two people.

He didn't want to complicate his situation. He could have intimidated Ahn Sang-Min a bit to make sure he wouldn't talk about him and would leave him alone.

- To be honest, I also rejected Yoo Jin's offer.

- What?!

- The reason I rejected Yoo Jin's offer was because I don't plan on joining the Guild for now. I don't want the number of people who know about me to increase.

What he wanted was simple. He didn't want to join the Guild and didn't want his information leaked. Ahn Sang-Min understood what the hunter meant. There was one interesting thing though,

-So, why are you participating in raids with Yoo Jin-Ho? - The man asked carefully.

- I'm helping Yoo Jin-Ho for personal reasons. He was the only one who knew about my Awakening and I considered him a trustworthy friend.

Jin-Woo said his next words with great seriousness.

- I understand that I can assume that if news about me spreads, it will be your subordinate's fault and yours?

Jin-Woo has repeatedly emerged unscathed from numerous incidents. They say what happens underground stays underground. No one knew exactly what this man was doing during these incidents.

What's more, this man can use Stealth...

Hiding was a troublesome skill. The person possessing it could freely commit crimes without leaving a trace. He bypassed all surveillance and monitoring devices. A trickle of sweat ran down Ahn Sang-Min's face.

To think he had such skills.

Possessing great skills and a rare skill, Yoo-Jin had offered him 30 billion, and now it was not strange.

They are not a company that simply overpays for something.

- I am obliged to report to my superiors. However, I would rather live a little longer. Gee-Chul... I'll make sure his mouth stays closed.

Honestly, Ahn Sang-Min was the one who wanted to raise the issue of silence. Jin-Woo was a hidden treasure that no one else had discovered yet. Ahn Sang-Min did not want to invite unnecessary competition by spreading the news of his existence.

The fewer people knew, the better. Another thing is that he couldn't even tell his colleagues.

He also didn't want to incur the wrath of someone like Hunter Sung. The man was terrible, you had to admit it.

- Thank you.

Sung Jin-Woo reappeared in the seat in front of him as if he had never gotten up.

- Our actions must have gotten under the skin of your guild. Unfortunately, we cannot abandon our actions for now.

- This will be a problem. Without it, we have nowhere to send our young hunters. We won't send them to more difficult dungeons.

Jin-Woo pretended to think about solving this issue.

- Maybe we'll come to an agreement.

- Shall we come to an agreement? - The surprised man asked.

- We will sell you the three reserved basements. Of course, this offer is only for today, we can't just wait. If you don't use it in the future, you may have difficulty obtaining category C dungeons. At least for some time, of course.

Is he playing salesman?!

Gates didn't just appear in the city. They could always send their hunters elsewhere. But then they would enter the territories of other guilds. And that could get them in trouble.

- Let it be. For how much?

- Let it be 300 million (PLN 1,024,153) per piece. - Jin-Woo said after a while.

Ahn Sang-Min almost gasped at the stakes.

- But the maximum you can get from them is 200 million. This will be money down the drain! Maybe 200 million after all! 300 is too much.

After a moment of silence, Jin-Woo nodded.

- Let it be. 3 category C gates for PLN 600 million. (PLN 2,048,306)

After Jin-Woo had already left, Ahn Sang-Min sat frozen, trying to understand what had just happened.

Finally, his subordinate Hyun Gee-Chul found the boss sitting there. He watched the cafe from a distance and waited for Hunter Sung to leave so he could talk to the boss.

- The meeting didn't go well?! - Hyun Gee-Chul asked worriedly, seeing his boss's face.

- I think... I think we miscalculated a bit. - The man finally choked out.

They had to get this treasure. Ahn Sang-Min's head was filled to the brim with thoughts of how to get Hunter Sung. Fortunately, there was still a chance.

***

After leaving the cafe, Jin-Woo called Jin-Ho with the good news.

- 600 million, like you said. - Jin-Woo announced happily.

- Ha! Who would have thought that they could be resold for so much? - Jin-Ho said happily. -Who bought them?

- Trade secret.

- Okay, I won't push it. Has anyone ever told you that you are truly amazing?

- NO. I think you're overestimating me a bit, Jin-Ho.

***

That same day in the afternoon, there was another storm in Ahn Sang-Min's office.

This time for a slightly different reason.

- Boss! Boss! - Hyun Gee-Chul ran to his superior's desk, panting.

After a while, Ahn Sang-Min knew why the boy in front of him was so agitated.

- What the hell!? Are C-rank gates available in our area?! - The boss looked with wide eyes at the map on the phone shown to him.

- Additionally, all offers are below 10 million. - Hyun Gee-Chul stated pathetically.

- Is it?

- Yoo Jin-Ho didn't book anything today. And it doesn't look like he's planning to. - I think they tricked us, boss. They weren't planning on working today at all.

Ahn Sang-Min stared blankly at the phone as his brain disconnected.

He failed on every front.

But...

Did that mean he wasn't afraid that Ahn would reveal his identity?

What the hell happened here?!

Suddenly he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Taking it out with a trembling hand, Ahn Sang-Min looked at the message sent from an unknown number.

This is Sung Jin-Woo. We're even. I'll pretend you've never looked for information about me. \

Oh. So that was it. To teach him a lesson. Hence the bluff and resale of the gates at such an astronomical price.

That's what the deal was about.

Clever, very clever. Although vindictive.

He didn't think Sung would contact him. He must have remembered the number on the business card he showed him.

He managed to get his number this way. And that was something.

In small steps like this...

The ultimate goal is to recruit him, even if it looks so... out of the box.

Money is not a problem. It was pennies.

Although the boss probably won't like it.

Chapter Text

There was no one nearby.

He was alone in the middle of the forest.

For peace of mind, safety and any unforeseen complications, he decided to choose the most isolated place possible, not knowing what awaited him.

The time was 5:44 p.m. No one will be hiking at this time. Just in case, he chose a place away from tourist trails.

He dressed in comfortable tracksuits that did not restrict his movements in any way, but were not loose enough to bother him in any way.

It's time to start.

Changing professions sounds interesting.

He was very curious what monsters would be waiting for him there.

Finally this "game" seemed to be starting in earnest.

It was just that something in the back of his mind and in his heart told him that this would be a stepping stone towards becoming an S-rank hunter.

This will be a breakthrough.

After accepting the mission, he was overcome by a strange black and purple energy that was not a gate, but Jin-Woo felt that the power that penetrated his skin worked on similar principles as gates.

He was going to be transferred somewhere, as he expected.

He felt excitement and fear mixing together, fueling the thoughts swirling in his head.

Is it strong enough? Isn't it too early for this task?

Isn't he taking a stupid risk?

A while ago, while he was looking for a good place to start his task, Jin-Woo was using his phone to browse various video game wikis.

One thing was common across video games: advancing a character's "profession" or "class" almost always had a lot to do with benefits and rewards.

Of course, not everything he found was positive. There were posts here and there on various forums complaining:

[I'm worried I chose the wrong class.]

[Fuck, if I had known, I would have chosen a different class.]

[I ruined my entire character. I think I'm done with this game.]

[Do I have to delete my character?]

[If I had known that this class was so useless, I would never have chosen it.]

[This class completely ruined my enjoyment of the game.]

Well, but these comments were still about games.

In games, people often experimented, took risks and played with possibilities. Not always sensibly and to their benefit. Nevertheless, they did it.

Jin-Woo wasn't worried about what profession he would choose. Until now, he had only used a dagger, and even his skills were related to the assassin class.

Speed, Stealth, Advanced Dagger Handling, Accurate Attack.

Additionally, his attributes largely focused on strength and agility. Because of this, Jinwoo couldn't think of getting a class other than Assassin.

He didn't have much mana or health points. A defender or a mage was out of the question.

He could still do well as a warrior. But that wouldn't use all the potential he had.

So the Assassin was his only and wisest choice.

Still thinking about this, Jin-Woo summoned Rasak's Poison Fang from his inventory.

The dagger fit perfectly in his hand. As always, anyway.

It was a pretty trivial observation. But what he meant was that he felt best with handguns.

Anyway, he had a comparison.

He didn't feel so confident fighting with Mr. Kim's sword.

Handguns gave him more opportunities to dodge and diversify surprise attacks.

The only drawback was that it was sometimes difficult to block the opponent's blows. A short blade was not suitable for this purpose.

But something for something.

When the energy enveloped him completely, he felt like he was being transported somewhere with its help.

He was worried that if he was transferred in this way, he would not be able to escape. But probably with his luck during such a task, it wouldn't have been possible at all, even through a regular gate.

He always had the return crystal.

[YOU HAVE ENTERED THE UNDERGROUND]

When he stood on solid ground, clenching the dagger in his hand, expecting an attack from the very entrance, the first thing that hit him was the deafening, omnipresent silence.

The place looked like... the inside of some castle.

An unexpected message appeared before his eyes.

ALARM

[YOU CANNOT LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND UNTIL YOU CLEAR THEM.]

That was easy to predict.

Only the second message that appeared froze his blood, increasing his level of nervousness.

ALARM

[YOU DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO POTIONS AND THE SHOP IN THIS AREA. IT DOES NOT RECOVER THE VALUE AFTER LEVELING UPON THE NEXT LEVEL.]

Jin-Woo put down the dagger after making sure there were no magical beasts nearby.

Oh my. He had not expected this for a moment and had not considered such a possibility.

However, it made some sense when he thought about it more.

Since it was a special dungeon for changing a profession, or rather acquiring one, there seemed to be a few conditions. What was particularly disturbing was the fact that he couldn't heal himself with potions or levels. And he has been using the latter quite often lately.

This meant that over time even minor injuries could become a problem when they accumulated.

An injury would mean the end here. Without the possibility of recovery, he would have to watch his every move.

He's going to have to really try hard here and not let down his guard.

He looked around him, but saw no gate or even a regular door. Nothing like this.

He still had to understand the difficulty of the underground.

He tried to relate this place to his current level.

The task appeared when he reached level 40, the one he had now.

What rank could he be now?

Some time ago he defeated a B-rank assassin. And he was quite strong.

So he must have already been A-ranked, he thought.

So it's possible that this was the category of the underground.

He didn't think this place had an S.

He sincerely hoped not.

Then his situation, well...

The likelihood of his death was increasing dramatically.

Additionally, he couldn't regain his health here.

Well, of course there was no way out.

This time the risk was very high. Even the bravest hunters would hesitate when faced with such a place.

High risk meant high returns.

He learned so much from his experiences. If all these conditions made the task difficult, perhaps there was an equally great reward waiting at the end.

Well, there was only one way to find out.

Jin-Woo started walking down the straight, quiet corridor. He couldn't see its end, and yet he couldn't see or sense any magical beasts.

There was one difference in this place compared to the normal dungeon. The walls were decorated with torches, evenly spaced, so the corridor was slightly illuminated. Although it could not be called bright.

Torches were not an effective source of light. Even if there were a lot of them, it was not enough to completely illuminate the dark corridor. Therefore, the flickering light created many shadows here and there. The combination of shadows and silence created a very gloomy atmosphere compared to the normal underground.

He didn't have any vision problems, so the darkness wasn't really a big deal.

What bothered him was the effect the mood of the whole place had on him.

Jin-Woo walked over and grabbed the nearest torch from the wall. The path forward has become a little clearer.

Jin-Woo smiled with satisfaction. He glanced behind him, then moved forward again, torch in hand.

After some time, he finally came to a bend. He sensed several presences around the corner.

At last.

Silence combined with the lack of enemies And those omnipresent shadows flickering in time with the torch fire made goosebumps appear on his skin.

I don't think he's ever felt so unsafe in any underground since he woke up after what happened in the temple.

He carefully dropped the torch to the ground.

A dagger now sat where the torch had been. For a moment he considered using "Stealth" to gain an advantage, but he decided to save his mana, he had the impression that the lack of potions would really bother him here.

If he spends his mana carelessly, he may not be able to use the skill at a crucial moment.

Jin-Woo hugged his back against the wall and waited for the enemies to come around the corner.

There was a metallic sound as they walked towards it. The sound was getting closer.

Listening to the metallic noise, Jin-Woo tried to identify it.

Were their weapons chained together?

He held the dagger in an upside-down grip and held his breath. He didn't want his breathing to be heard.

Finally, their shadows began to appear around the corner.

Being sure that the monsters were close, Jin-Woo tried to hit the neck.

The sound of metal hitting metal echoed loudly around him. His dagger did not penetrate the target.

Total?

Jin-Woo was surprised. Confirming the enemy's identity, he quickly retreated.

Man?

It was a knight equipped with a full set of armor. Even his face was covered by a helmet.

The knight reacted to the failed attack by charging at Jin-Woo.

The Knight vigorously used his arms to try and catch him, but the Hunter easily twisted his body to avoid the attack. The knight couldn't stop his momentum and ran too far before stopping.

Not quite human.

After expanding his sense a bit, Jin-Woo was sure. The knight's heart was not beating. It was a magical beast, or rather a monster, that he had never seen before. To think there would be a monster covered from head to toe in armor.

But on the other hand...

It was almost as if he was fighting another human.

The knight turned and drew his sword. As Jin-Woo thought, he had no intention of letting him go. Confirming their mutual hostility, Jin-Woo's eyes became sharper.

Before the knight could reach him, Jin-Woo ran up and slashed sharply with his dagger, observing the opponent's reaction and the damage he would be able to inflict on him.

The hunter easily dodged the attacks, which were surprisingly slow.

However, he was unable to cause any harm this way.

The armor was simply too thick.

Not only that, it could almost be described as slippery. His dagger slipped helplessly and was deflected every time it struck the armor. The knight swung his sword in a horizontal line.

Jinwoo lowered his head to dodge. The blade of the sword passed only a few centimeters above his head. Because his attack was so powerful, the hole left in the wall by the miss was just as huge. Jin-Woo didn't miss the opportunity. Still within melee range, Jin-Woo concentrated all his strength and stabbed at the armor.

The dagger pierced the armor.

Did it work?

However, as if he had not dealt any damage, the knight ignored the dagger protruding from his side and lowered his sword in a vertical line.

Jin-Woo jumped back in surprise.

Sparks flew from the ground where the sword struck.

The hunter straightened up after taking a few steps back. Rasaka's Poisoned Fang was still at the knight's side.

The opposite was not very strong.

Because of his armor, the knight was slow. Not only that, his attack pattern was quite simple. The main obstacle was the great defense he had.

Jin-Woo rolled up his sleeves.

If it was hard armor that the blade couldn't penetrate, then he had to use his bare hands.

He stayed calm. He remembered the snake's hard scales and the way he killed it.

Rasaka was probably stronger than that bastard anyway.

Thinking about the first boss he ever beat, Jin-Woo smiled nostalgically.

The knight, confident in his defense, attacked again.

Additionally, as it turns out, the armor is not very smart.

Jin-Woo easily dodged the attack by maneuvering behind his back and wrapping his hands around his head.

Gritting his teeth, Jin-Woo tensed his muscles.

With a sickening sound the helmet was crushed. After losing his head, the knight fell to his knees and then completely fell to the ground.

ALARM

[YOU DEFEATED THE KNIGHT]

Ignoring the system window, Jin-Woo focused on the body at his feet.

There was no head in the helmet he was holding. He also looked inside the lying armor, but found that it was also empty inside.

He fought with... animated armor?

As he came to this conclusion, two more knights appeared around the corner. They seemed to finally realize there was a fight going on.

Discovering Jin-Woo, both knights drew their swords simultaneously.

The hunter threw aside his helmet and stretched out his neck and shoulders. He now knew the method to defeat them.

Jin-Woo smiled at the approaching knights.

ALARM

[YOU DEFEATED THE KNIGHT!]

[YOU DEFEATED THE KNIGHT!]

When others were already lying dead on the ground, Jin-Woo collected the rewards from their bodies.

[ITEM: LEATHER POUCH]

TYPE: CONTAINER

A SOCKET DESIGNED TO STORE MONEY.

[ITEM: KNIGHT'S BREASTPLATE]

SUBJECT GRADE: B

TYPE: ARMOR

- 7% PHYSICAL DAMAGE REDUCTION

(REDUCES YOUR MOVEMENT SPEED IF YOUR STRENGTH IS BELOW 80 POINTS).

The money wasn't bad. But first he became interested in the breastplate.

Another damage reduction was a very nice gift. Even if only by 7%.

Additionally, the armor allowed you to choose whether it was visible or not.

If anyone saw him wearing something like that, he would be a laughing stock.

And even when the armor was visible, it resembled a semi-transparent hologram adapted to the body rather than a real breastplate.

Jin-Woo chose to make him invisible, glad that he had enough strength points that the speed of his movements would not be reduced.

And he didn't restrict his movements, because, just like in the case of the guardian's necklace, it was impossible to feel that he was wearing anything at all.

Especially a heavy piece of metal.

Then he took the bag and opened it, wondering how much gold he would find in it.

[ITEM: LEATHER BAG] HAS BEEN OPENED.

YOU RECEIVED [30,000 GOLD COINS]

Quite a lot.

Curious, he looked at his gold status.

[TOTAL GOLD: 863,400]

As he looked at his budget, he felt a presence approaching him.

Reacting instinctively, he thrust his dagger into the air where he sensed a presence.

As it turned out, at the last moment he managed to defeat another enemy.

Another armor, one with the fucking ability "Hide".

There were even some damn things here?!

Then he had to dodge the attack again at the last moment.

In front of a ball of fire shot at him.

The two attacks instantly triggered memories in his mind.

First, "Stealth" as used by Kang Tae-Shik, and then a fire attack, the same as the magician from Hwang Dong-Suk's team, Guy-Hwan, used.

What the hell was going on here?

It was as if he was repeating the last fights...

Although, this place was created especially for him, so was it really strange that the system used the skills of his former opponents?

It's obviously going to be harder than he initially thought.

There were different types of monsters here, so he had to use a different strategy for each type.

Strength for knights, senses for assassins, dexterity for mages and vitality for archers.

If his strength decreases, he will not be able to defeat the knights. If his senses weaken, he will not be able to avoid the assassins' attacks.

And all of his stats will eventually fade away as his fatigue increases dangerously high.

[fatigue: 66]

He needed to rest for a while and reduce his tiredness, at least half of it.

Fighting his way through various enemies, he finally managed to find a quieter part of the corridor and leaned against the wall, panting.

His peace did not last long, however, because after a dozen or so seconds, more armored men started shooting arrows at him from their bows from the depths of the corridor.

***

So far it had been difficult, but he managed to avoid any injuries or injuries and the only problem was constant fatigue which made him lose every dozen or so points and then he was forced to face the approaching enemies again.

The consolation was the fact that he managed to gain some levels and obtain more armor pieces. Very incompatible, but still.

GUARDIAN NECKLACE (A)

KNIGHT'S BREASTPLATE (B)

KNIGHT'S GLOVE (B)

ARCHER'S GLOVE (C)

MAGIC'S RING (B)

BOTH ASSAULTS (B)

Finally, he stood in front of the door leading to the boss's chamber.

The door was large, black with gold accents.

The interior was completely shrouded in darkness.

Even with Jin-Woo's eyesight, greatly enhanced by his Perception Stat, he had a hard time seeing an inch in front of him.

All he could see clearly was the ground beneath his feet.

The floor is tiled with stone tiles.

Gray tiles, laid without visible gaps, gave a feeling of heaviness and barren coldness.

As soon as he set foot on that floor....

Countless torches placed on the walls lit up simultaneously and illuminated the interior.

Jin-Woo remained alert. He scanned his surroundings and carefully took a step forward.

To his left and right rose several gigantic stone pillars; at the other end of this 'room' he saw a tall throne.

This place reminded him of the king's audience hall from fantasy movies. Of course, the scale of the room was noticeably larger.

After he took a few more steps into the room, the door made a loud bang and closed behind him.

Jin-Woo looked back, but didn't panic. He had already expected something like this to happen. Jin-Woo resumed his cautious march forward.

He felt a powerful presence, but he couldn't see anyone yet.

He had a really strong feeling that to complete his task, he had to stand before this throne.

During his march, a tall, slim figure appeared from behind one of the columns and blocked his path, as if not wanting him to approach the throne.

The thing stopped and turned to face him.

Jin-Woo pursed his lips as he looked at his opponent.

It only took one look at the creature's red name floating just above his head to know that the boss had finally entered.

[CRIMSON COMMANDER - IGRIS]

It was a knight in blood-red armor.

The way it was equipped from head to toe in metal armor was similar to the other knights he had fought so far, but completely unlike those who looked rough and slow, this thing looked incredibly agile.

Perhaps it was the differences in their body structure.

Those armors were stocky and broad-shouldered, and their armor seemed to be made of a different type of metal, thicker.

The boss was slim, thinner, at first glance his movements were faster, smoother and more agile, and his armor seemed thinner, although Jin-Woo had no illusions that it would be easier to penetrate.

The helmet next caught his eye.

The single red feather flowing backwards reminded him of a ponytail, and while it should have looked ridiculous and absurd in theory, it gave his figure strength and menace in a strange, inexplicable way.

Examining his helmet, Jin-Woo discovered another difference between him and the other knights.

He had eyes.

Although... are eyes actually the right word?

A pair of silvery lights oozed out from where the eyes should have been. They were cold and indifferent, completely mechanical and lifeless.

Those cold eyes were now fixed on him.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up.

So this cold aura spreading throughout this huge room was coming from him.

It's possible that the purpose of this task was simply to defeat this damn strong-looking knight.

He felt in his bones that killing this guy would be extremely difficult.

Jin-Woo watched Igris' movements, slowly raising his clenched fists.

His dagger won't work in this case anyway.

What was needed to defeat the knight was blunt force. He needed strength to overwhelm him. It's best to crush this metal can on two legs.

Igris quietly observed Jin-Woo for a moment before suddenly removing his red cape.

The cloak fell silently to the floor, followed by a sheath with a dagger that the boss apparently had attached to one of his sides so that Jin-Woo hadn't noticed it before.

At least he won't get daggered by surprise anymore.

The bastard's strange actions didn't end there.

He stuck his long sword that he had been holding into the ground like butter.

Not only that, he showed them to him before dropping them one by one.

The boss room had been silent so far; the loud clang of metal hitting stone tiles echoed loudly throughout this vast chamber.

Igris finished throwing away all his weapons and as if to imitate Jin-Woo, he clenched his fists and took a fighting stance.

Jin-Woo's eyes widened.

Was he going to fight Jin-Woo bare-knuckled just because he did?

Does he flaunt his honor? He doesn't take him seriously.

Was this supposed to be a provocation?

Igris moved towards him.

His speed was so fast that it was hard for Jin-Woo to believe that the boss was wearing armor.

In the case of his armor, the penalty in the form of slower movements was applicable if he did not have 80 points of strength.

That meant the bastard's Strength was at least 80!

Judging by his agile movements, his agility could rival that of highly ranked hunters.

In the blink of an eye, Igris covered the distance and jumped into the air. In mid-air, the monster bent its knee forward and aimed it at Jin-Woo's face.

He really was damn fast!

However, he was not going to let himself be approached in such a simple way. He bent his back almost 90 degrees and let Igris' attack pass him by.

Unlike other knights who needed some distance to stop after a failed attack, Igris simply landed on the ground without much trouble.

However, there was no time to admire this perfect landing.

Jin-Woo charged at Igris before he could turn around, kicking him diagonally in the head.

Helm?

Shockingly, the boss was still able to move his arm precisely even when his posture was unstable.

Jin-Woo's right leg was easily blocked by Igris' left hand.

Jin-Woo's eyes opened wider.

While one of his legs was blocked, Igris' other fist struck him in the face.

He instinctively raised both arms to protect himself, but the force of the impact was still transferred to the rest of his body.

His guard broke and his entire body flew into the air.

A shocked breath escaped his lips.

But it soon turned into a pained, hoarse moan.

He hit the wall, making a large dent in it, and at the same time Igris appeared in front of his face.

Before he even had a chance to do anything about it, Igris' left fist hit Jin-Woo hard on his left cheek.

It was embedded even deeper into the wall and the plaster was falling profusely around it.

There was a loud ringing inside his ears.

Jin-Woo shook his head several times. Only then did the loud ringing quiet down a bit.

But a much bigger problem was approaching him. His blurred vision caught Igris as he walked towards him.

Jin-Woo tried to push off the wall and bumped into Igris pinning him against it.

The boss didn't even try to avoid the blows that Jin-Woo was throwing at him. No, he just took the punches and immediately counterattacked.

After his stomach was kicked by the boss, Jin-Woo's body leaned forward 90 degrees.

Blood rushed to his mouth.

Currently, Jin-Woo's physical damage reduction stat has exceeded 30%.

However, each of Igris' attacks hurt like hell, as if he had been hit with a hammer, or rather a sledgehammer. On the other hand, his attacks did almost no damage to the enemy.

After another attack, Jin-Woo staggered and fell to his knees.

He tried to get up, but his legs wouldn't listen to him.

Igris stood over Jin-Woo but stopped attacking him. He stared at him without saying a word for a moment.

Then, ignoring Jin-Woo's questioning look at him, Igris reached out towards the sword stuck in the ground.

The sword flew towards him as if nothing had happened, as if it had been pulled by some unknown force.

Igris grabbed the sword in both hands and walked to Jin-Woo's side.

Soon the tip of the blade was pointing towards the sky.

This son of a bitch definitely lived up to his nickname.

When it looked like Jin-Woo was not going to resist his final moments, Igris proceeded to execute him.

Of course, Jin-Woo wouldn't let this happen without a fight.

The sword fell in a straight line.

However, Jin-Woo reached out with his left hand and blocked the falling blade.

There was the sound of metal hitting metal.

The glove he found just before entering here protected his hand.

Jin-Woo didn't want to miss the opportunity of shielding the boss's torso and punched him in the stomach with his free hand.

As expected, Igris did not try to dodge.

He probably calculated that hitting once during a counterattack was much more productive. It's a pity he didn't include something important in his calculations.

Broni Jin-Woo.

Summoning his dagger from his inventory, Jin-Woo stabbed the knight at one of the lights acting as eyes.

Jin-Woo hurriedly stood up while Igris was clearly distracted and dazed by the pain.

Damage to one eye alone would not have been able to determine the winner of this battle. He needed an even stronger attack if he wanted to win.

That's when a thought occurred to him.

Bending down, Jin-Woo wrapped his arms around the boss's stomach and started running.

Igris thrashed around in pain from the sharp pressure on his stomach and managed to land several solid blows to Jin-Woo's back. However, he gritted his teeth and did not let Igris go.

No, instead he increased his speed.

[YOUR SPEED INCREASED BY 40%.]

Gripping Igris' stomach even tighter, he launched himself against the nearest wall with every ounce of energy he had left.

Of course, if he collided with the wall at that speed, the impact his own body received would also be significant. However, Jin-Woo had a hidden trump card in the form of a certain passive skill.

The wall was right in front of them.

With a huge bang, Igris hit it.

At the same time, a message popped up from the System.

ALARM

[SINCE YOUR HP HAS DROPPED BELOW 30%, [SKILL: PERSEVERANCE] HAS BEEN ACTIVATED. DAMAGE WILL BE REDUCED BY 50%]

The force of the impact was so great that the entire room shook for a moment.

Jin-Woo took a step back.

Igris was half buried in the wall, but he was still alive. The "flame" of life burning under the helmet still flickered visibly.

Jin-Woo ripped out the Rasaka Fang, still embedded deep in the boss's eye.

This caused Igris' body to tremble.

Jin-Woo held the dagger in a reverse grip and stabbed hard into the son of a bitch's neck.

[TARGET ATTACK]

[TARGET ATTACK]

[TARGET ATTACK]

Sparks flew from the tip of the dagger.

A small but deep dent was created on the metal covering the monster's neck, with a hole in it.

The fang pierced through the sturdy metal and dug deep into his neck just as Jin-Woo wanted.

ALARM

YOU DEFEATED

[CRIMSON COMMANDER - IGRIS]

ALARM

[YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL]

[YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL]

Jin-Woo raised both hands high into the sky.

He took a few steps back before losing all strength in his legs and falling to the floor.

Jin-Woo focused on the deep breathing he had been holding until now, he didn't know why.

Somehow he managed to win.

But it was really close.

Skills, technique, abilities, experience. He was in no way superior to him.

He won clearly only by dumb luck.

And that really frustrated him.

One mistake on his part and he would have ended up dead.

This thing could stand in a row with A-rank hunters and fight them very evenly.

He expected that the job of changing his profession would end once he killed this guy, but not a single message appeared before his eyes. He looked around but didn't notice anything else in the boss room.

The only new things were streaks of light coming from Igris's body.

He collected them as quickly as possible, not sure what else might happen in this sick place.

YOU GOT IT

[CRIMSON SOLDIER HELMET]

[TOUCH OF DOMINANCE]

[LEATHER POUCH]

[STONE OF RETURN]

Jin-Woo was a bit embarrassed by the amount of stuff, but he wasn't going to complain at all.

The first thing that entered his inventory was a leather pouch.

[ITEM: LEATHER POUCH] HAS BEEN OPENED.]

[YOU OBTAINED 1,500,000 GOLD COINS]

Jin-Woo's eyes became extremely round.

It was definitely worth risking your life for four rewards.

At first he didn't expect so much, but the leather pouch spat out an incredible amount of 1,500,000 coins..

With this amount, he could now buy something useful in the Store.

However, Jin-Woo's attention was elsewhere at the moment.

If a leather pouch that he didn't even have high hopes for managed to make him so rich, how high was the value of the helmet or the Runestone?

Jin-Woo tried hard to calm his heart and recalled the information about the helmet.

[ITEM: CRIMSON KNIGHT HELMET]

SUBJECT GRADE: S

TYPE: ARMOR

PHYSICAL DAMAGE REDUCTION: +15%

VITALITY +20

STR +20

S Rank Item!

Apart from the key to the Demon Castle, this was his first item of this type.

Even the damage reduction alone would be strong enough. And it also gives 20 stat points to strength and vitality.

Incredible.

STR: 128 (+20)

DEXTERITY: 127

SENSES: 89

VITALITY: 87 (+20)

INTELLIGENCE: 66

PHYSICAL DAMAGE REDUCTION: 46% (+15%)

Damage reduction was now over half and Vitality was also over 100.

This was really satisfying news.

The most mysterious of the prizes he received was a rune.

[RUNE: TOUCH OF DOMINANCE]

TYPE: RUNE

AFTER BREAKING, IT GIVES THE PERSON AN SKILL.

He was curious what kind of skill he would get.

It had to be the same as Igris had.

But during the fight, the boss didn't seem to use any skills, he only fought with his fists and sword.

Putting the stone into his inventory for now, since it's safe and he doesn't have to rush, Jin-Woo looked at the return stone with curiosity.

As soon as he saw it on the list, he began to wonder why, after clearing the underground, i.e. at the very end of the fun, he received the return stone, i.e. the opportunity to escape.

Was this stone simply the only way to get out of here since there was no gate here?

[ITEM: STONE OF RETURN]

TYPE: UTILITY

SUBJECT RELATED TO THE TASK [JOB CHANGE]. IF YOU BREAK IT, YOU WILL IMMEDIATELY LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND. AFTER COMPLETING THE [JOB CHANGE] TASK, THE UNDERGROUND WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY DESTROYED. CANNOT BE STORED.

This stone couldn't be put into your inventory?

Well that was rather strange as he still had a category E return stone.

One sentence from the description particularly caught his attention.

"After completing the task, the dungeon will be automatically destroyed."

So that meant it wasn't over yet?

For some reason, he felt a cold slowly creeping up his spine.

He didn't quite understand why.

He defeated a very strong boss.

He got a great S-category item and also had an item with him that allowed him to escape from this place.

But the ominous feeling ingrained in the corners of his mind refused to go away, no matter what.

As if mocking him, as if waiting for this opportunity, a mechanical signal sounded in his head and a Status window appeared in front of his eyes.

The warning signal from the system sounded in his head, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

TASK [CHANGE PROFESSION] WILL START SOON.

Bloody hell!

So that wasn't really the end.

It turns out that this was only the beginning of the task.

Well, very funny.

He almost fainted on the spot. He felt as if he had accidentally stuck his finger into an anthill of carnivorous ants.

If he had known something like this would happen to him, he would have tried to prepare and rest properly instead of standing here like an idiot.

Jin-Woo pursed his lips into a thin line.

The hunter brought up the status window and checked his remaining HP and his fatigue level.

[HP: 4161/10270]

[MP: 390/850]

[Fatigue: 59]

His fatigue stats hadn't dropped much yet, unfortunately.

The only consolation was the effects of his new miraculous helmet placed on him, thanks to which he had more life.

As if to comfort and reassure himself, Jin-Woo continued to remind himself that his life should not be in immediate danger.

He had a return stone at the ready that could save his skin at any moment.

But no matter how much he thought about it, that stone sounded an awful lot like something that signified a cowardly abandonment of a mission.

If he gives up this task...

Wouldn't that be the same as giving up the chance to pursue your profession?

As he waited in silence and suspense, a new system message appeared before his eyes.

[THE LONGER YOU STAY, THE MORE POINTS YOU WILL ACCOMMODATE. THE POINTS WILL DECIDE THE LEVEL OF PROFESSION THAT WILL BE ASSIGNED TO YOU.]

The longer he can survive?!

Will it withstand what exactly?!

Jin-Woo hurriedly summoned a dagger from his inventory, while the Return Stone was placed in the back of his pocket since it couldn't be put into his inventory.

He quickly scanned his surroundings, his head and eyes darting quickly here and there.

A small window appeared above his head that looked like a zeroed stopwatch.

[GOOD LUCK]

[00:00:01]

Co?

For the first time in history, the System expressed "emotions".

Too bad he didn't have time to stew in shock. The moment the clock started, several Gates began to form around him.

Not one or two.

First he noticed six around him. However, the number continued to grow.

At the same time, the clock started counting.

[00:00:02]

Time became his so-called advancement points. He didn't understand everything the System was saying, but he still figured out some parts of it.

The longer he endures, the stronger he will become.

Was it about a more powerful class?

He still had some mana and life to be able to hold on for a while.

[00:00:03]

When the clock struck exactly three seconds, unarmed knights emerged from the nearest Gate.

As knights in full armor began pouring out of the gates in alarming numbers, the ground couldn't help but tremble as the increasing weight shifted.

Jin-Woo, despite the number of these guys, felt that his situation was not as bad as he initially thought.

In a way, he was very pleased to see them as his opponents.

If the monsters coming out of the gates were as strong as Igris, he wouldn't be able to last even a few seconds.

He would be dead from the very beginning.

Instead, these guys seemed much weaker and luckily didn't have any weapons.

He had enough mana left to try to cheat a bit.

Jin-Woo used some of his remaining mana and activated his "Hide" skill.

He wanted to observe a bit, get a feel for his opponents, and maybe catch at least a dozen or so extra seconds this way.

Hide was already consuming 200 mana at the beginning. He would then have 190 left, and the skill would then consume 1 mana point every second. This meant he could hold it for three minutes.

It wasn't a bad time to start.

Jin-Woo's figure slowly began to blur and dissolve, and then disappeared. As expected, the knights walking towards him suddenly stopped.

However, his satisfaction did not last long...

MAGIC USES [SKILL: DETECTION]

A sharp warning sound rang in his head. Jin-Woo's head snapped towards the beep.

He noticed a magician who had just emerged from the Gate. It was then that Jin-Woo discovered an eye-like symbol floating above the magician's head.

The moment that eye flashed...

At this point, Jin-Woo's Hide was canceled.

Fight!

That's how his whole brilliant idea came to fruition.

The knights, who had been standing there stupidly like poles, immediately turned their heads towards Jin-Woo. It was a scene straight out of a horror movie.

And finally, at the same time, they moved towards him without a moment's hesitation.

Jin-Woo's eyes widened and he gritted his teeth.

His blow severed the head of the approaching knight.

The knight fell where he stood.

[You defeated the knight.]

A spark of vindictive triumph flashed in Jin-Woo's eyes.

[SKILL: "BLOOD LUST" HAS BEEN ACTIVATED]

[TARGET STATISTICS ARE REDUCED BY 50%]

Bloodlust cost 100 mana and was his only chance.

He won't be able to use it a second time because he has a measly 90 mana left.

However, this way he bought himself at least one minute.

Wanting to make the most of this precious minute, with the monsters clearly weakened, Jin-Woo began attacking as fiercely as he could.

With terrifying panache, he set about completely dismantling the knights.

Armor and armor fell to the ground before one more body fell to the floor, he was already attacking another knight, not wanting to waste time.

It was a pity that the speed at which he defeated the knights was much slower than the speed at which the new knights surrounded him.

Even in the middle of the mad battle, Jin-Woo stole a glance at the clock.

[00:03:19]

Three minutes!

Pathetically few if he was honest with himself.

He hoped he could make it to at least fifteen minutes, worst case scenario.

If this time was converted into points, how much would he get?

Wouldn't it be good if he left this place now?

However, he had no room to think seriously about it.

Even as he thought, the knights continually proceeded to attack him.

He had managed to destroy countless knights, but he simply couldn't deal with so many of them.

In the end, Jin-Woo was buried in a sea of knights.

His life began to decline dangerously.

[PZ: 1036/10270]

[PASSIVE SKILL PERSISTENCE HAS BEEN ACTIVATED]

[00:05:08]

Five minutes and eight seconds.

Little. Too little.

But I guess he had no choice.

Now completely trapped among the knights, Jin-Woo thrashed around helplessly in this silver prison and dug through his back pocket.

However...

The Return Stone slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor.

A round stone hit the foot of one of the knights and, bouncing slightly, rolled away from him.

Jin-Woo hurriedly reached for the stone, but it quickly disappeared from sight.

The knights were constantly crowding around him, pushing each other and pushing each other without thinking.

Those metal cans must have been incredibly stupid to do something so thoughtless, but he had no way to think about it.

Breathing instantly became almost impossible.

His consciousness slowly began to blur.

He kept getting hit by the knights as he was trapped beneath them and as his mind began to darken.

He deserved this opportunity after going through so much. So how could he let it end like this? So pathetic?

Because he had been at the bottom for so long, he wanted to be at the top more than anyone else. He knew the anguish of the weak better than anyone else. He tried everything to survive, and when he survived, others kept pointing fingers at him.

How will E rank help here?

So how could he just watch and do nothing when a ladder was placed before his eyes that could take him to the very top?

He remembered well the voice that always barked from behind him.

He remembered a quiet laugh full of contempt.

He will fight until the very end.

Even if his HP drops to 10...

No, until 1.

He will bite and tug like crazy until the end.

He would fight until he collapsed, stopped breathing, went blind and covered in all the blood he had.

Jin-Woo rushed forward, pushing most of the knights away from his body.

He hit blindly at the first target he saw.

The knight's breastplate dented significantly and the monster itself fell backwards. Other knights collided with him and they all fell on their backs.

But even so, more knights attacked Jin-woo.

In response, Jin-Woo's movements became more violent and desperate.

Without exception, the knights colliding with Jin-Woo's body parts, be it his fist, elbow, knee, feet, were destroyed like several paper dolls.

However, all this time, his fatigue was inexorably increasing and his speed was decreasing.

One by one, the knights he couldn't defeat in one blow struck at him. Jin-Woo resorted to hitting them three or four times and made sure to destroy them.

[8 SECONDS REMAINING]

[7 SECONDS REMAINING]

[6 SECONDS REMAINING]

Meanwhile, a strange countdown ticked silently. He was too focused on the battle, so he didn't notice him until the clock reached a single number.

What?

Was the mission coming to an end?

But he had to last as long as he could...

For a brief moment, a glimmer of hope appeared in his head, but it turned out to be just a useless dream.

[00:06:27]

The job counter was still counting as it should. So what was it?

[5 SECONDS REMAINING]

In the meantime, he destroyed two more knights.

However, contrary to Jin-Woo's unyielding stubbornness, his entire body was now riddled with various types of wounds. Gradually it became more and more difficult to raise my arms.

His weakened fist was no longer enough to stop the knights' attacks and charges.

[4 SECONDS REMAINING]

[3 SECONDS REMAINING]

Jin-Woo found himself sandwiched tightly between the two knights hitting him from the front and behind, and he let out a pained groan.

The other knights rushed at him as if they didn't want to miss this chance.

In the blink of an eye, Jin-Woo was buried under the masses of knights and couldn't even lift a finger.

Again.

[2 SECONDS REMAINING]

This time he didn't have enough strength to throw them off.

Even at this time, more knights stood on Jin-Woo. Instead, the silver waves became a silver mountain.

Jin-Woo's breathing became incredibly rough.

At this rate, he would be choked to death first, not crushed.

Jin-Woo's hand somehow escaped from the knights' gaps and pointed helplessly at the sky.

[HP: 93/10270]

He was in a really desperate situation. But even then, Jin-Woo didn't give up.

Just as Jin-Woo managed to tighten his hand pointing to the sky, the mysterious countdown finally announced its end.

[1 SECOND REMAINING]

[0 SECONDS REMAINING]

[YOU FAILED TO COMPLETE TODAY'S TASK]

ALARM

[YOU WILL BE TRANSPORTED TO THE CRIMINAL JOURNAL FOR A SPECIFIC TIME.]

Criminal dimension

And...

And!

It was then that he realized that he had not completed his daily task.

He naively thought that the task would take him at most two hours and on the way home he would do the running and the rest of the exercises at home.

Who would have thought that things could develop like this?

Just like in the hospital, everything started shaking violently.

The knights began to turn into sand and it fell on his face.

The world around him was changing.

Jin-Woo silently laughed to himself.

Now he understood why the system wished him luck.

Was he trying to suggest that the task itself was unimaginably difficult, to the point that he needed luck to complete it?

Or maybe he just wanted Jin-Woo to score as many points as possible.

Luck, coincidence, whatever it was called, he didn't care. No matter what it was, his chance had come.

He blinked, feeling sand in his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the middle of an endless sea of sand.

Jin-Woo lay face up, staring blankly at the sky.

His fingers dug into the desert sand as the breaths he had been holding exploded from his mouth.

A sense of relief wrapped tightly around Jin-Woo as he slowly began to sit up.

This place looked exactly like the penal dimension from his memories.

He had to pull himself together and make good use of this incredible opportunity he had been given.

A chance to survive.

He had no illusions that one more minute and he would be dead.

He had to reorganize and reflect.

He opened the status window looking at his life.

[HP: 92/10278]

[MP: 202/850]

[fatigue: 91]

The first thing he had to do was beat the damn fatigue.

When he came here for the first and only time, he was on the first floor and had no idea that the store existed.

He didn't even have a complete idea of what was happening or what the system was.

Although it wasn't like he knew exactly what the system was, he knew more or less how to use it.

He opened the store, praying that it would be possible here.

Something like this could have been blocked in the criminal justice system.

After all, punishment is punishment.

But, to his great relief, he saw a familiar window in front of him with the store's offers.

This was probably the first time his fatigue exceeded 90 points.

Opening the consumables tab in the store, Jin-Woo looked at the offer of potions.

There were as many as four regeneration potions.

REGULAR REGENERATION POTION for 1000 gold.

HEROIC REGENERATION POTION for 3000 gold.

LEGENDARY REGENERATION POTION for 5,000 gold.

MYTHICAL REGENERATION POTION for 10,000 gold.

He had enough gold that this time he could afford the best of them, in addition, the level of fatigue was so high that obtaining ordinary or heroic potions would take an extremely long time, he would have to drink much more of them than he would like and in the end it would cost him as much as the price of the best potion. .

And if he had to choose between legendary and mythical, he preferred to buy the best if he had to.

[YOUR FATIGUE IS ELIMINATED]

[YOUR FATIGUE IS ELIMINATED]

[YOUR FATIGUE IS ELIMINATED]

The fatigue problem was gone, but he was still low on HP.

He bought a powerful life-renewal potion, but to his dismay, after drinking it, absolutely nothing happened.

He bought another one, the weakest and cheapest, fearing another waste of gold.

Only after he had completely emptied the bottle did he finally understand the cause of this anomaly.

[WHEN YOUR REMAINING HP IS LESS THAN 10%, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO HEAL YOURSELF WITH HEALING POTIONS.]

What a simple reason - his remaining HP was too low.

Even healing magic had its limits.

This was not a foreign concept to him.

Just as a medic's rank determined the extent of his healing ability, potions also could not heal beyond a certain limit.

He remembered a saying he once heard.

"Solomon cannot pour from an empty cup."

He learned something important today. He could have landed himself in a really sticky situation, believing that potions could solve everything.

That's why it was important to experience it first hand.

And as usual, the system didn't bother to help in terms of explaining anything.

I guess he was forced to wait until his health regenerated itself.

He didn't know what the rules were exactly, and the system, as usual, wasn't willing to explain more than the basic minimum.

But maybe he'll be able to get his life back after leveling up.

He clearly remembered those pesky centipedes that had chased him here for four fucking hours.

He sensed the presence of life forms beneath the surface.

Jin-Woo jumped to his feet.

His whole body was as light as a feather. His strength was fully restored thanks to the potion.

Standing straight on his feet, Jin-Woo turned and looked.

As he expected, the place where he was lying a second ago began to collapse and a deep crater formed there.

The first time he was here, he thought that if he accidentally slipped and fell into it, he would surely die.

But now he had so much freedom that he actually watched the entire process with a bit of fascination.

At the very bottom of the sand crater, the earth began to "boil" and tremble before...

The sand exploded, jumping into the air all around, then a large, clearly pissed off centipede appeared.

So far, everything matched his memories.

At the time, he found this monster macabrely terrifying. Not only in terms of strength but also in appearance.

But now he couldn't shake the feeling that he was watching some kind of slow-motion video.

Jin-Woo raised his eyes a little higher.

And he had to clearly acknowledge those red letters floating above the centipede's head.

Its name was written in red letters, the same color as Cerberus.

Just then, news of the mission appeared before his eyes.

ALARM

[PUNISHMENT TASK: SURVIVE]

OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE UNTIL THE ALLOTTEN TIME IS EXPIRED.

PENALTY DURATION: 4 HOURS.

REMAINING: 4H 00MIN 00SEC

Confirming the details of the message, Jin-Woo clenched his fist tightly.

He wondered if the timer on the job change task stopped after Jin-Woo temporarily left there or if it continued counting.

He didn't use the return stone so maybe there was a chance the counter was still working there.

He was almost sure that when the punishment task was over, he would be sent back to the underground where the task regarding changing his profession took place.

According to the system, this place was supposed to be destroyed if Jin-Woo used the return stone.

And if he didn't use it, this place should still exist.

What if time spent in the penal system was considered time spent on assignment?

The number of points awarded to him would probably be huge.

Four hours!

He couldn't even last ten minutes and tried to back out, but just moved in

this place, he now got four hours for free.

However, there was one more problem he had to solve first.

Could he get out of here alive with less than 100 HP?

Since he couldn't heal himself with potions, he had to do everything in his power to carefully kill these centipedes until he leveled up.

Jin-Woo summoned the dagger into his hand.

REMAINING: 3H 59MIN 59SEC

Then, as soon as the punishment began, he lunged forward, even before the centipede could move.

Jin-Woo shortened the distance in the blink of an eye and lightly jumped in front of the centipede

He didn't even need 20 seconds to kill the first centipede.

It was a complete contrast to when he fought Cerberus, who was supposedly on the same level as the centipede.

He has now become incredibly strong.

On the other hand, he has been promoted many times since then.

It was quite an obvious conclusion.

Now he felt that a small amount of HP would not be such a big problem and danger as he had been worried about a moment earlier.

Now his problem would be the number of monsters in this place that he could hunt to reach the next level.

This would be the only way to increase his chances of winning when thrown back into the job change task.

If he returned there without full HP, he would die there like a stray dog.

More monsters began to break out of the ground.

Almost immediately, Jin-Woo's expression brightened.

Seeing all these centipedes poking their heads out of the sandy surface, Jin-Woo could no longer hold back his wide

the smile that blossomed on his face.

It would be a very fruitful four hours, he was sure of it.

***

[THE SKILL ATTACK HAS REACHED A NEW LEVEL!]

[YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL!]

[YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL!]

[YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL!]

[YOU HAVE REACHED A NEW LEVEL!]

REMAINING: 0H 06MIN 33SEC

As a result of fighting these centipedes over the last four hours, his level had increased by four and was now at

51.

Before he knew it, the punishing task was coming to an end.

[PUNISHMENT TASK: SURVIVE]

OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE UNTIL THE ALLOTTEN TIME IS EXPIRED.

PENALTY DURATION: 4 HOURS.

REMAINING: 0H 06MIN 27SEC

He'll have to come back soon.

Jin-Woo looked around. Centipede carcasses filled his vision wherever he looked. Thanks

before he regained his HP to full.

He kind of regretted that those bastards didn't give him any items. Even some junk to sell in the shop and get some gold.

Well, it would be strange for the loot to show up when he was about to be punished by staying there.

He stopped worrying about it and instead prepared himself.

- Store.

He currently had just over 3 million gold coins.

Humanoid type monsters dropped a leather pouch containing gold very often, and Igris also gave him 1.5 million

gold in one go.

So now he had enough money to spend.

Jin-Woo spent all his gold to buy one weapon.

In fact, there was this one dagger that caught his attention.

[YOU HAVE PURCHASED "KNIGHT KILLER".]

[Item: Knight Assassin]

SUBJECT GRADE: B

TYPE: dagger

+75 ATTACK

KNIGHT KILLER EFFECT: DEALS 25% BONUS DAMAGE WHEN AGAINST ENEMIES WEARING HEAVY ARMOR.

It was a specially created weapon to deal with enemies wearing armor. And it cost 2,800,000 million gold.

To buy this weapon, he had to spend almost 2/3 of all the gold he had in reserve, but he had little choice in this case.

He couldn't take the gold to his grave.

Fists were not very effective. And his current dagger even less so.

The second, slightly more strange purchase was an ordinary cheap bandage.

In his right hand he held a dagger with a rather terrifying looking saw blade and wrapped it tightly around it

bandage.

After tying it to his hand, he was sure that the weapon would not fall out during the fight, just like the unfortunate stone of return.

It may not have been the most convenient solution, but he hoped it would be effective.

He also thought about tying his dagger to his left hand, but decided against it.

Not being able to use both hands would be too cumbersome and could even prove dangerous.

He figured having at least one of his hands still retaining mobility would make his life more enjoyable.

As he was putting the remains of the bandage back into his inventory, he noticed the Igris Runestone.

Well, he unwisely put it in his inventory instead of breaking it right away.

He thought he was safe and the task was over, when in fact it had not even begun.

Now he will learn a lesson for the future.

And not only this one.

[RUNE: TOUCH OF DOMINANCE]

AFTER BREAKING, IT GIVES THE PERSON AN SKILL.

The new skill may prove to be somewhat useful. He had to use every available power-up he had.

Whether it was an item or a skill.

Jin-Woo did not hesitate and broke the Rune Stone.

[SKILL: TOUCH OF DOMINANCE HAS BEEN ACQUIRED]

[SKILL: TOUCH OF DOMINANCE LV.1]

ACTIVATION SKILL

NO MANA REQUIRED

ALLOWS YOU TO CONTROL WITHOUT PHYSICAL CONTACT.

As soon as he read this description, he remembered a certain scene.

Igris reached out towards the longsword, which was embedded in the floor, far beyond his reach.

- So it was this skill that made the sword move then.

An ability that can move objects over distances using only his will! What's more, he didn't even have to spend it

many!

If he can move any object he sees like the description says, that would be a hell of a skill.

Additionally, a great advantage was the fact that the skill did not require mana either to launch or to maintain it.

Jin-Woo immediately tried to experiment with the skill on the centipede corpse next to him.

[SKILL LEVEL IS TOO LOW TO MOVE SUCH A LARGE OBJECT.]

[SKILL LEVEL IS TOO LOW TO MOVE SUCH A LARGE OBJECT.]

If he wanted to move something heavy, his skill level probably had to be much higher.

However, he could still work with something smaller.

Jin-Woo dropped Rasak's Poison Fang on the ground. And he stretched his hand towards the dagger.

The dagger then quickly rose up.

Jin-Woo grabbed the handle of the dagger and looked at it with a look of complete astonishment.

It was really cool.

It seems he was as well prepared as he could be.

When he looked up to confirm, the required time had expired.

[REMAINING: 0H 0MIN 04SEC]

When the timer changed from 4 to 3, a new system message appeared in his view.

[SINCE YOU HAVE HUNTED IN A CRIMINAL DIMENSION, THE DIFFICULTY LEVEL OF YOUR NEXT CRIMINAL TASK WILL BE INCREASED AND ADJUSTED APPROPRIATELY]

The difficulty level would be higher.

This means that the hunt would be much more difficult and that "Punishment Assignment" would once again serve its purpose as a proper one

cane.

But then again, will there be a next time?

Jin-Woo swallowed anxiously.

He preferred not to come back here.

On the other hand, the task of changing careers didn't sound appealing either.

Inside the boss room, hundreds of monsters were waiting for his return.

HP, MP, fatigue, equipment and even a new skill.

His current condition was much better than when he first set foot in this place, but when he was thinking about returning

there, he couldn't help but feel tense and nervous.

His heart was beating so hard it hurt.

Jin-Woo closed his eyes. He tried to stay calm.

Soon, a familiar mechanical sound echoed in his head.

[PUNISHMENT TASK ENDED]

When Jin-Woo opened his eyes again...

His vision was filled with a sea of knights standing still and simultaneously turning their heads towards him.

Jin-Woo immediately started attacking, cutting down the first knight.

This time, the new dagger entered their armor like butter, cutting through them, cutting off their limbs, cutting deep into their helmets and making serious holes in their chests and bellies.

The new dagger worked quite well.

It was certainly much easier than fighting this horde with bare fists.

But his impression of fighting them earlier still lingered.

The portals had already closed and yet the number of knights did not seem to be decreasing. It was as if knights were constantly appearing from somewhere, replacing the dead ones.

And only now did he notice that his level did not increase at all during this fight, even though he had defeated countless opponents.

If he had not gained any experience in this underground before, he would not have paid attention to this fact.

But when fighting empty armor or Igris, he gained experience for kills and his level increased.

Not now.

The system informed him that he would have limited healing options for leveling up. This message clearly indicated that he was able to hit levels here.

There was no mention of experience points.

Jin-Woo looked around him carefully, looking for any abnormalities, anything strange.

Anything that could lead him to the trail.

Behind the hordes of knights he saw several mages.

Interestingly, they stood there and didn't attack him once, yet they looked like they were casting some kind of spell the whole time.

Only, the knights are attacking him non-stop.

Were the magicians so busy?

Healing knights?

No, that's not it.

Are they maintaining some sort of curse? Or maybe they tried to weaken him with magic?

He didn't sense anything like that.

He didn't think the spell they were casting now required several minutes of incantations.

Unless...

They were summoners!

Knights keep arriving without giving him experience, because they are not normal monsters but summons.

And yet at the very end, they came out of the gates...

Mages!

It was their doing.

Reaching the first mage wasn't difficult.

These summons could hardly be called fast or agile.

He bounced off the shoulder of one of the knights and jumped up, targeting the first magician.

He got through to it without much difficulty and attacked the mostly defenseless monster. Throwing the Rasaka Fang at him.

After his death, the magician silently turned into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared from sight.

[YOU DEFEATED THE MAGIC.]

Hundreds of knights rushing to attack Jin-Woo fell to the ground at the same time. It was as if they were puppets with their strings cut.

[SKILL: "DAGGER THROW" HAS BEEN ACQUIRED.]

He also gained another skill.

I guess it couldn't have been better.

It should be all downhill from now.

Killing the knights will do him no good if the mages are alive.

He had to get past the knights and find the magicians who were probably somewhere behind the crowds of knights.

But looking for them among the crowds of enemies pressing towards him will be very difficult and time-consuming.

He had to come up with something else.

He cut the neck of one of the knights and stuck his blade into the helmet of the other one and then jumped up, seeing that the knights had managed to surround him again, which was not difficult at all considering their absurd number.

I think he just figured out how to track down the rest of the mages.

He remembered that when he used "Hide" at the beginning of the fight, the magicians located him very quickly while quite large and clearly visible eye symbols appeared above their heads.

He could do it again to track them down this time.

Jin-Woo disappeared.

[MAGE USES SKILL: "DETECTION"]

[MAGE USES SKILL: "DETECTION"]

[MAGE USES SKILL: "DETECTION"]

[MAGE USES SKILL: "DETECTION"]

[MAGE USES SKILL: "DETECTION"]

Ear-hurting mechanical sounds sounded from several directions.

Jin-Woo quickly confirmed the positions of the eye-like symbols.

There were five more magicians in total.

Jin-Woo tracked down the closest magician to him.

The magician hurriedly gathered the knights around him just as Jin-Woo turned to look at him, but….

Rasaka's Poison Fang flew out of his left hand in a straight line and stabbed directly in the center

the magician's forehead.

Once again, hundreds of knights closest to the dead mage fell to the ground with a loud crash.

He then used his touch of dominance to retrieve the weapon he had thrown at the enemy.

Jin-Woo extended his left hand towards the dagger, and as if attracted by a magnet, the weapon flew back into his open hand.

Now that he didn't have to worry about recovering his weapon after such a throw, he could choose the most efficient route to his target.

The next second he appeared in front of the next magician and...

Even before the knights could turn towards them, he cut the bastard in half.

[YOU DEFEATED THE MAGIC.]

More knights fell again. Thanks to this, not even half of the original number of knights remained.

Additionally, since there were fewer mages, subsequent knights will arrive noticeably slower on the battlefield.

Perhaps sensing danger, the remaining mages gathered in one place. Not only them.

The knights they controlled also gathered around them.

And then all the magicians began to chant a spell together. Their ominous and terrifying voices echoed throughout the boss room and they soon finished casting the spell.

The knights guarding the magicians were suddenly pulled into one lump and pressed together as if they were made of clay or plasticine.

And then they were reborn as one large metal slightly distorted golem that immediately started moving towards Jin-Woo

The hunter gasped in pure awe after feeling the overwhelming pressure given off by this gigantic monster.

Every time the giant golem took a step, the ground shook.

Jin-Woo ducked and dodged the Golem's fist.

The stone pillar behind Jin-Woo shattered into pieces after the metal big fist hit him.

If he hadn't already figured out what was going on here, he would have racked his brain trying to figure out how to cope

with this monster. But now he didn't have to worry about that.

Like the Golem, he put his hands together and raised them high, ready to strike.

Jin-Woo did not step back, but jumped forward. And then he slid to the floor.

In the blink of an eye, he slipped between the Golem's legs and dashed past him.

While the clumsy Golem hurriedly turned around, Jin-Woo had already appeared in front of the three completely

defenseless magicians, still busy reciting a spell that would probably keep the golem in check.

The panicked magicians' shoulders trembled.

A vindictive smile appeared on Jin-Woo's face.

Jin-Woo waved his dagger several times.

[YOU DEFEATED THE MAGIC.]

[YOU DEFEATED THE MAGIC.]

[YOU DEFEATED THE MAGIC.]

The golem that was trying to quickly stop Jin-Woo shattered into pieces of armor that were scattered all over the room.

However, Jin-Woo did not lose his guard.

Perhaps there was something else waiting for him.

He remained alert and ready in case another painful surprise awaited him, but then a familiar beeping sounded in his head.

Jin-Woo swallowed.

Perhaps to laugh at his unnecessary worries, the System instead announced the end of the task.

[ALL MONSTERS HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED. THE TASK IS OVER.]

[YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CHOOSE A PROFESSION BASED ON THE POINTS COLLECTED.]

Only now could Jin-Woo breathe a sigh of relief.

It was truly a hell of a fight, at least until he understood what it was.

He was glad now, in retrospect, that the stone fell from his hand and Jin-Woo did not manage to escape.

He was unlucky - or maybe he was lucky instead. And that forced him to focus solely on surviving this battle. The end result was an incredible success.

And now it's time to receive his rewards.

Jin-Woo's gaze moved to the timer.

[04:29:16]

The numbers on the clock were already frozen.

He lasted almost four and a half hours.

Just thinking about how many points he had collected and what class he would get thanks to it, his heart began to tremble with anticipation.

[PROFESSION WILL BE SELECTED AFTER ANALYZING THE PLAYER'S ACTIONS.]

If his past actions were used as a basis for selecting his class, chances are he would end up with something

strange and unhelpful were rather close to zero.

On the other hand, he was a bit upset that his choice had been taken away from him.

He gave all the points to strength and dexterity. So he will either get a warrior or an assassin. There was still the possibility of him becoming a tank due to his vitality, but it was the third highest stat. So the chances were rather smaller.

No matter what, the important thing is that he can become stronger thanks to this profession.

[THE GROW REAPER ALWAYS FOLLOWS THE PLAYER.]

[PLAYER'S PATH IS STRAINED WITH BLOOD AND CORPSES.]

Okay, those words were a bit macabre.

And soulless.

He killed monsters because that was the job of hunters.

And although he had people on his account, which he was not very happy about, he killed these nine to defend himself, or other innocent hunters who were stuck with them in a given situation.

As he had suspected all along, it seemed that his class would now be set to 'Assassin'.

He would be satisfied with this choice.

[ONCE THE PLAYER HAS GAINED STRENGTH, HE STOP RELYING ON HIS COMPANIONS. HE COPES WITH EVERYTHING BY HIMSELF.]

He didn't have any trustworthy companions in the beginning, that's why!

And then Jin-Ho appeared. But he was only D-ranked and had no experience.

However, he could not understand why these points were brought up during the selection of his class.

[YOUR TENANTNESS IN PURSUIT OF YOUR GOAL HAS NOT BEEN ECHOED IN THE LAND OF THE DEAD. THE UNHAPPY PEOPLE SENT TO ETERNAL WANDERING IN THE LAND OF SHADOWS ANSWERED YOUR CALL. THEY ARE READY TO CREATE A WORLD ACCORDING TO YOUR WILL WHERE YOU WILL DICTATE THE CONDITIONS AND YOU WILL NEVER NEED ANYONE'S HELP ANYMORE.]

Only now did Jin-Woo realize that something had gone very wrong here.

Army of the Dead?!

How?!

Even before he had a chance to object....

The system read the result in its usual dry and humorless voice.

[YOUR PROFESSION IS "Necromancer".]

- What the fuck?!

Everything was going well, so why did "Necromancer" appear instead of the expected "Assassin"?

Jin-Woo stared at the message in bewilderment. He even rubbed his eyes several times, but nothing changed.

He didn't give any points in intelligence, so why the hell did he get the Necromancer?!

Why did he get a profession derived from a magician?!

Well why the hell?!

How did he come across a rare profession that wasn't even available among countless Mage-class Hunters?!

A dark wizard at the head of the undead army.

In the games, characters with this profession mainly used their ears.

He fought with swords and daggers all the time, and suddenly he got a magical profession!

Where was the fucking logic here?!

He felt anger and indignation pouring out of him in waves.

Clenching his fists, he moved towards the throne that was the only seat in the room and fell on it, sighing in frustration and looking ahead at the huge battlefield.

He had to calm down.

Anger had never done him any good.

He had to have a cool head and think carefully about what happened.

Sitting as comfortably as he could on the stone throne and crossing his legs, Jin-Woo took a deep breath.

He pulled out a bottle of cold water from his inventory, one of several he had, uncorked it and began to drink greedily.

Once he had emptied it and thrown it onto some pile of armor near him, he started to think.

First he tried to look for the advantages of necromancy.

Probably creating his own army as the system told him.

But he didn't want to train such servants!

First of all, there will be a possibility that his stats will become useless!

He opened the small window and looked at his hard work.

[STATISTICS]

STRENGTH: 132

VITALITY: 91

DEXTERITY: 111

INTELLIGENCE: 70

SENSES: 93

Pursing his lips, Jin-Woo sighed in frustration.

He didn't want to have brainless bags of bones and rotting flesh dragging around under his command!

Why did he need such useless servants!?

ALARM

[DO YOU ACCEPT YOUR PROFESSION?]

[YES NO]

And?

So...

Did he have a choice?

He felt partial relief.

So ultimately he had no choice in the matter.

On the other hand, it is possible that the system will also choose for him the second time.

And again something strange and useless.

Or he will have to face a similarly terrible fight again.

To be honest, he didn't really feel like doing it.

But he really didn't want to become a necromancer.

Refused.

[NECROMANCER IS A HIDDEN PROFESSION. DO YOU STILL WANT TO REFUSE?]

The system obviously didn't want Jin-Woo to give up his profession since he asked again.

In fact, why did the system want to assign him something that didn't fit him and was of little use to him when the system wanted to keep him alive, as he had seen many times.

A strong Jin-Woo means that he is more likely to be safer and survive, and therefore the system itself will survive.

Jin-Woo hesitated before rejecting again.

Hidden Profession?

In fact, there were a few powerful hunters with strangely very rare skills.

There were hunters in the world who could create powerful protective barriers. There were also those who could strengthen their allies without being medics.

The head of the White Tiger Guild, S-rank hunter Baek Yun-Ho, is said to be able to transform into a beast.

As far as he knew, any hunter with unique skills had no complaints about his strength and could count on good money.

Did hidden profession mean this type of skill?

He wanted independence and self-sufficiency, it's true.

That's why the system recommended him the Necromancer.

In other words, the Necromancer Class had the potential to be truly powerful.

Every hunter wanted independence and self-sufficiency. But not many actually had it.

That's why hunters, even those of S rank, joined large and powerful guilds.

If he could experience the strength of this profession, he would not hesitate so much.

He looked around the destroyed rooms, thinking all the time.

When his gaze fell on one of the empty robes, i.e. only what was left of the annoying mages summoning knights, something suddenly flashed in his head.

Yeah.

If you think about it, these mages used something like Necromancy.

Is this the system's way of showing him the enormous potential of this profession?

It was quite clever and made a lot of sense after what was going on here.

He began to carefully analyze the entire battle and the behavior of the summoned knights and mages.

Jin-Woo is perfectly capable of fighting on his own.

These magicians weren't.

They hid behind their summons, and when they failed in their mission, the mages were easily killed by him.

But a magician who would be able to fight on his own with the help of such an army.

He would be able to clear a Category B underground on his own.

If not higher.

What if...

Jin-Woo is getting stronger.

If there was a possibility that his summons would also become stronger...

This would be really helpful.

Then he wouldn't be alone anymore.

Not completely.

Jin-Woo's heart tightened a little at this thought.

Although he had been really alone for a long time, mocked and despised, then he was getting stronger but hiding in the shadows...

This loneliness bothered him a lot, to be honest.

No friends, no partner.

Families.

Of course, he had his sister, he loved her very much and she was the most important to him.

He also loved his mother very much, but she had been asleep for four years.

And her absence hurt at every step.

Now he found himself starting to silently call Jin-Ho a friend.

As for his non-existent love life.

Well, he's come to terms with that a long time ago.

[YOU HAVE CHOSEN YOUR PROFESSION]

[BASED ON THE POINTS YOU EARN, YOU WILL GET THE CHANCE TO MOVE TO A HIGHER PROFESSION.]

[YOU HAVE EXCEEDED THE EXPECTED TIME]

[POINTS HAVE BEEN ADDED]

[YOU DIDN'T USE THE RETURN STONE]

[POINTS HAVE BEEN ADDED]

[YOU HAVE OVER 50% HP]

[POINTS HAVE BEEN ADDED]

[ALL OPPONENTS HAVE BEEN DEFEATED]

[POINTS HAVE BEEN ADDED]

Meanwhile, Jin-Woo untied the bandage from his hand and put the dagger into his inventory, getting up from the throne.

[POINTS EARNED EXCEEDED THE REQUIRED THRESHOLD]

[YOUR PROFESSION FROM NOW ON IS "LORD OF SHADOWS".]

Jin-Woo watched as his body was surrounded by what looked like black smoke, but it was not real smoke.

This strange black energy began to float above his body, and then it was as if absorbed by his body.

[YOU HAVE ACQUIRED NEW SKILLS RELATED TO YOUR PROFESSION.]

[YOU HAVE GAINED ADDITIONAL STAT POINTS.]

[YOU HAVE GAINED A NEW TITLE: "THE ONE WHO OVERCOME HIS OWN MISLEAD."]

And?

The extra stat points and new title were quite surprising in themselves.

Switching him straight to another profession made his lips part a bit.

In some games, it was possible to strengthen and improve your profession after performing certain activities or exceeding a certain level.

From warrior to berserker.

From knight to paladin.

From wizard to archmage.

And from a necromancer to a shadow lord, as you can see.

Jin-Woo opened the status window.

STATUS

IMIE: SUNG JIN-WOO

PROFESSION: LORD OF SHADOWS

TITLE: WOLF SLAYER (+1 MORE)

LEVEL: 51

FATIGUE: 0

HP: 11035

MP: 1022

STRENGTH: 132

DEXTERITY: 111

VITALITY: 91

SENSES: 93

INTELLIGENCE: 70

PHYSICAL DAMAGE REDUCTION: 46% ACTIVATED

REMAINING POINTS: 10

[SKILLS]

PASSIVE:

(UNKNOWN) MAX LEVEL

PERSEVERANCE LV.1

ADVANCED DAGGER HANDLING LV.1

ACTIVE:

SPRINT LV.2

BLOOD LUST LV.1

FULL ATTACK LV.2

DAGGER THROW LV.1

HIDELIGHT LV.1

[CLASS SKILLS]

ACTIVE:

SHADOW EXTRACTION LV.1

SAVE THE SHADOW LV.1

[PLAYED ITEMS]

CRIMSON KNIGHT HELMET (S), GUARDIAN NECKLACE (A), KNIGHT'S BREASTPLATE (B), KNIGHT'S GLOVE (B), MAGIC'S RING (B), ARCHER'S GLOVE (B), ASSAULT BOMB (C)

He had 100 points to distribute. Great. And a new title.

[TITLE: ONE WHO OVERCOME HIS OWN MISERY.

A TITLE GIVEN TO THOSE WHO HEROICALLY OVERCOME ADVERSITY. YOUR STATISTICS INCREASE PROPORTIONALLY AS YOU LOSE HEALTH POINTS.

(1% STAT INCREASE FOR EVERY 1% MISSING HP.)

Very quickly, the interest in reading the description disappeared when Jin-Woo noticed something strange behind the semi-transparent windows of the system.

He closed them, watching as unknown black smoke slowly and strangely emerged from the knights scattered on the floor, not much different from ordinary scrap.

These pieces of scrap were nothing more than inert garbage just a minute ago.

This black smoke rose from every knight on the ground.

Whenever his eyes fell on the "targets" that were leaking black smoke in his field

words appeared with meanings that were difficult to understand.

[SHADOW EXTRACTION CAN BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.]

[SHADOW EXTRACTION CAN BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.]

[SHADOW EXTRACTION CAN BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.]

[SHADOW EXTRACTION CAN BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.]

[SHADOW EXTRACTION CAN BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.]

It must have been a class skill.

He heard faint but still clearly audible screams of agony and pain in the distance.

The smoke itself curling upwards and coming out of these bodies looked like it was full of pain and suffering.

It was really weird, and quite scary if he was being completely honest.

He assumed that seeing this smoke and this message he could create his minions.

Actually, necromancy was a bit of a command game.

He could deal with it if his summoned beings didn't give him any trouble.

If they followed his orders well, he assumed that he might even like this game.

[PLEASE CHOOSE A WORD THAT WILL ACTIVATE SHADOW EXTRACTION.]

Activation word yes?

It should be something simple to remember, short and relevant.

- Arise.

As he uttered that one word, the screams of agony became louder, no longer a faint echo among the full-fledged screams, while at the same time the smoke emanating from the fallen knights began to writhe faster and grow in volume.

Jin-Woo scanned his surroundings once again.

All the shadows near him began to move.

Soon, a black hand emerged from one of the shadows. She pressed herself hard against the ground and then it looked like the arm that had slowly turned into an arm was starting to tear itself out of her body, holding on to the ground.

The sight was gruesome to say the least.

Jin-Woo's eyes opened wider and wider.

One by one, soldiers clad in jet-black armor emerged from their former bodies.

Their current bodies seemed... made of darkness.

There was a strange black mist rising from them here and there.

Would it be better described as smoke?

By the time Jin-Woo regained his senses, several dozen soldiers were already standing at his side, looking like they were waiting for something.

From the holes in their visors where their eyes should have been, there was a blue light rising, very similar in consistency to this black smoke.

Jin-Woo walked over to the nearest soldier.

The first thing he did was touch it. When he placed his hand and his chest he felt something metal.

As it turned out, the metal-looking armor wasn't just for show.

Although they were definitely not metal.

Their silhouettes were decidedly human.

[SHADOW WALKER LV.1]

RANK: NORMAL

However, they were not human. He couldn't feel any signs of life from them. They weren't breathing and he couldn't hear a heartbeat.

Watching the soldiers carefully for the next few moments to make sure they wouldn't do him any harm, Jin-Woo hurriedly opened the status window and checked the description of his class skills.

[SKILL: SHADOW EXTRACTION LV.1]

CLASS SKILL

NO MANA REQUIRED

BY EXTRACTING MANA FROM A DEAD BODY, YOU CREATE SHADOW SOLDIERS. THE CHANCE OF SUCCESS DEPENDS ON THE TARGET'S STATISTICS AND THE TIME HAS Elapsed SINCE HIS DEATH.

SHADOWS AVAILABLE: 30/30

[SKILL: SAVE SHADOW LV.1]

CLASS SKILL

NO MANA REQUIRED

YOU ARE ABLE TO SAVE THE SOLDIERS YOU CREATE AND USE THEM LATER.

SAVED SHADOWS: 0/20

He approached one of the mages who had previously summoned armor themselves and were now his shadows.

From what he noticed, he managed to recruit 3 mages and 27 foot soldiers.

[SHADOW MAGE LV.1]

RANK: ELITE

He could create 30 soldiers but save only 20.

He was quite powerful now.

If he could create soldiers from defeated monsters...

If he could create them from bosses.

Suddenly realizing something important, Jin-Woo's eyes began to jump madly around the room.

Finally, he spotted a piece of discarded crimson armor against one of the walls.

Jin-Woo stood in front of Igris' dead body.

This might have been the terrifying enemy that had tried to kill him just a few hours ago, but now it was likely to become a very strong ally. Fortunately, he saw black smoke slowly coming out of Igris, just like it did with the other fallen knights.

[SHADOW EXTRACTION CAN BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.]

- Arise.

Despite saying the activation word, nothing happened.

When he frowned in surprise, a window appeared in front of his eyes.

[TO USE MINING, YOU MUST FREE AVAILABLE SPACE. TO RECALL A SUMMONED SHADOW USE THE PHRASE "RECALL A SUMMON".]

Jin-Woo grimaced, realizing his mistake.

He turned to the waiting shadows and realized that they had turned so that they were still facing him.

Perhaps befitting their title of "shadow soldiers", they seemed to move without making a single sound.

He looked at his soldiers who stood patiently at attention. He will have to get rid of the weakest.

Eleven.

He needed room for Igris plus he could only sign 20 of those 30 guys.

These soldiers were his and he really didn't want to throw any of them away.

He felt somewhere deep down a magical bond between him and the soldiers. Thanks to this, he could easily check which of them were the weakest.

Apparently this bond immediately made him attached to his soldiers.

It was probably stupid.

[YOU CANNOT SUMMON SHADOWS SENT TO NOTHING.]

Jin-Woo stared at where the retreated soldiers stood for a moment with an apologetic expression, then turned his attention back to Igris.

- Arise.

The shadow beneath the prone body began to sway gently and grow slightly.

Looking excitedly at Jin-Woo's body, he held his breath.

After a while, however, the shadow calmed down and froze, nothing happened.

[FAILED TO GET THE SHADOW OUT.]

[YOU HAVE TWO CHANCES LEFT]

Well, it wasn't that easy at all.

His strength and the time that had passed since his death had to be taken into account.

Igris was a boss so his stats must have been high, plus he died over four hours ago.

But he didn't think time was the main factor here.

Even if six or seven hours had passed, it probably wouldn't have been long.

It was probably mainly about his strength.

He had two more attempts, so he wasn't going to worry prematurely.

- Arise.

[FAILED TO GET THE SHADOW OUT.]

[YOU HAVE ONE CHANCE LEFT]

This guy had caused him so much trouble when he was alive, and even in death he could give him a serious headache.

Jin-Woo pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at Igris gloomily. He looked around the room for a moment, taking deep breaths to calm down.

It was then that his eyes fell on the empty throne that Igris was obviously guarding and blocked Jin-Woo's path to it as soon as he entered the chamber.

- Stop protecting someone who is no longer here. And try to protect the one in front of you. Arise.

Putting all his authority and command into those words, Jin-Woo tried one last time.

A deep scream could be heard coming from somewhere, and the boss's room was swept by an incredibly frosty wind.

Jin-Woo's expression brightened.

As he expected, when the long scream ended, a long black hand emerged from the shadows.

The newly formed shadow looked exactly as it appeared in his memories.

[YOU SUCCESSFULLY MADE THE SHADOW]

The feather attached to the helmet, the very nice armor covering the slender body, that noble, stately cape.

The only difference was that the armor now had a tar-like color instead of its dark red color. Everything else was exactly the same. He just stood there calmly waiting for Jin-Woo to give him an order.

A broad smile of satisfaction appeared on his face.

[YOU IMPROVED THE SHADOW]

[SHADOW LEVEL WILL BE 7.]

[A SHADOW OF A RANK OUTSTANDING A KNIGHT MAY BE NAMED.]

Right from the start, Igris was level 7 instead of level 1 like his other shadows.

And his rank also varied.

Jin-Woo looked at the shadow's head where there was a small window.

[??? LV.7]

RANK: KNIGHT.

Jin-Woo became lost in thought.

Should he change his name? Can he stay with Igris?

Deciding that a name change was not necessary, Jin-Woo gave him his old name. Question marks have changed in the name.

[IGRIS LV.7]

RANK: KNIGHT.

All he did was simply give it its original name, but Jin-Woo still felt like he had achieved something amazing.

He was filled with content knowing that this guy was now his loyal soldier.

Jin-Woo turned around, looking at the 19 guys behind him.

The number of his soldiers for the time being was pitifully low. But this will probably change when his class skills gain higher levels.

Or when his intelligence points increase. He wasn't entirely sure yet.

For now, however, what mattered was that he had his own army.

What's more, they weren't just any skeletons and corpses with rotting flesh falling off and bones sticking out, but an army of shadows.

Now there's only one problem left.

They would be too eye-catching if they just followed him around the streets.

This skill was not normal for hunters. Summoning one or two creatures was rare among hunters, but it did not raise any surprise. Summoning 30 shadow figures... Well, that would be weird and scary for everyone.

Either he will be under constant surveillance, or, worse still, someone may even demand that he cancel his calls.

If the head of the Hunter Monitoring Department, Woo Jin-Chul, who trusted him, found out about all this, he would probably have an aneurysm that would burst immediately.

Jin-Woo felt like he was going to die of frustration.

That's why there was probably another skill.

The most logical solution to this matter is to somehow hide these soldiers. He must have had something like this.

Searching his statistics window again, he noticed one of the skills that had not been there for a few minutes. Or he just didn't notice her.

SHADOW WAREHOUSE.

That seemed to solve his problem.

***

He returned home exhausted around three in the morning.

He crept into the house as quietly as he could so as not to wake up his sister.

Which with his dexterity stat wasn't particularly difficult.

When he entered the room, he looked longingly at the bed.

The system needed a minimum sleep period of four hours. To restore his HP, reduce fatigue and regenerate mana.

It was a great relief that he would just have to spend the next four hours having various nightmares involving large stone statues and dead hunters in the double dungeon, remembering the pain of losing his leg, the feeling of dragging on the ground, and kneeling in fear for a long time.

There was never a night when he could sleep through it without nightmares. Most often, he used the four hours the system needed and then got up, afraid to fall asleep again.

Looking at his bed desperately, Jin-Woo had an idea.

He summoned Igris, feeling a lump in his throat.

Igris appeared at one of the walls of a small bedroom shrouded in semi-darkness.

A shadow appeared silently and stood tall, looking at Jin-Woo.

In a quiet, uncertain voice, the hunter asked him to feel him at night so that he would sleep alone.

Igris sat down and pulled out his sword, placing it on his lap.

Jin-Woo went to bed, partially surprised that he didn't mind the fact that a dead menacing shadow was staring at him unblinking from across the room with a great sword in his lap.

Chapter Text

He was roused from his state of peace and bliss by the familiar sound of his cell phone, blurred by his sound sleep. 

With his eyes closed and his mind hazy from sleep, he felt for the phone lying on the nightstand as usual and answered it, clumsily putting it to his ear, without even checking who was calling. 

- I'm listening?

- Huh? You're still in bed.

Hearing his sister's voice, Jin-Woo yawned long. 

- Ah... Yes, I'm a little tired. I came back late.

- Check the time. - His irritated sister advised him.

- ABOUT? Which one is it? - He asked without bothering to check.

- Fourteen! Do you remember that there is a meeting today?!

Sitting up and opening his eyes, Jin-Woo felt as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water on him.

He forgot about it to death! 

He flinched, surprised and terrified, to see Igris sitting motionless in the same place where he had left him last night. 

He almost fell out of bed when he saw the shadow creature with a great sword in his lap, but he remembered in time that he was now Jin-Woo's shadow. It won't hurt him. 

- What time?!

- At seven o'clock! 

- Don't worry, I'll be there on time. - He promised her, yawning and sitting on the bed.

- That's what I'm talking about! Call me when you get there.

When his sister hung up, Jin-Woo looked at the silent Igris, then stretched and scratched his head.

Did he sleep until four o'clock? 

It's been a long time for him now, and he was very pleasantly surprised that this time he slept really soundly. 

Without any nightmares.

Did Igris' presence really help? 

- Thank you. Now it's time for you to rest. - Jin-Woo stated softly, looking at his new shadow.

He summoned him to himself and the soldier slowly turned into a black mist and flew into Jin-Woo's shadow.

After a shower that took him less than ten minutes, the hunter stood in front of an open wardrobe, looking at its interior with a critical eye.

He should probably wear something better than a T-shirt and jeans to talk to his sister's teacher. 

The problem was that most of the clothes were too small for him and apart from an old suit bought for the entrance exams, he had nothing elegant. 

His hair was a bit wet so he decided to wait a while for it to dry a bit.

He had ten points to spend on increasing his stats. Previously he would have spent it on senses or dexterity. Without hesitating for a moment, Jin-Woo put all his points into intelligence, silently hoping that it would increase not only his mana but also the number of shadows he could obtain. 
If one of the class skills was responsible for this, then he would gain slots for new soldiers much slower.

After a few more minutes of browsing the status window, Jin-Woo closed it again, looking askance at his still open closet.  
He needed some decent clothes for today. 

***

The first place he visited was the bank. He was curious how much he made from magic cores.

He had been too busy to check it out until now, and honestly, he didn't really need it.
The management of the magic cores was left to the raid leader, Jin-Ho. The boy told him that he sold all the magic cores after the daily raids. The funds were deposited in a bank book that Jin-Woo had. However, they did not discuss the actual amounts in detail.

Jin-Ho was good at reporting on everything else. I guess he just wasn't really interested.

Perhaps due to the circumstances of his life, the young man was probably not interested in financial matters. The topics of his conversations mainly concerned celebrities, rallies, music and movies. Well, the 'conversation' mostly consisted of Jin-Ho talking while Jin-Woo just nodded.
As Jin-Woo recalled the times he spent with Jin-Ho, he realized that the kid never talked about his family. It was quite strange.

Before Jin-Woo could think about it, he reached the bank.

And of course, all the ATMs were busy and each of them had lines of at least three other people. 

Defeated, Jin-Woo grabbed the number and waited. He was soon called and walked up to the counter.

- Hello.

The service employee had short hair and a radiant smile.

- How can I help you?

- I would like to get a new payment card and update my account balance.

- All right. 

The employee smiled and took the bank book from Jin-Woo's hands. While waiting, the hunter looked around the bank in boredom. Even though it was a weekday afternoon, there were a lot of people around. While he was watching people, the woman serving him looked at Jin-Woo's bank book and was surprised.

[Account balance: 1,482,920,000] (PLN 4,878,715)

She read the number carefully, counting the zeros, it was definitely over a billion. The transaction history showed that everything was collected within the last week.

How could such a young man...?

She first thought of Jin-Woo as a college student who was handling passbook matters for his mother. Now she looked at the man with a completely different look. She carefully asked him a question with a slight ulterior motive.

- So what do you do? 

- I am a hunter. - He replied calmly, probably not guessing what the reason for the question was. 

The woman nodded. The rumors were true.
She heard that hunters make a lot of money.

But she didn't think they could earn so much in such a short time. She suddenly felt ashamed of her usual desk job. Just a few moments ago, Jin-Woo was a customer like any other. Now she realized that he lived in another world.

The boy in front of her probably had a very high rank and worked for one of the largest guilds. 

Only they would make that much money. This was the first high-ranking hunter she had ever met. The thought made her heart flutter. A young man like him with over a billion in cash would be considered a VIP in this bank. She didn't want to miss the opportunity. The employee began to leave according to her training,

- So, a new product for VIP clients has appeared in our bank.

Her business smile turned into a genuine one; her eyes were fixed on Jin-Woo.

The man looked as if he had left his home in a hurry, wearing carefree clothes and unbrushed hair, still slightly damp. She realized that he probably led a very busy life and took valuable time to come here.

- It is very popular among customers. Maybe you would like to invest in it?

- I'm in a hurry right now. But maybe next time I'm at the bank.

- Oh, I see.

She wasn't surprised that the boy didn't have time, but she could still hide the disappointment in her voice. 

Ignoring the employee's gaze on his neck, he left the bank. The moment he stepped outside, he sighed in relief.

He noticed the change in her eyes after he revealed that he was a Hunter. The looks of others. And their interest. This was something normal for other Hunters, but not for Jin-Woo.

Well, I guess he'll have to start getting used to it.

When he took the measurement again and achieved a high rank, the attention on him would become much heavier. He had heard that the Hunters even had their own fans and paparazzi. Looking up, he saw a billboard on top of the building with an advertisement; the model was a famous hunter. Before the days of gates and hunters, this billboard would have featured some athlete or singer. Now the Hunters received the love of the masses. Jin-Woo may also find himself in a similar spotlight in some time. Currently, the only people who didn't like the Hunters were the insurance companies.

After leaving the bank, Jin-Woo was finally able to check his income. He was very surprised.

1,482,920,000?!

The income from 9 rallies amounted to almost one and a half billion! It was an average of 160 million for a C-rank underground.

That was a lot of money!

At least now he understood the bank employee's behavior. Anyone in her position would be surprised, even himself. 

After Jin-Woo had all his affairs in order to check his account balance, he went and bought a suit and even took time to get a haircut at a nearby salon.

He looked like a completely different person when he stood in front of his sister's school building.

Money couldn't buy everything, but having it was really nice. Now that he had something under his belt, good clothes and nicely trimmed hair, he felt much better in his skin. 

He checked the time. It was 4:20.

He saw Jin-Ah waiting for him at the door to the building.

When Jin-Woo finally came closer, his sister's eyes became comically large at the sight of him. 

Seeing her expression, Jin-Woo couldn't help but smile smugly.

- You can't be my brother. They switched you. 

- Very funny, sister. Stop giving me weird looks there and let's go inside.

It seemed like Jin-Ah was too shocked to direct him, so Jin-Woo took the lead. He was a student here 5 years ago. The structure was familiar to him. He knew the meeting would be in a conference room and not her classroom, so he headed in that direction. And his pace was quite fast.

He didn't have the best memories of finishing his education here, so he wanted to do what he had to do and get out of here. 

- Hi! Wait for me. 

Jin-Ah quickly ran after her brother.

- Oh my...

- Hm?! Hi.

- Who is this?

- What a handsome guy.

-Jin-Ah seems to know him. I think he's her brother. 

Everyone stared at him and whispered to each other as Jin-Woo and his sister walked down the halls. 

A muscular body and a fashionable suit. Even an average looking person would catch their eye. Well, Jin-Woo was completely uninterested.

The students' whispers went in one ear and out the other. The one who was excited was Jin-Ah. She strained her ears and listened to the whispers of her friends, then walked up to her brother and pierced him with her elbow.

- You're quite popular. 

The first time he ignored her.

- You don't have any nice boyfriend, do you? 

He ignored her a second time.

- Should your wonderful sister introduce you to someone? 

He pinched her cheek gently for the third time.

- Don't push yourself too hard, little one.

-Ouch! Hey, get those hands.

 
Jin-Woo let go of her, and the grumpy girl rubbed her cheek with mock drama.

- You should finally find someone. I just want you to be happy.

- I'm fine, don't worry. - He dismissed her gently. 

When they arrived at the classroom, Jin-Woo stuck her head through the door, telling the teacher that her brother was already here. 

Jin-Woo was about to enter, but stopped when he noticed that Jin-Ah was retreating into the corridor instead of going with him. 

- What about you? - He asked, surprised.

- This is a conversation between the teacher and the parent/guardian only. I just wanted to see you off. 

 Oh yes, Jin-Woo remembered his senior year in high school. Then no one came to him.

 Mom was already having problems.

When she fell ill, his mother had to be quickly hospitalized. Not wanting to strain her weak body, Jin-Woo didn't tell her about her parents' meeting with the teacher. Because of this, he had to endure the nagging of his extremely vindictive and malicious teacher for some time.

Remembering that experience, he realized why Jin-Ah was nervous when she asked him to come here those two weeks ago. He asked his sister with a smile,

- Are you finishing late today too?

- Yes. After the conversation, you can go home without me. 

- All right. 

He patted her on the head before she could react, smiling a little mischievously. 

- Don't do that, you know I hate it! 

- See you at home.

Jin-Woo entered the conference room with a smile. Jin-Ah fixed her hair while pouting. 

He treated her like a child so often.

Well, it wasn't that she hated it. She looked around, worried that someone might have seen it. After making sure no one was around, she skipped over to her classroom.

Part of her just wished he had someone who could treat him with tender care the way he treated her. 

Purely Jin-Ah loved her brother, cared for him and cared for him, but she was his younger sister. She couldn't, couldn't treat him like he treated her. Besides, her brothers wouldn't leave her to do that. He was supposed to protect and raise her, not her him. 

He has been adamant about this for a long time. 

Not for four years, but for less than nine.
Since her father disappeared. 

After their father disappeared through one of the gates, Jin-Woo easily began to take on the role of male role model and protector in Jin-Ah's life.

 
He wasn't trying to replace their father, but he was trying to fulfill his role in her life.

As he got older, it became easier and more natural for him. Suddenly, their mother fell ill and Jin-Woo had to devote himself entirely to the role of caregiver. 

 He took care of her, but no one took care of him. 

Jin-Ah knew that his brother deep down longed for affection and his quickly lost innocence and wanted someone to be by his side. 

It's a pity that Jin-Woo hasn't found someone like him so far.

***

If he were to describe his first impression of his younger sister's teacher in one sentence...

She seemed like a warm person. 

- You must be Jin-Ah's older brother. 

She was a wise-looking, middle-aged teacher. Someone whose bright smile made the other person feel comfortable. Knowing the circumstances of his household, she didn't question Jin-Woo's presence at the parent/guardian meeting at all.

 It was quite nice. 

- Nice to meet you. I'm Jin-Ah's homeroom teacher. I didn't realize Jin-Ah had such a handsome older brother.

 At her cheeky but sweet greeting, Jin-Woo bowed his head.

He didn't remember her teaching here when he was still a student.

She must have been a new teacher hired after he left. They say that the first impression was very important. After greeting them, he could relax a bit.
The teacher seemed to be respectful towards someone as young as Jin-Woo. That was quite nice too. 

It looked like his little sister wouldn't be harassed by an annoying teacher for her senior year.

- Please sit down. 

She pointed to a chair. Jin-Woo sat up and looked at the teacher sitting behind the large desk.

- Your sister is a really nice and helpful girl. You don't have to worry, she's a perfect student. 

They talked about the average issues discussed in this type of meetings between a supervisor and a teacher. Their conversation continued in good spirits for some time. Since Jin-Ah was an excellent student, her teacher only had good things to say.

- Did you know he was planning to go to medical school? 

- Yes.

- Her exam results were good and her overall grades are excellent. She should be more than capable of getting into a good school. But please don't put too much pressure on her. 

Jin-Woo nodded solemnly. The teacher's face was full of expectations for Jin-Ah. In fact, many high school senior teachers were overwhelmed with stress over their students' grades. After all, a student's last years in high school determined the course of his life.

He often heard that many teachers were reluctant to teach final grades. 

He had heard that some teachers sometimes had to be forced into these seats. With that in mind, it was clear that Jin-Ah's teacher was someone with a passion for the job. As his younger sister's guardian, Jin-Woo was very grateful for this.

The meeting was coming to an end after 15 minutes of conversation.

Jin-Woo was about to get up, but then the teacher carefully asked a question:
- I heard that you are a hunter.

Her eyes became serious and still as she asked this question. Jin-Woo realized that something was up. 

- Yes I am.

- If it turned out that Jin-Ah had the necessary skills, would you want her to follow in your footsteps? 

- Absolutely not.

Jin-Woo's response was quick and firm. He didn't even have to think about it. He would never let his little sister stick her neck out underground. It doesn't matter what rank she is. He would never let her do that, knowing what things could be lurking there.

 
It didn't matter if they still needed money as desperately as they did just a few months ago. He would never allow her to approach the gate.

Not when they had no money, nor now when jin-Woo was able to earn billions and give his sister money for the biggest whims.

The teacher's expression darkened.

- I thought so.

When Jin-Woo looked at her suspiciously, the teacher continued hesitantly,

"I'm asking because... Recently, in our school, one of the students awakened her powers, which is why she wants to quit school." She even stopped coming to class. If this continues, the school will be forced to expel her. Even if she plans to become a hunter, it is better for her to finish school first. 

It was a common occurrence. People who had just received Awakening ignored common sense and threw themselves into the profession of Hunter. Even though they didn't know what this job actually entailed, they did it with pride that they were different from the average person. They didn't understand how difficult and dangerous this life was. They only saw the surface seen on TV and the Internet.
Wealth, fame and popularity. 

The media showed the faces of S and A rank hunters, sometimes, although rarely, focused on B rank hunters. No one talked or remembered about the C, D or E ranks. 
Hunters, especially D and E, were downright despised and considered marginal when it came to this whole business. And these were the most numerous hunters. 

They were reluctantly accepted into large, powerful guilds (D), or not accepted anywhere (E), despised and paid so poorly that they sometimes could not afford to buy the worst armor or weapons. 

It wasn't a dream life at all. And if this stupid girl had a low rank and no education because she dropped out of school, her life would be really difficult later. 

Either she would have to do poorly paid, hard work with no education, or she would have to remain a low-ranking hunter, earning just as little money and even risking her life. 

The teacher sighed heavily. 

- I don't know much about hunters, that's why I'm asking you.

- What rank did she receive?

- From what I heard... It's probably the lowest.  

Jin-Woo sighed heavily, shaking his head. Even entering the underground required caution at such a rank. In 9 out of 10 cases, entering the underground with a carefree attitude born of arrogance resulted in disability or death. The fact that such a fate had befallen a girl his sister's age weighed heavily on Jin-Woo. But he knew it was her decision. Nobody forced her to do it. Still, he wondered if there was any way to get that idiot out of his head. 

Such people did not like being told what to do. Therefore, such a task would be very difficult. Not only is she young, she's blinded. Not a very good combination. 

- She's your sister's friend. Maybe you could talk to her and get her to finish school? 

Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Jin-Woo asked this friend's name. 

-His name is Han Song-I.

Come on, how small this world was. 

***

As the sun began to set and the sky turned from blue to light orange, Jin-Woo found himself in front of the house of a troublesome student that Teacher Jin-Ah had asked him to convince him about..

Actually, this place was quite close to his own apartment. 

About two minutes walk. Jin-Woo could probably hit him with a rock from his room. He looked around. It was a small district full of dilapidated buildings. He was able to roughly tell that, like his own family, the girl probably didn't grow up in luxury. 

Remembering her past, he understood why she so stubbornly wanted to become a hunter. 

But such people in the underground never have it easy.

He himself was injured many times. The E-rank hunter even found himself teetering between life and death several times. If it weren't for his mother's rare disease, he would never have taken this job. For an E-rank Hunter, the underground was a very dangerous place.

 
If Jin-Woo ignored this matter and something happened to the girl, he would never forgive himself.

 
Additionally, he had the impression that her distorted view of the hunter's life was his fault. 

He finally felt a presence approaching him, lifting his head and looking at the approaching person. Jin-Woo saw the problematic student.

Seeing her face, Jin-Woo confirmed that it was indeed the same girl.

The student noticed Jin-Woo and tilted her head,

"Korea is a small country." Just like I thought, it's you. 

Jin-Woo scratched the side of his head.

- What are you doing here?

As expected, the girl recognized him.

A high school student who wanted to become a Huntress. She was the only female member of Yoo Jin-Ho's raids.

When he heard her name from Teacher Jin-Ah, Jin-Woo was sure it was her. Just in case, he asked for her file. The day she stopped coming to school was the day Jin-Woo and his raids began. When he realized this, Jin-Woo realized that this whole situation could have been his fault in some way, so he decided to take responsibility. The circumstances of their raids were unique and he didn't want to mislead the girl into thinking that what she did with them would be the norm. After all, she earned 30 million won last week, an amount that was unbelievably large for a high school student.

If he heard in the future that she had died underground, he knew he would blame himself because he was the one who had unintentionally pushed her down this path.

So he decided to take the time today to convince her. It wouldn't be that difficult. It was enough to know how to go about it and how to talk to a stubborn high school student.

Han Song-I stared at Jin-Woo with wide eyes. She looked a little hesitant.

- Are you the hunter I was supposed to talk to? I don't know what your teacher told you, but I'm not going back to school. 
She tried to discourage him with her stubbornness from what she thought Jin-Woo wanted to do. 

- I only got interested in this whole thing because you're friends with Jin-Ah. - He explained to her calmly.

- Oh, are you her brother? Now I understand where the teacher got you from. 

- You're E-ranked, right? Normal attacks will not work on monsters. You'll need some magical weapons. The thing about weapons is that they wear out, so you will have to buy a new one from time to time.

Honestly, a mediocre deal. Are you planning to fight with your bare fists? Not very comfortable, I know that. You weren't keen on this job after making some money on our rallies, were you?

-Stop these sermons. You're a rank E yourself. 

Jin-Woo smiled slightly at her words. She was a rebellious player. Jin-Woo used to be the same. Only he had reasons not to listen to reason and stay in this cesspool. 

Jin-Woo knew that telling kids like her not to do something was the best way to get them to do it. From the beginning, he had no intention of convincing her with his words. He would simply show her a glimpse of reality.

- Don't worry, I don't plan on making you change your mind. 

It's hard for everyone to accept the information about their helplessness until they experience it themselves. 

- So what are you doing here?

Smiling sharply, Jin-Woo explained.

- They plan to make you a good hunter.

***

Woo Jin-Chul was aware that, as usual, there was a stack of papers waiting on his desk that he had to review, sign, correct or correct. But unfortunately today he couldn't sit at his desk in the office and read those stupid papers.

Today he was facing an unpleasant field mission, which consisted of acting as a babysitter for a vengeful, arrogant idiot who had betrayed his country in favor of money given to him by the United States. 

Hwang Dong-Su, an S-rank hunter working for the American Scavanger guild, was supposed to arrive in Seoul today. 

So he waited near one of the entrances to the main departure lounge, watching for this particular hunter. 

It wasn't particularly difficult. He quickly noticed a tall, muscular man wearing sunglasses, a polo shirt that was probably only worth three of his paychecks, and as head of the department he didn't earn very little at all, and a belt with an extravagantly gold-plated buckle.

 
-You've finally arrived. - Jin-Chul greeted as he approached the hunter.

- And who is he? A lot of years. What's a bigwig like you doing here Woo Jin-Chul?

 
- As a representative of the Supreme Hunter Control Chamber, I must monitor the arrival of S-rank hunters in Korea.

Someone as unstable and brutal as Hwang Dong-Su required supervision once he entered their country. 

It was no longer him that Jin-Chul noticed coldly. This country ceased to be his home when Hwang sold his loyalty for dollars. 

He could have sent one of his agents, but Hwang loved to provoke his interlocutors and then break their bones with sadistic amusement twinkling in his eyes. 

That's why Jin-Chul didn't want to risk sending some unfortunate person who would be provoked. 

Together with the chairman, they decided that this was the best solution. Even if they both didn't like it very much. 

- Monitoring Division? Are you still acting as the right hand of that old Gun-Hee? If I were you, I'd get rid of his left hand, make sure he can't do anything without his right hand, and take over everything. 

This was proof of the provocations Hwang liked to play. He pressed where it hurt the most and enjoyed watching the results. 

And although the hunter's words landed where they were supposed to and Jin-Chul's blood began to boil at such a blatant lack of respect for the president, he did not show it. 

Jin-Chul's face remained calm and expressionless as he asked instead of answering the taunt. 

- How long do you plan to stay in Korea?

- I'm just a passing person. I'll be back as soon as I take care of some things here.
When Hwang passed him, Jin-Chul, having a bad feeling, continued the conversation. 

- And what issues can someone who abandoned his homeland and moved to the USA have here? Could it be a certain E-rank hunter named Sung Jin-Woo and D-rank hunter Yoo Jin-Ho?

Hwang stopped and Jin-Chul felt the magic begin to leak out of him. 

-What else would you expect from the Department of Hunter Monitoring? You're asking about something you know the answer to. Do you want.... to stop me?
Not to be intimidated, Jin-Chul looked calmly into Hwang Dong-Su's glowing crimson eyes. 

- He performs his duties.

Seeing that the agent didn't even flinch as the second hunter's intimidating suffocating power attacked him, Hwang smiled sharply. 

- I like you. Join my guild, you'll have a better life without that old grumpy person acting like a stone around your neck.
Breathing evenly and calmly, Jin-Chul looked into Hwang's cold eyes. 

He hoped Sung was hiding somewhere and wouldn't do something stupid. 

Otherwise, if the boy survives, Jin-Chul will first tear off his head with his bare hands and then start filling out tons of documents related to the Sung-Hwang affair. 

***

She didn't need any convincing to enter the underground. Attracted by the prospect of witnessing the training of the new White Tiger recruits in person, she excitedly joined Jin-Woo without a trace of suspicion. 

Jin-Woo drove Han Song-I to the place where the White Tiger will be conducting training for new recruits in the form of a gate raid. He was told that training would start at 9 p.m., so he had plenty of time.
It was a district where, for some unknown reason, many gates appeared. Because of this, most people had moved out and parking was easy to find. Jin-Woo heard that there are at least 8 abandoned apartment buildings in the area. Once the remaining people decided to move out, the government planned to simply tear down the buildings and level the entire area.

Ahn Sang-Min was already waiting for them along with his deputies Hyun Gee-Chul. 

The two men introduced themselves, smiling politely at the surprised Han Song-I. 

- I am the head of the second management department, Ahn Sang-Min.

- Hyun Gee-Chul assistant from the same department.

Ahn Sang-Min was quite surprised when he got a call from Sung Jin-Woo who wanted to check the system for training new recruits. Maybe he was finally interested in the White Tiger Guild. They know that such an opportunity may not come again, he agreed immediately. If he sees their training system with his own eyes, he may change his mind. 

- We didn't come here to chat. It's almost nine o'clock, we should get going.  

Without waiting for their response, the man returned closer to the gate. Jin-Woo could tell that he wasn't an ordinary human, he was quite strong. Probably rank A.

Although if you compare the strength of this muscleman to the only other A-rank hunter Jin-Woo met, Inspector Woo, the boy probably had nothing to brag about because he was clearly weaker. 

- Who it was? - Jin-Woo asked.

-He's our new recruit. He's an A-ranker, he's been a little grumpy since he heard that I agreed to your request. He said that the underground is not a place for fun... - Ahn Sang-Min admitted in embarrassment. 

So he was right, the guy was indeed A-ranked.

But he was afraid of something other than an arrogant hunter with a quarter of a brain. 

- What ranks do hunters have in the squad?

- One A rank, seven B ranks, four C ranks, that's a total of twelve members. 

- That many B-rank hunters and one A-rank hunter for a gate like that? - Jin-Woo asked surprised.

- Maybe it's a bit of an exaggeration, for a category C underground, but new recruits must first gain experience.

There was obvious pride in Ahn Sang-Min's voice. 

However, Jin-Woo still had the impression that such a number of B-rank hunters and one A-rank hunter was an exaggeration.
Suddenly something lit up in Jin-Woo's mind. In fact, that was the real reason why Ahn Sang-Min allowed him to join him so easily. He wanted to show Jin-Woo the elite new White Tiger recruits to show him the value of the Guild. However, contrary to Ahn Sang-Min and Hyun Gee-Chul's expectations, Jin-Woo looked at the rally with disappointment in his eyes.

The assault group was too strong for a gate of this category.

If the rally is too easy, his plan will fail. It can even cause a lot of trouble, because the girl will be confirmed in her mistaken belief that rallies are easily a pleasant thing, when in fact they were not. 

Although, maybe then...

Maybe, seeing the gap that separates her from the other hunters going on this raid, she will understand how difficult it is to be a hunter with a rank of E. 

- When do we leave?

Not realizing Jin-Woo's true intentions, Han Song-I looked impatiently at the gate.

Turning to him, Jin-Woo saw that her face was full of excitement and anticipation.
I wonder how long she will be able to maintain this excitement when she sees what is waiting at the gate. 

Before Jin-Woo could approach the gate, Gee-Chul turned to him in a whisper, looking around to see if anyone could hear them.

- Your active participation would make the rally too easy, could you stay back? 

- I won't interfere. - Jin-Woo promised him calmly. After all, that was his plan from the beginning. 

He would resume raids with Yoo Jin-Ho tomorrow, he didn't have to interfere with the training of the new White Tiger recruits. Tomorrow would be the inaugural battle of his shadow army, and to be honest, he couldn't wait. 

He didn't want to show off his soldiers to her. 

If the girl saw that she was easily defeating magical beasts with her shadows, her delusions might deepen. Jin-Woo and Han Song-I went to the gate. 

Unlike the A-ranks, some of the other Hunters greeted them with smiles.

- Hello.

- Nice to meet you. 

Since the goal of the rally wasn't money, having more people was a good thing. Everyone except the A-rank hunter introduced themselves to them. The strongest of the hunters simply snorted, looking at them with contempt.

After all, in the eyes of someone of his rank, they were nothing more than a pathetically useless fringe of hunters. 

New recruits entered the Gate one by one. Han Song-I stopped in front of the gate and turned to Jin-Woo,

"Aren't you going?" - She asked confused, looking at Jin-Woo.

- I'll follow right behind you, don't worry. 
With a face full of nervousness, the girl nodded and entered.

Jin-Woo sighed slightly and stood in front of the Gate. 

Something was wrong.

The gate was constantly heaving and shaking.

Unless someone was in the process of entering or exiting, they should remain as still as a sheet of water. 

But at this moment, even though no one was entering or leaving, the Gate was rippling as if someone had disturbed the surface of a lake. Something has changed. Jin-Woo placed his hand on the Gate. The surface of the Gate stuck to his hand like a sticky substance and began to creep onto his skin.

Jin-Woo turned his head abruptly and looked into the eyes of Ahn Sang-Ming and his assistant. The employees realized very quickly that something was wrong. Jin-Woo only managed to shout to them: 

- Call for backup immediately...!
Before Jin-Woo could finish, he was sucked into the Gate.

Both men stared at the gate with slack jaws as it began to change its color from light blue to red, still waving restlessly. 

As if a drop of blood fell on the surface of the water, the surface of the gate quickly turned red. Both men unfortunately knew what that meant. And it didn't mean anything good, for anyone. Especially for hunters who have just passed the gate. 
It definitely shouldn't be a red gate. 

And these untrained and unprepared unfortunates should not cross it. 
They had to notify the guild. 

Or more precisely, their master, immediately.

***

- Nice car. - Hwang Dong-Suk said lazily, sitting on the cream leather seat of an elegant black Mercedes. 

"It's not worthy of transporting an S-class hunter," Jin-Chul said honestly.

By saying this, however, he meant that this car, despite its good condition, was not good enough for President Go Gun-Hee, who was also an S-rank hunter.

This car was... a little mischief on the part of the Association. It was used to transport important people, but only those the president did not like. 

It was a kind of inside joke of the Association and information at the same time.

This Mercedes was the only one of its kind in the Association, so that when hunters saw it, they would know that it was carrying someone problematic who needed to be watched out for.

However, Hwang could not have known about the hidden meaning of Jin-Chul's words. 

- Well, going that fast, I'd be faster if I just ran. - Hwang said after a while. 

Jin-Chul looked at the odometer, seeing 95 kilometers per hour. The speed wasn't slow at all, he wasn't going to break traffic laws at the whim of some snotty traitor. 

- How did my brother's funeral go? - Hwang Dong-Su asked casually after a moment of silence. 

- We couldn't get his body back. The family took care of the funeral. Would you like to visit him?

- NO. I'm not interested in the dead. I only care about my brother's remains.

- So where do you want to go?

- To the underground, of course. Where could such filth be if not underground?

Woo Jin-Chul pursed his lips, guessing that Hwang was referring to Sung Jin-Woo. 

So he was pursuing his vendetta after all. Wonderfully. 

Jin-Chul had no idea if Sung would be strong enough to even try to fight in Hwang Dong-Su. He defeated a B-rank assassin and was clearing the C-rank dungeons himself. 

He certainly had at least an A rank.

However, he did not have enough information whether the boy was strong enough to be S-ranked. And even if he had it, there were sometimes gaps in terms of strength in the S-rank. really huge. 
Even if the young boy qualified for this rank, it would not automatically mean that he would be able to cope with hunters as strong and bloodthirsty as Hwang. 

Jin-Chul knew how he should behave in such a situation and what the president told him to do. But even so, he felt very conflicted. 

If Hwang found Hunter Sung, all Jin-Chul could do was take on the role of mediator. But someone like Hwang Dong-Su did not listen to arguments and the voice of reason. Jin-Chul was afraid that his attempt at conversation wouldn't work then. And he was too weak to fight Hwang. 

For him it would be practically suicide. If Jin-Chul interfered, after killing Sung Jin-Woo, he would probably kill him too. Or at best, beat him up severely.

Nothing would have been able to stop Hwng from killing the hunter Sung Jin-Woo if he actually wanted to. 

Jin-Chul knew it, as did Hwang himself.

- How are you going to find them? There are infinite gates in Korea.

- We are in the 21st century. - Hwang Dong-Su reminded him in amusement, taking out his phone. - Sung Jin-Woo...

Looks like he just entered the underworld. The rules there are different from those known here, as you know. What I choose to do with him is none of your business anyway.

- I know. 

Jin-Chul gritted his teeth, feeling helplessness stabbing him straight in the heart.

***

White Tiger Guild Master Baek Yoon-Ho immediately arrived on the scene after receiving the news. Hyun Hee-Chul and Ahn Sang-Min stood at the gate with gloomy expressions on their faces.

- Closed forever. - The guild master stated blankly, taking his hand away from the impenetrable, bloody magical surface. 
Baek Yoon-Ho's face hardened.

There was nothing they could do. Unlike other emergencies, no help could be provided to those inside. Baek Yoon-Ho turned to Ahn Sang-Min.

- It doesn't look interesting. Was this supposed to be a category C gate?

- Yes sir. 

- Have you talked to the Association?

- Yes, but they pretend to be stupid. They claim that this gate is definitely C.

- Bastards!

Baek Yoon-Ho cursed loudly. Red Gates were a phenomenon limited to high-class gates. Gates that could take hunters to a completely different world could only be rated B, A, and S. There was never a red rated C gate, although there was never a red S rated gate either, thankfully. The places beyond the red gate were too dangerous and saturated with magic to ever be rated below B.

 The gate in front of him had to be at least rated B. If they were unlucky, they could even be rated A. If they were really unlucky, something above...

- We have measure its power with your own equipment? - Ahn asked after a while.
Baek Yoonho shook his head,

"No need." The appearance of a red gate will skew any outcome. Now we won't find out anything. 

And that's why the Association could deny everything. It was impossible to re-measure the Red Gate, so there would be no evidence that they had mistaken their initial measurements. Still, the Gate's rank wasn't important at the moment,

- How many of our guys got inside? 

- Twelve.

- Any higher ranks? - Beak Yoon-Ho asked hopefully.

Their lives will depend on the ranks of these people and whether the red gate will open or be cleansed by them first. 

- One A and seven B hunters.

The guild master pursed his lips as the worry on his face deepened. 

- Not much... If it's B, it requires a minimum of three A-rank hunters. However, if it's A, it would require at least one S-rank hunter or a minimum of 10 A-rankers. In that case, we can consider everyone who entered dead. If they're lucky, three or four of the strongest will survive... I doubt it.

Deciding that this would be a good time to reveal one small detail, Ahn Sang-Min interjected. 

- Well... there are two hunters inside that are not from our guild.

-Who are these? - Beak asked, interested.
- One of them is a hunter I have been observing for some time. His strength... far exceeds his rank.

Beak Yoon-Ho looked at his subordinate with a raised eyebrow, curious. 
-What rank?

- E. - He admitted after a moment of hesitation. - But I saw his strength.

Someone with an E rank couldn't use "Stealth" and wouldn't exude as much power. 

At first, upon hearing the rank of this hunter, Beak looked as if he had swallowed a worm, but as Ahn Sang-Min explained further, his grimacing expression gradually turned into confusion. 

***

Jin-Woo, to put it mildly, was quite surprised by the place he found himself in. 
He had read about the Red Gates on the Internet in the past, but had never entered one. 

He was currently standing in the middle of a forest covered with a thick layer of snow. In a place that did not resemble ordinary undergrounds. 

- Where are we?!

- This doesn't look like an underground!

- The gate is gone!

 
The other Hunters looked around and couldn't hide their panic. While they were in chaos, Jin-Woo calmly looked around with narrowed eyes.

He didn't feel anything disturbing around him. As if he were standing in the middle of an ordinary forest. 

Thanks to the System, he was able to remain calm even in such a situation. The first thing he analyzed were the trees.

Huge, evergreen, spreading, reaching high into the sky. The treetops were covered with snow. He looked down and met someone's eyes. It was A-rank hunter Kim Chul, who was also observing the surroundings.

They both looked at each other and then looked away. Han Song-I walked up to Jin-Woo and lightly tugged on his sleeve.

- Something's wrong, right?

Her eyes were full of fear. The confidence she showed on the outside was completely gone. Suddenly, Jin-Woo's hand shot towards her face.

The girl's eyes widened.

The arrow caught by Jin-Woo trembled slightly, as if angry that it had missed its target. The target was Han Song-I's forehead.

Jin-Woo broke the ice arrow which slightly frosted his hand, it must have been soaked in some kind of freezing magic.

Realizing what had just happened, Han Song-I's face paled. However, the scream that echoed did not come from her.

Blood poured from the Hunter's mouth as he fell to the ground, an arrow sticking out of his temple, frosting his hair and temple. There was a stain of blood on the snow. The hunters began to scream in fear. Two arrows flew towards them at the same time. Thanks to this, most of them did not see Jin-Woo catch the second arrow, break it and throw it away, not at all impressed by the attack. 

- Ambush!

- On the tree!

One of the B-rank hunters pointed to a point at the top of a distant tree. Long before he pointed, Jin-Woo and Kim Chul's eyes were already looking in that direction. Two people were standing on the tops of the trees.

Although they couldn't be called human.
White hair. Skin as pale as snow. Silver eyes. And of course, the hallmark of their breed, pointy ears. 

Due to their beautiful beauty and the fact that they could only be seen in high category vaults, they were quite famous.
Ice Elves.

Those who didn't have the opportunity to face them called them elves. However, the few who managed to survive the encounter gave them a different name. More appropriate for these terrible creatures that callously hunt hunters. White Demons.
Jin-Woo's eyes became sharp. Their goals were not accidental. The hunter killed by the arrow was a newly awakened C-rank hunter in his thirties. Apart from Han, Song-I was the weakest of the group. They were vigilant that they managed to locate the two weakest hunters so quickly and from such a distance. 

If this event had happened two months ago, he would have been one of the targets. 

Seeing that they had been noticed and their task was half-done, the Elves disappeared. They jumped down from the tree and disappeared into the dense frosty forest.

Kim Chul finally opened his mouth. Since he was the only A-ranker in the rally, all eyes were on him. After all, he was technically the leader of this rally.

- I don't know how many of you realize this, but we came across the Red Gate. 

Kim Chul's tone was full of condescension and arrogance, but no one dared to complain.

- We won't leave here until we kill the boss. 

Many Hunters groaned in despair. Some of the unaware had hoped for rescue, and the fact that such help did not come crushed their spirits. Kim Chul continued:

- Let me introduce myself again. My name is Kim Chul, I'm an A-rank hunter. We've already established that this is the Red Gate. From now on, I'm in charge here, I'll take care of our survival. However, I won't tell you that everyone will survive here. We may have to wait countless months before the gate opens. There is no guarantee that we will make it. This underground must have at least category B. It is difficult to manage a large group in such a place. Therefore, I will form a special unit that will clean up the underground with me. If I stay here, we will either die of exposure or be ambushed. If there are no people willing to join me, I will go alone. Any volunteers?!

With broad shoulders and a strong look in his eyes, Kim Chul looked quite reliable. After a short break, the Hunters unanimously approached the man,

- I'll go.

- Me too.

- And I.

Jin-Woo understood why practically everyone started approaching Kim Chul. With an A-rank hunter at their side, they had a better chance of survival.

 
However, Kim Chul pushed away one of the men who approached him.

He held back, but that was the strength of an A-rank hunter. The man staggered back, clutching his chest in pain.

- Not you.

- Huh? 

- Neither do you. You, you and you neither. 

Apart from the man, Kim Chul pointed to several others, including Jin-Woo and Han Song-I. Jin-Woo's eyes twitched, realizing Kim Chul's intentions. He had already guessed this when the man said about forming a special unit. Mięśniak pointed out a total of 5 people. Hunters ranked C and below.

- Unfortunately, I cannot take anyone below B rank. One day here is equivalent to one hour on earth. In the worst case, it may take months to defeat the boss. I can't let anything slow me down.

- Was it slowing down?!

The hunters who were excluded tried to protest, but were silenced as Kim Chul glared at them. After a moment, once he had calmed down, he continued with false kindness in his voice.

- All you have to do is survive until we kill the boss. It will still be safer for you than fighting high-level monsters. 

The excluded Hunters looked pleadingly towards the other Hunters in Kim Chul's group, but none of them stepped forward. Everyone looked away. Except one.

- Sorry. Can I still change my decision?

- If you want. 

Kim Chul shrugged, looking at the woman as if she was mad, but he didn't object. 
The woman walked up to Jin-Woo without hesitation. Kim Chul looked back and forth between the woman and Jin-Woo. Tank snorted, then spoke in a loud voice:

- A seat has become available. I can take one of you. 

The man who had been pushed earlier quickly ran up to Kim Chul with hope in his eyes.

- I will go!

Jin-Woo stared at the woman at his side with suspicion. Looking into his eyes, the woman spoke quietly so that no one else could hear,

"This guy didn't see the arrow coming." 
Just because you were highly ranked, it didn't mean that all your stats were evenly distributed. The tank did not need as much developed senses as, for example, an assassin. Statistics depended not only on rank but also on class. 

-You're not E-rank, are you?

***

Meanwhile, behind the Red Gate.
Baek Yoon-Ho's expression was dark again. Ahn Sang-Min briefly explained who Sung Jin-Woo was, but the Guild Master was not convinced.

- But you don't have any evidence for this?

 
- No...

- Then I can only put my hopes in Kim Chul. 

Suddenly one of the agents who came with the master spoke up. 

- Kim Chul shouldn't have any problems. 
He was the head of the first management department. Joo Sung Chan. 

- Kim Chul's training results are very impressive. He can match the current members of the White Tiger's main forces.

 
Hearing how confidently Joo Sung-Chan said this, Beak Yoon-Ho relaxed a bit.

 
- According to what you said, this E-rank hunter is one of the reawakened ones? I heard right. 

Joo Sung-Chan snorted derisively.

-Compared to such a baseless theory, Hunter Kim Chul will be infinitely more reliable.

Ahn Sang-Min's expression hardened. The man was blatantly condescending. But Ahn wasn't going to argue with anyone. He knew he was right. 

All four men turned towards the Red Gate at once.

Suddenly, however, they noticed that an unknown black car was parked not far from them. 

- Huh? What's going on here? - Asked the man coming out of the rear door of the vehicle. - It was supposed to be a category C gate... Did it turn out to be A? Why is the respected head of the White Tiger guild here?

Woo Jin-Chul got out of the car and silently followed Hwang Dong-Su, who was clearly already trying to get under the skin of another S-rank hunter. 

This pathetic idiot couldn't go an hour without antagonizing someone. 

Woo Jin-Chul did not consider himself an envious or vindictive person, but he was waiting for the moment when Hwang Dong-Su joined his brother in a place where they would no longer spoil anyone's blood. 

Seeing his most disliked Korean, at least in the past, S-rank hunter Beak Yoon-Ho gritted his teeth, feeling his blood begin to boil. 

- Hwang Dong Su.

Baek Yoon-Ho couldn't have known it, but his eyes turned yellow with anger.

- What are you doing in Korea? - Beak Yoon-Ho asked a little too aggressively, giving Inspector Woo a quick glance. He wasn't surprised that the stoic Woo Jin-Chul had been sent to guard this treacherous idiot. Who else would Go Gun-Hee trust so much to entrust such a delicate task?

- I came by to do something. I didn't expect to meet you here.

- What business could someone like you have in our area?! - The White Tiger's boss asked sharply, feeling the magic boiling under his skin.

Woo Jin-Chul wanted to walk up to the car he came in and hit his head on the hood, seeing how easily Beak Yoon-Ho lost control of himself, just as Hwang wanted him to, who was smiling at him with mocking satisfaction.

Just today, while guarding Hwang, Dong-Su must have come across an S-rank Korean hunter who was so hot-headed. 
After just a few more minutes of conversation, Woo Jin-Chul saw that a fight was inevitable when a furious Hwang attacked one of the White Tiger staff members and Yoon-Ho immediately reacted, ready to attack.

Knowing that a fight between two S-rank hunters could destroy a large part of the city, not just this one depopulated district, Woo Jin-Chul had no choice but to react and try to separate them. 

When the dust settled, several White Tiger employees, including Ahn Sung-Min, Joo Sung-Chan and Hyun Hee-Chul, watched with wide eyes full of shock and disbelief as Woo Jin-Chul appeared between their boss and Hwang Dong-Su and stood there untouched holding the retained fists of two S-rank hunters in both of his hands and the sleeves of his shirt and jacket are completely frayed and worn down to his shoulders. 

- Not bad. - Hwang admitted, amused, seeing Jin-Chul holding his fist and still standing on his own feet. - You were able to stop us. 

Bean Yoon-Ho looked with wide eyes at Jin-Chul who let go of both of them and started rubbing his hands.

- If you hadn't reduced your strength in time, I wouldn't have cancer. - Jin-Chul admitted calmly.

Beak Yoon-Ho was perfectly aware that if it was his fault that Inspector Woo Jin-Chul was injured, President Go Gun-Hee would have his head and the strength of his guild and his rank would not save him at all. Then nothing would save him.

- I was the first to suspect Sung Jin-Woo of reawakening. However, when I checked him two months ago, he was still ranked E. I don't know if blaming this whole incident on hunter Sung Jin-Woo is a long shot.
Shrugging, Hwang Dong-Su smiled predatorily. 

- I know. If they set a trap, Yoo Jin's kid must have been behind everything. It's just an excuse. To kill another human being. This piece of trash won't make it out of the red gate alive anyway.

The man put his hands in his pockets, turned around and started walking back to the car. 

- And he shot a shitload of bombs. I am off.
When Woo Jin-Chul started following Hwang, Beak Yoon-Ho realized that maybe there was actually something going on. It wasn't even about the opinion of his subordinate Ahn Sang-Min or Hwang's sick, disgusting bloodlust. It was about what Inspector Woo said.

 
The White Tiger Master knew that the inspector was telling a half-truth or was playing with his statements so that the listener had the impression that he heard what he wanted when the inspector did not mean it. 

Woo Jin-Chul almost never lied. 
This man was very clever and brilliant. Some time ago, Beak Yoon-Ho learned to analyze everything this man said, because he rarely talked about everything openly, and more often hid the meanings of his words between the lines. 

He was the first to suspect Hunter Sung of being reawakened and on behalf of the Association he did so and it turned out that two months ago he was an E rank. 

According to the measurement, but Woo Jin-Chul did not openly say that he was still as weak as an E rank hunter, nor did he say that the hunter Sung did not undergo a second awakening, but only stated that he suspected him of it first. 

Being less and less sure of how strong Sung Jin-Woo really is, Brak Yoon-Ho decided he would just see if this kid would make it out of this damn mess alive. 

He doubted that in such unfavorable circumstances, an E-rank hunter would simply survive. 

***

- You're not E-ranked, are you? - the woman asked impudently.

Jin-Woo nodded weakly, knowing that now, here, the lie didn't matter.

- Can I ask you something? - Jin-Woo asked.

- Sure.

Jin-Woo looked at Kim-Chul's group standing a little ways away from them, talking to each other and making plans. 

- Why are you so composed? After all, you are recruits.

 
- The first lesson in the training was: "Anything can happen in the underground." Kim-Chul even underwent special individual training. He is to join the main forces of the guild. 

Anything can happen in the underground. Jin-Woo knew this better than anyone else here.

They were not afraid just because they had received some education. On the one hand, it was good that they weren't panicking and running around terrified, but that was really little consolation. He realized that the difference between them and Han Song-I was small. They sat in a classroom and learned a few things, but how useful would it be in a real situation? They puffed out their chests arrogantly, not realizing the horror of the underground.

That's probably why everyone wanted to join Kim-Chul so willingly, under the illusion that by going to the boss with one A-rank hunter, they would have any chance. 
They didn't have it. 

In fact, walking around as if they knew every nook and cranny could create arrogance in them. 

The group preparing at Kim-Chul's side looked confident and surprisingly relaxed. They did not realize the real threat. Even Kim-Chul himself was radiating arrogance, perhaps the most of them all.

Kim-Chul was walking towards them, and as he approached them, his eyes met Jin-Woo's.

- We'll take the path. 

Due to his rough and low voice, regardless of his intentions, the man's voice was threatening.

He wasn't here to simply inform them of his group's plans. There was a question in Kim-Chul's eyes about what Jin-Woo's team would do. There was a serious warning beneath his words. 

“Don't follow us.”

Jin-Woo looked around and replied. 

- We'll go to the forest.

The hunter nodded.

- Good luck. 

- Mutually.

Jin-Woo's team headed into the forest. After seeing them disappear into the distance, Kim-Chul let out a laugh that he held in.

- Idiots?

- What do you mean.

- Look. 

Kim-Chul gestured to one of the trees near them, then moved his hand to another one, and another one. There were deep claw marks on the bark of each of the trees mentioned. As if some large animal was marking its territory this way.

- Is that...?!

- Ice Bears!

- Yes. They should just wait here. This forest is the territory of the ice bears. 

Kim-Chul looked mockingly into the forest. Because of one E-rank hunter, everyone will die. What a fool.

Wait...

Kim-Chul frowned. There was a B-rank huntress and a few C-rank hunters in that group.

The smile disappeared from his face.
Why did he immediately assume that this weak E-rank hunter was in charge? 

On the other hand, did it matter who was in command? 

Everyone will die soon anyway.
He wasn't going to worry about dead bodies.

***

Jin-Woo walked in front of the group. However, he only took a few steps when Park Hee-Jin overtook him and blocked his path.

-We can't go any further!

- Why? 

Jin-Woo asked with slight irritation and crossed his arms over his chest. 

She pointed to the trees surrounding them,
"See that?!"

Large claw mark on the tree.

- And there too.

In fact, it was harder to find an unmarked tree than a marked one.

- This is ice bear territory.

Normal polar bears were very dangerous animals. So how terribly dangerous would the monstrous magical counterparts of these animals be?

Answer: Extremely. 

And now Jin-Woo has led his team into the territory of these terrifying magical beasts. Understandably, Park Hee-Jin was angry and scared. 

Jin-Woo understood this too. He should probably explain to them what he means.

- The only thing we have to worry about in this forest is the ice bears. But these bears are not the only inhabitants of this place. 

Park Hee-Jin finally understood the significance of Jin-Woo's actions. If this forest was home to many ice bears, as indicated by so many tracks in the trees, then there was nothing here that would pose a threat to the bears. This meant they didn't have to worry about any magical beasts stronger than ice bears.

The woman felt embarrassed that she was consciously shouting at the man in front of her when he was actually thinking logically.
One of the scariest things about the dungeon was that you didn't know what enemy was waiting around the corner. After all, knowing your enemy is half the battle. And in this forest, information about the enemy was scratched on every tree.

No matter how strong these ice bears were, Jin-Woo was sure that they were weaker than the elves before them. This is because the elves' clothes were made of bearskins. That's why he chose the forest.

His plan was to advance here while keeping an eye out for Kim Chul's team and those damn elves. It was the safest path he had charted.

He wasn't arrogant enough to assume that he could deal with the boss of this place right away.

After meeting the elves, he was sure that he would not win against the boss of this place. 

At least not yet. 

Jin-Woo looked half worried and half suspicious at Park Hee-Jin,

"Why is your face all red?"

The truth was that the woman was ashamed of her outburst of anger and lack of real thinking and assessment of the surroundings and the situation they found themselves in. 

But she couldn't just tell him that.

Jin-Woo leaned slightly over her. 

- Are you cold? 

Seeing how close Park Hee-Jin was to her, she jumped back a bit. 

Confused by her behavior, Jin-Woo looked at her with a raised eyebrow. 

However, not intending to delve into her strange behavior, Jin-Woo realized that if he had the opportunity to take care of them, he should do it. 

The fact that during the raids no one ever cared about him because he was weaker, didn't mean that Jin-Woo, now being strong, was going to treat everyone like garbage or balls.

With a deep sigh, silently scolding him that he should have done this as soon as they were away from Kim-Chul's group, Jin-Woo opened the store and bought several articles of clothing made of thick fur and some winter boots.

NAME: WARM FUR COAT
ITEM CLASS: NONE
TYPE:
WHEN WORN, IT BECOME VERY WARM.
PRICE: 10 GOLD PIECES

NAME: WARM SHOES
ITEM CLASS: NONE
TYPE: THEY
BECOME VERY WARM AFTER PUT ON.
PRICE: 10 GOLD

Shoes and a fur coat for ten zlotys each? 
Compared to special effect items, everyday items like these were not expensive. 

Good workmanship and material, thick, warm fur that lined the coats and the insides of the shoes... Despite all the advantages that made such a real fur coat, despite its usual modest appearance, would be terribly expensive in real life, it was treated as "garbage" by the system. 

Five sets of furs and boots appeared out of thin air in front of his feet. Apart from Jin-Woo, every member of his group widened their eyes in shock and disbelief.

- Spatial magic?!

- How...?!

- Wow.

- Isn't this magic limited to one or two items? How on earth is he able to summon so many of them?

- Who is he?

- Put this on before you get even colder. - Jin-Woo ordered them sternly. - It wouldn't be interesting if you died of hypothermia before we even encountered any monsters.

Jin-Woo handed one of the coats to Han Song-I, who was looking at him with wide eyes.

- That strange magic... The arrow earlier... Who are you really?

To be honest, he didn't really feel like explaining to them. Too much time and hassle. 

- I brought you here, so I'm responsible for your safety. - He stated seriously, placing his hand on her head covered with the hood of her sweatshirt.

- But don't ask any questions. I just won't answer them.

He raised his head and looked at Park Hee-Jin and the two other Hunters.

- This applies to you too. No questions and no demands.

In fact, the two remaining Hunters had been following the B-rank hunter Park Hee-Jin so far. But as they looked back and forth between the warm equipment in their hands and Jin-Woo, they nodded vigorously.

Seeing their silent agreement, Jin-Woo sighed in relief. One headache out of the way.

He then quietly opened the status window, looking at it, Jinwoo silently changed his title to "Wolf Slayer", knowing that this would gain him more experience points. 
When he was about to close the status window, he realized that something was approaching them. The other hunters also realized this and started screaming. 

- Ice Bear!

-Oh shit!

Feeling the humans in its territory, the ice bear slowly approached them. The large monster's mouth was slightly open and its lips were raised so that its sharp white fangs were visible as it growled continuously.

The beast rose on its hind legs, towering over the Hunters. His body blocked most of their view from this side.

Although it looked like a polar bear, the beast was twice the size and its chest was decorated with a distinctive magical core that glowed blue.

Hearing his roar, all the Hunters except Jin-Woo froze. Park Hee-Jin frowned,

"How did that line go that we only have to worry about bears?!" It's a high-level monster!

Was that something that could be said, looking at such a powerful beast before them?! She fell for Sung Jin-Woo's so-called logic. 

Looking at the ice bear in person, she was now sure:

- Entering this forest was one big mistake. 
Considering herself the highest-ranking huntress among those gathered here, Park Hee-Jin stood in front of the team and shouted.

- I'll distract him while you try...Ah!

A significant force grabbed the hood of her coat and pulled her backwards. The force wasn't strong enough to send her to the ground immediately, but she had to move backwards towards the force that was pulling her so as not to actually fall. 

When she looked up, she saw Sung Jin-Woo standing in front of her, looking at her disapprovingly.

- Do you really want that thing to hurt you?

- The boy asked sternly, acting as if he were disciplining a disobedient five-year-old.

For Jin-Woo, these adorable little teddy bears were just an appetizer before the main course - the Elves. 

Park Hee-Jin couldn't hide her confusion.
- Do not talk nonsense! You may be strong, but he's a high-level monster. 

The two C-rank hunters looked at Jin-Woo in amazement as if he had lost his mind to fight this thing. 

Jin-Woo ignored the sharp protest of the woman behind him and slowly walked towards the ice bear.

If he used a dagger, the blood would stain his clothes. 

Instead, the man clenched his fists.
Jin-Woo met the ice bear's gaze.

The ice bear began swinging a paw the size of a tree trunk at lightning speed.
But his attack hit the air.

After jumping over the bear's head, Jin-Woo realized why it had such a dangerous reputation.

The levels he achieved were not wasted. Before the ice bear could raise its head, Jin-Woo used all his strength to punch him in the forehead.

The bear's head hit the ground. His skull was shattered, the bear stuck out its tongue and didn't move again, and its eyes became dull and empty.

[YOU HAVE LEVELED A NEW LEVEL!]

He managed to reach this level quite easily. After killing one bear. It was a really nice surprise. As he assumed, gaining experience varies with the difficulty level. The C-rated monsters in the underground were nothing like the ones here.

- Who are you?

He turned to face the trembling voice and looked at the four slack-jawed members of his group. Jin-Woo scratched his temple.

-No questions, remember? 

Well, everyone probably forgot after seeing such a shocking scene. Jin-Woo, to be honest, wasn't that surprised by them.

- Come on. I feel like looking for some more cute bears. - Jin-Woo said surprisingly cheerfully.

***

The hunters enjoyed a feast by the fire.
Large pieces of bear meat were roasting over the fire. 

- The meat of this bear is a bit tough, but surprisingly tasty.

- Do you want some?

- Oh, thank you.

The people at the bonfire were Jin-Woo, Han Song-I and their three companions.
B-rank mage Park Hee-Jin, C-rank fighter Go Myung Hwan, and C-rank tank Yoon Ki-Joong.

Somehow, everyone had become familiar with this underground, so that their stay here seemed bearable. In addition to the fire, they even had tents and blankets to sleep on. They actually didn't feel much discomfort or danger. 

- Doesn't Jin-Ah do anything at home except study? Apparently, instead of posters, epigrams were hung on the walls to remember information while sleeping.
Hearing this, Jin-Woo laughed in surprise.

- He's no different from you. When he stays at home, he does nothing but play, eat and sleep. Over and over again.

Sometimes I'm surprised that I find time to study.

- Then how does he get such good grades?

- I have no idea, honestly, maybe he remembers a lot from the lessons. When we were younger, we often went to arcades together.

Finally, when Jin-Woo ate his meat, he stood up and stretched.

- Where are you going? - Park Hee-Jin asked surprised.

- For a short training session. I will be back soon. - He promised her as he walked deeper into the forest.

He had to perform a daily task, which was a bit of a pain in the current circumstances. 

He couldn't afford for the system to send him to prison now.

When he finally finished training, he decided that since he was here, he could do some hunting.

Jin-Woo was searching the forest and walking through the bush.

He sensed the presence of many ice bears from this area. He realized that the attacking bears were coming from the same direction, which honestly, after several attacks on them, wasn't hard to spot.

Finally, after some time of arduous wandering...

On the other side of the bushes, he saw a dozen or so caves. He felt more than one presence in each cave. Right in front of him, many ice bears were moving in and out of the caves. There were approximately 30 of them. He was incredibly lucky.

The corners of Jin-Woo's mouth lifted into a triumphant smile. 

He purposely came here alone.

This was a very good opportunity for the opening battle of his shadows.
Come.

In response to his thoughts, black armored soldiers silently emerged from his shadow and stood behind him.

The Shadow Soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder.

Jin-Woo smiled broadly.

The ice bears caught Jin-Woo's scent and slowly began to emerge from their caves.
Jin-Woo gestured towards the bears. 

- This is your first fight, guys. Forward
At his command, the Shadow Troopers moved in unison towards their enemies, quickly closing the gap between them. 

However, the ice bears' wild movements were much faster than his shadow soldiers.
Single bear claw attacks destroyed his soldiers with great ease. If it had been a man in that pitch-black armor and not a shadow, it would have been a gruesome sight.

Jin-Woo frowned.

Apparently this was too much for his soldiers.

Whether it was strength or size, unfortunately it looked like the Shadow Troopers couldn't stand up to the ice bears.
But suddenly something surprising happened.

Jin-Woo's eyes widened.

The Shadow Soldier's body, which was destroyed by the ice bear, turned into black smoke before it fully hit the ground.

Black smoke gathered some distance away and then took its original shape.

-Oh shit!

Jin-Woo's face lit up.
Undead, yes.

He forgot about the true nature of these shadows, after all, his original profession was supposed to be a necromancer. And these soldiers were already dead. 

When the bears realized that their attacks were not effective in the long run, they became even more furious.

While the walkers occupied the ice bears, the three mages finished casting their spells.

Fireballs released from the magicians' hands exploded here and there. While the infantry caught in the explosion immediately regenerated, the ice bears began to burn, thrashing from side to side in agony.

Their fur was so flammable.
The Shadow Infantry continued their attacks, swinging and stabbing the flaming bears with their swords. It didn't look very majestic, but it worked.

At first the ice bears looked like they had the advantage, but they were slowly pushed back by the combined attack of the infantry and mages.

Jin-Woo watched the battle with great interest.

Fast infantry regeneration.
The powerful power of fire magic.
They may not have been very strong, but this regeneration was phenomenal. Additionally, their weakness was not an insurmountable obstacle. They could finally advance and become stronger. 

The power of the Shadow Troopers exceeded his expectations. The bears were soon overwhelmed and were forced back into the caves. The battle seemed to be over...

With a roar that made Jin-Woo's eardrums hurt, another bear revealed itself. 
Much wider and taller than all the others. On his head he had longer black fur that resembled a Mohawk, and on his chest, under the core, two deep, clearly old scars met and crossed. 

With one swing of its paws, many Shadow Troopers were wiped out.

Even their rapid regeneration couldn't keep up with the rapid pace at which they were being killed.

It seemed like this guy was the alpha of the pack or something.

Of course, he expected the bear den to have an alpha bear. But the size and power of the damn thing exceeded his expectations.

The soldiers died one by one, and after regeneration they didn't even have time to raise their weapons because they were already destroyed again. 

[LACK OF MANA PREVENTS FURTHER REGENERATION OF UNITS]
[LACK OF MANA PREVENTS FURTHER REGENERATION OF UNITS]

In panic, he checked the mana. Like the System said, his mana was zero.

[MP: 0 / 1860]

Once his mana disappeared, Shadow Troopers no longer regenerated after being destroyed. Instead, they turned into a shadow and returned to Jin-Woo's shadow. Now he understood that it was his mana that allowed the soldiers to regenerate endlessly.

It made sense. Their energy couldn't come from nowhere. 

He found yet another reason to raise his intelligence stat. Jin-Woo scratched the side of his head. The appearance of the alpha completely turned the tide of the battle. However, Jin-Woo still had an asset up his sleeve.

Igris, still calmly standing slightly behind him, took two steps forward and stood at Jin-Woo's side. 

- The bear is all yours. 

Jin-Woo gestured towards the alpha. Igris bowed his head to Jin-Woo before shooting towards the giant ice bear.
Igris dodged the alpha's blow and slipped between the ice bear's paws. While moving, he quickly took out his daggers from his side and cut the sinews of the beast's hind legs.

Drawing his longsword, Igris skillfully dodged the alpha's attacks while beginning to slash.

It didn't look like mindless slaughter, but rather... an artistic show. The way Igris moved and his accurate movements made it look truly phenomenal.

Jin-Woo watched Igris' fluid, artistic movements with great admiration.
Finally, when blood was oozing from many deep wounds, Igris decided to end this macabre spectacle. 

The giant ice bear's head was finally cleanly separated from its body. Before she could hit the ground, Igris grabbed her mid-flight. The Knight approached Jin-Woo and then knelt in front of the Hunter.

Then Jin-Woo realized that if the knight had used his sword from the beginning, Jin-Woo would have had no chance. 
At their current level, they were quite equal as Jin-Woo assumed.

 
Igris placed the bear's head in front of Jin-Woo's feet as if offering a trophy to his king. The hunter stared at the knight with admiration.

Jin-Woo chuckled.

- You're really amazing. - Igris bowed his head even more, as if embarrassed by the compliment. - Well done. 

Seeing that there were still a few clearly panicked bears left nearby, Jin-Woo placed his hand on the kneeling Igris' shoulder.

- You deserved this great fight to finish the job. 

The remaining ice bears, after losing their leader, being incomparably weaker than their alpha, quickly fell to Igris' blade. 

The battle was over and Jin-Woo was very pleased with the outcome. 

Soldiers were promoted here and there. Since Soldiers themselves were Jin-Woo's skill, Hunter also gained a whopping 3 levels. And most of all,

[YOU SUCCESSFULLY MADE A SHADOW]
[SUCCESSFULLY MADE A SHADOW]
[SUCCESSFULLY MADE A SHADOW]

He made new friends.

Including the alpha, Jin-Woo picked out several ice bears. From their shadows arose a great black mass.

[SHADOW MONSTER LV.1]
[SHADOW MONSTER LV.1]
[SHADOW MONSTER LV.1]
[SHADOW MONSTER LV.1]
[SHADOW MONSTER LV.1]

The bears that were created retained some resemblance to their former form, but at the same time they had a form that seemed to transition between solid and gas. Black smoke continuously flowed from their figures.

The most satisfying purchase was the alpha which now looked amazing. All of his old scars on his body were glowing blue, and the strange mane on his head that ran down his spine was also blue and looked more like fire than fur. The rest of the body was, of course, black. 

Jin-Woo walked up to the alpha who lowered his head to the ground, pressing his nose into the snow, smiling. Jin-Woo stroked his head. 

The bear let out a quiet growl of satisfaction at his actions and narrowed its eyes. 

Suddenly, in the distance, Jin-Woo heard more bear sounds.

There seemed to be more bear caves in the area.

But now it was getting quite late, so Jin-Woo decided he would check it tomorrow.

***

While his group mates around him screamed in pain and agony, Kim-Chul's eyes were wide open.

What was happening now was impossible. 
He failed.

He was to join the main forces of the White Tiger. He even underwent special training for this purpose. And now he was going to fail?! A hunter as powerful as him?!

Their group survived the cold and hunger and fought the bears. 

Then with the yeti. One of them managed to win even though two of his men were killed. 

And then three other yetis showed up. Furious and bloodthirsty. 

What followed was a massacre. The hunters fell one by one, crushed, torn and broken like thin dry sticks. 

His shield and hammer had been shattered and broken during this battle, rendered useless now, lying half-buried in the snow.
Kim-Chul took advantage of the moment when his useless companions were being eliminated and, with great difficulty, he took care of the last of the yeti. 

And then the Elves appeared. 

In one second they emerged from the forest as if they had been waiting all along. 
Seeing them and knowing that there were two or three hunters still alive, still dying and cutting themselves in the snow around him, Kim Chul stepped back. 

Seeing that one of the arrows fired at him hit very close to his leg, Kim-Chul screamed in terror, turned around and started running. 

He ran into the forest and although there were bears there, they were nothing compared to yetis or elves. Kim Chul ran as hard as he could. Watching his figure disappear into the distance, the White Demons raised their bows and took aim. But before they could fire, the Elf in front of them raised his hand and stopped them.
Kim-Chul jumped through the bushes.
His lungs felt like they were on fire. The image of the White Demons smiling soullessly at him was still fresh in his mind. The man looked at his hands. Frostbitten hands lost the sense of touch. His fingers had long lost feeling. In his current state, he couldn't fight properly.

This damn cold...

And this terrible hunger, if only he wasn't so hungry. 

Until the very end, Kim Chul couldn't admit defeat. Mumbling to himself, he looked up.
How deep in the forest was he?
He looked around. He smelled blood, but he didn't know where it came from. The man followed the scent. Was close. Moving through the trees, he came across a clearing and couldn't believe his eyes.
He had already expected to find the massacred second group of hunters who stupidly entered the forest while they were separated. 

But it wasn't their corpses that he saw now.
There were over 20 bodies of dead bears in front of the caves. 

Just a moment ago he wondered why he hadn't met any of them!

He studied the corpse. All the bodies showed signs of deep cuts. Some of them also had burn marks. Sung Jin-Woo and his group immediately reappeared in his mind. 

Was it their doing?

NO. Kim Chul shook his head. The wounds on the bodies of the ice bears were inflicted with a sword. 

But how could two unarmed E-rank hunters, two C-rank hunters and one B-rank hunter defeat so many bears?!
His full team could only face seven at a time. 

And there were at least 20 of them lying here!

There was no way they could survive here. There was only one reasonable conclusion then,There were white demons here. And if they entered the bears' territory, they must have had a reason. 

Were they looking for him?!
His heart sank. He thought he had managed to escape from those elves. With great fear in his heart, Kim Chul held his breath and turned towards the direction he came from.

He kept walking. Faster.
He wanted to get out of those damned nasty elves' territory.

***

The ice bear fell to the ground. The Shadow Troopers surrounded his body and made sure he was dead.

[YOU LEVELED!]

Jin-Woo finished cleaning another bear den.

Five days have passed since they passed through the gate. Since then, he has found three different beds.

Thanks to this, the level of both him and his army increased significantly. Initially, it took two soldiers to stop one bear. Now one soldier was able to win one on one against the beast. Jin-Woo was happy. As his soldiers' skills increased, he began to assign them different roles. His current limit was 30 shadows. 28 of them would be assigned to combat and 2 to collect magic cores and meat. Now that he didn't have to lift a finger to fight or collect cores, life became incredibly convenient for him.

He no longer sensed any magical beasts.
It looked like he cleared the entire forest.
Should he go get the boss now? 

He didn't know exactly how strong the Category B boss would be, so he kept hesitating. 

There is still a lot of time left before the gate opens. At least for them on the other side of the gate. This happened after seven days. For them it will be less than six months here. 

But there was no reason for them to stay here for more than seven days.

 
He wanted to defeat these arrogant annoying elves soon. That was for sure. 

***

Kim Chul's nose caught the scent of roasting meat from somewhere.

The man's sense of smell became sensitive due to hunger. After entering the Gate, he had only eaten one rabbit in the past few days. His mouth salivated at the smell of food.

Was it possible that somewhere here the White Demons were just eating as if nothing had happened? 

What if there were just a few of them there...

He was confident he could take care of them and steal the food. When he surprises them, he will have an advantage over a small number of enemies.

It was a misguided confidence born of hunger and desperation.

Kim Chul tried to quiet his footsteps because every time he set foot on the snow it creaked under his shoes, and he carefully approached where the smell was coming from. 

He finally came to the clearing where Jin-Woo's team was. Kim Chul's eyes widened in shock.

They?

How? 

The smell of meat came from their fire.
How was a group of losers still alive?
However, he didn't see one of the E-rank Hunters.

Dureń took the lead with such confidence. He had to die first and only, strangely enough. Probably after the first dozen or so minutes. 

It was obvious. 

But what wasn't obvious was the scene in front of him. How… to analyze all this? Everything here didn't add up before his eyes.

Warm clothes, blankets, tents and other equipment caught his eye. They were clearly prepared for the environment.
But how?!

Where would they get all these items outside the gate?!

None of these hunters could just pull it all out of their pockets!

As Kim-Chul's tired, nervous eyes turned to the entire camp, something caught his attention. 

It was a piece of bread next to meat. There was no way they found or made bread here. It must have been prepared in advance. His confusion quickly turned to anger.

Motherfuckers...

Kim Cheol gritted his teeth. These vile pieces of trash had it all with them all along and left on their own.

If his hands weren't so cold, no, if he weren't so terribly hungry, he would have been able to handle all these elves. 

Thinking about how greedily they were hoarding something that should have been shared with a raid team better than them, Kim Chul couldn't stand it anymore. He jumped out into the clearing.

Park Hee-Jin jumped in surprise and stood up.

- Kim Chul?! How did you end up here?!

Where's the rest of the group?!

The sight of this hunter was not pleasant for any of the members of Jin-Woo's group. His armor was bloody, frosted and scratched, his face was pale purple with cold and fatigue, he had huge dark crescents under his eyes and the eyes themselves were full of desperation, madness and fury. 

- Our group failed to clear the underground, my unit was wiped out because we lacked adequate equipment and food. So how the hell do you guys stay here with all this equipment and food?

Park Hee-Jin couldn't answer. She was afraid that admitting that it was all Jin-Woo's doing would turn Kim-Chul's anger towards him. She didn't want to repay the man who saved her life in this way.

From the beginning, she didn't like the way Kim-Chul looked at Sung Jin-Woo. This contempt and superiority...

Park Hee-Kin closed her mouth. Seeing her defy his will, Kim-Chul's fury increased. The veins in his neck bulged.

-Who dared to withhold information about supplies and send their brethren to certain death?!

His screams echoed loudly throughout the forest. 

- I'll count to three. If the guilty person does not reveal himself by then. I assume that everyone was involved in this. 

Han Song-I tugged at the sleeves of Park Hee-Jin's jacket.

Park Hee-Jin hugged the younger girl. Even if the four of them joined forces, they would have no chance against an A-rank hunter. However, despite the threat, none of them was going to betray Jin-Woo.

- One

Kim Cheol drew his sword at his side.

- Two.

The hunters were still silent.

The weak useless hunters aren't going to listen to him, despite his authority? This made Kim-Chul's blood already boil with fury.

He had already guessed that behind all this was the treacherous hunter who had turned her back on him. 

She knew there wouldn't be enough for everyone, and at the same time she wasn't ready to go through it alone. So he decided to join forces with a smaller group.

- Three!

Park Hee-Jin will be the first to die.
- Four. 

Something hit Kim Chul in the back of the head and he fell face first into the snow, sliding forward from the force of the impact.

The eyes of all the Hunters opened wide.
- Captain!

Jin-Woo quickly dampened their happiness by putting his finger to his lips.
Halfway to rushing over to him and hugging him, the four Hunters froze at Jin-Woo's gesture. Park Hee-Jin asked worriedly.

- What's going on.

Jin-Woo glared at the unconscious, dimwitted hunter. 

- Kim-Chul has brought guests behind him. 

Jin-Woo felt a powerful presence coming from the forest. Now was no time to worry about Kim-Chul. The real problem was very close to them.

Realizing that Jin-Woo was looking directly at them, the elves canceled their "Hide" and revealed themselves. There were about 20 of them. One of them stood out from the rest. Jin-Woo stared at the Elf with the longest hair sitting on his horse while the others just stood around him.
The boss himself came to them. 

Compared to the ice bears or even the ice elves next to him, the boss was incredibly strong. Jin-Woo felt himself trembling a bit. 

- So it's true, one of these human garbage turned out to be at least a little useful. 

Opening his eyes wider and looking stupidly at the boss who suddenly started talking, Jin-Woo asked in disbelief.

- What? What did you call us?

Jin-Woo's answer left the boss quite shocked.

- Do you know our language?

In fact, it wasn't certain who was more shocked. Jin-Woo that he understands the boss, or the boss that he understands Jin-Woo. 

How the hell was he communicating with the monster?

He was able to understand the language of the magical beast. Not only that, he was actually able to respond. Words he had never learned flowed out of him as if it were his native tongue.

- Are you able to talk to them?!

When Park Hee-Jin thought that nothing in Jin-Woo would surprise her, it turned out that she was terribly wrong. 

Without answering this question, Jin-Woo himself wondered how this was possible. 
Was this one of the effects of the system?
Something like a universal translator? Jin-Woo looked at the boss. Boss looked at him with an amused expression.

- You're able to talk to us... Interesting. I'd like to introduce you to someone. 
The boss pointed to the elf standing to his right. 

It was the same elf who shot the arrow at Han Song-I which Jin-Woo caught.

- He was the one who informed us about an exceptionally strong unit among humans. He wanted to come face to face with you...

Jin-Woo's dagger suddenly found itself in the forehead of the aforementioned smiling elf, and the body soon fell to the snow. 
Screams of surprise could be heard from behind Jin-Woo's back, which he ignored.
Jin-Woo reached out towards the limp body. The dagger stuck in his forehead trembled slightly, then shot towards Jin-Woo's hand. Once the dagger was in his grasp again, the hunter took a fighting stance. 

- Something else?

- You really are strong. How funny. 
He dismounted, but still didn't seem to show any hostility towards Jin-Woo or want revenge for his dead subordinate.

- I have a suggestion. It should be beneficial to you. But first, let me ask you something. You are not human, what are you doing among humans?

Jin-Woo frowned at this question.

 
- What are you talking about?

- Do not understand?

The boss chuckled, then pointed to his temple.

We constantly hear voices in our heads calling for people to be killed. But when I look at you, the voice is silent.
Voices? 

This information was definitely something new.

- That's why he wrongly thinks I'm not human.

Voice...?

Something like the information given to him by the system?

If this voice didn't only respond to Jin-Woo, then the system must have been related to it somehow.

- We don't have to fight. I don't need unnecessary losses. Hand these people over to me. And you will be spared. What do you think?

- Let me ask you something too.
Jin-woo assumed that this opportunity to seek answers from a sentient monster might no longer happen, so he wanted to take advantage of it. 

- Let it be.

- Who are you? Where did you come from and why do you hunt people? 

- We are...

Suddenly the boss's smiling face froze for a split second. Then he continued naturally, as if nothing had happened,

"We don't have to fight." I don't need unnecessary losses. Hand these people over to me. And you will be spared. What do you think?

What was that?

Jin-Woo narrowed his eyes. The boss reacted very strangely.

Like an NPC in a computer game forced to repeat its words after trying to act outside its program.

- Do you agree to our proposal? 

The boss's face showed no sign that anything had happened. He still kept his carefree smile. His subordinates behind him also showed no change. As if Jin-Woo never asked their boss anything. 

Seeing that trying to get information from them would be futile, Jin-Woo decided it was time to end it. 

There's only one thing left. His answer was already decided long ago.

- I refuse.

He will defeat the boss and take his shadow. He would never allow himself to harm the people under his care. 

- Are you planning to fight us? Do you think you can handle us alone?

Jin-Woo smiled broadly.

- I'm not alone. Not any more. 

True to his will, the soldiers waiting in Jin-Woo's shadow appeared behind him.
Once again, a terrified scream came from the hunters behind him. 

Jin-Woo looked at the pale faces of his teammates and felt a little guilty. He didn't want to scare them. But this was a dangerous moment, there was no time to explain.

-You still say I'm alone? - Jin-Woo asked amused as Igris stood by his side. 
The boss finally emitted hostility,
- What a cheap trick. 

He understood the boss's unwavering confidence. His shadows might outnumber the elves gathered here, but compared to the boss, his soldiers were weak. 
However, he had an idea.

Jin-Woo quickly glanced at his page. Kim Chul still lying in the same place where he fell. 

He was still unconscious. 

And Jin-Woo felt guilty for wanting to do something so wrong, but he had no choice. Additionally, Kim-Chul wasn't exactly the "good guy" archetype. 

On the boss's orders, the elves attacked. 
Jin-Woo placed his bears in front of the knights and ordered them to attack as well. 

He knew that his shadow would be taken care of by the elves around him and in the meantime, Jin-Woo would be able to focus on the lone boss. 

Before heading out, Jin-Woo quickly kicked Kim Chul's sword closer to the unconscious Hunter.

 
Boss was walking towards Jin-Woo with daggers in his hands, seeing this the hunter summoned Rasaka's Fang and the Knightslayer. 

- My name is Baruka, and yours? - asked the boss, smiling broadly as if the whole situation was very amusing to him.

- Sung Jin-Woo. 

Seeing the turmoil that broke out, the rest of the hunters ran away from the

battlefield. Seeing strange figures created from darkness itself fighting the elves and constantly regenerating after death, the hunters realized that the C and B ranks could not do much. 

This fight was on a completely different level. 

Jin-Woo punched, charged and slashed, but each of his attacks was blocked and parried by the boss, who looked unimpressed. 

After his attacks, the boss launched his own attacks without any problems. 

Various cuts appeared here and there on Jin-Woo's body. He didn't know how much longer he could endure. Even when he fought the boss, his army's regeneration continued to drain his mana.

The Shadow Mages finished casting their spell. A ball of fire much larger than a volleyball fell into the middle of the Elves.
A deafening sound woke up Kim-Chul.
He lifted his head, feeling the pain throbbing inside him.

As if through the fog that blurred his vision, he saw terrifying elves fighting with unknown black soldiers.

What the hell was that supposed to be?
He had no idea what was happening, but he knew why he was on the ground. The hand that hit him on the back of the head! That voice he heard as he fell!

It had to be Sung Jin-Woo.

When he regained consciousness, the humiliation and rage made his hands shake and his teeth grit painfully. His hands felt for the cold sword that lay very comfortably next to him. Now that they were surrounded by the elves, they were all almost dead.

 
At least he'll kill that bastard Sung Jin-Woo before he dies.

His eyes fell on the back of said hunter.
He was fighting fiercely with one of the enemies, and his back was exposed, giving Kim-Chul a chance to attack. Kim-Chul jumped up from the ground and started running.

Sensing the hunter he was waiting for approaching him, Jin-Woo smiled a little. 
This idiot reacted exactly as Jin-Woo expected. 

Kim-Chul reached Jin-Woo and swung his sword with all his strength at the E-rank hunter's neck.

- Die!

Boss in front of him, Kim-Chul behind him. Seemingly between a rock and a hard place, but only apparently. 

Igris emerged from Jin-Woo's shadow behind his yards and protected his master. 
Kim-Chul's eyes widened in shock. Before he could say or do anything, Igris's sword plunged deep into his chest, going right through him.

Jin-Woo quickly moved away from the boss. 

When the body of the dead hunter fell to the snow and his eyes were frozen in hatred and shock, Igris charged at the boss, giving his master the time he needed.
Jin-Woo stood in front of the body.

- Arise.

From an unknown place came a loud condemned scream full of agony. 
With him, a large hand emerged from Kim-Chul's shadow.

[YOU SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERED THE SHADOW.]

Jin-Woo clenched his fists. The path to victory in this battle was a mystery. And the last piece of this puzzle has just fallen into place. 

He knew that with this move he made his victory bittersweet. But he had no choice. 
The Black Knight that emerged from Kim-Chul's shadow was much larger and thicker than his original. In one hand he held a huge hammer. In her other hand she held a shield the size of an adult man. The knight gave an incredible sense of danger.
 Kim-Chul was a muscleman and an A-ranker, but the stature and strength of his new shadow really surprised him. 

[PLEASE CHOOSE YOUR NAME]

Yes, name. 

The strong shadows clearly needed a name. 

Jin-Woo cast a quick glance to the side. Igris was pushed away by his boss; his regeneration was the only thing that still kept him in the fight.

One of Igris's arms was severed.

Jin-Woo had to hurry. 

Should he just use the man's name? No, using a human being's name as the name of his shadow was simply distasteful.
Since his name referred to iron, he could use it.

 
IRON [LV.1] 
RANK: KNIGHT

He had the rank of Knight like Igris. But there was no time to celebrate this fact now. 

- Iron, go ahead. 

Iron moved his large body and took a step forward.

His gigantic body was brimming with power, but Jin-Woo doubted that with his stature, his new shadow would be half as agile and fast as the boss.

However, the Iron Man exceeded Jin-Woo's expectations. The giant knight stuck out his chest and roared,

The message appeared in front of a confused Jin-Woo.

[IRON USED SKILL: "MOFING YELL"]
[UNDERGROUND BOSS WAS PROVOKED]

Kim Chul was an A-rank tank. As expected, he possessed a powerful ability, and Iron, his shadow, mimicked this ability perfectly. The boss's head turned sharply towards Żelazny. Leaving Igris behind, whom he could easily finish off, the boss hurried towards Iron, as if he could only see him now. 

Iron easily blocked the jump attack by covering himself with his huge shield. 

Interestingly, it was only now that Jin-Woo thought that when Kim-Chul arrived at their camp, he had neither his shield nor his hammer, but only this poor sword at his side. 

Most likely, both the shield and hammer were destroyed during the skirmishes, but despite this, their larger shadow replicas were now wielded by Iron. 

It was quite surprising. 

Meanwhile, Igris's arm regenerated. Black smoke seeped from the wound and then transformed into the knight's arm. The boss was still focused on Iron. Jin-Woo and Igris used this to their advantage and attacked his back. 

Meanwhile, Park Hee-Jin, standing in the distance, watched the whole incident, unable to find words for what was currently happening before her eyes.

What she observed seemed so unreal and impossible. At this point, she had lost the strength to even be curious. 

At her side, Han Song-I asked in a low voice,

"Do all hunters fight like this?"

The girl's voice was filled with fear. 

- If it were like that, I would never get my license. I've never heard or seen anything like this. 

-Is this a dream? - One of her two C-rank colleagues asked. 

If it was a dream, it was definitely a nightmare. Park Hee-Jin could only watch as the magical beasts fought the black-clad "thing" with its mouth open. At the same time, worry arose in her mind,
When they get out of here...

As survivors, they will be thoroughly interrogated and examined. How was she supposed to explain all this? Thinking about what Sung Jin-Woo had shown them here, she couldn't imagine how the guild would react. She told her friends about it.

- The very fact that we're worried about things that will happen when we get out of here...

They were in a high-class underground, and it was the Red Gate at that. The moment they were rejected by Kim Chul, they had thoughts in the back of their minds that they would soon die. But now they were really worried about what would happen outside, as if getting out of here in one piece was a given. It's all thanks to one man. 

Rasaka's Poisoned Fang pierced the arm of the unsuspecting boss. 

[EFFECT: BLEEDING HAS BEEN ACTIVATED]
[PAEALIZE EFFECT HAS BEEN ACTIVATED]
[ENEMY'S IMMUNITY IS TOO HIGH. EFFECT HAS BEEN CANCELED]

Over time, Fang's effects have been becoming more and more useless as his enemies become stronger and stronger. But even without these effects, the wound inflicted was a small step towards victory. 
Jin-Woo started attacking again, inflicting more wounds on the boss.

As more and more wounds appeared on his body, the boss's movements began to slow down.

The smile had long since disappeared from the elf's face. He fought Jin-Woo, Igris and Iron alone, which made him very tired and he had been breathing heavily for some time. 

Suddenly, Iron managed to pull the boss into a bear hug, taking advantage of the fact that he had slowed down and was increasingly tired and distracted. 

Giving a signal to Igris, they both retreated a little further, getting out of the line of fire. 
The finished Shadow Mages' spells fell onto the place where the Iron Man stood.
For the first time, the boss showed signs of pain. The ice elf twisted his body and the Ironman's arms were torn off.

The boss shot Jin-Woo a madly angry look. 

Even with so much fatigue, he was still able to withstand one more attack from his mages. 

This was truly a high-level dungeon boss. However, the balance of victory in this battle tipped towards Jin-Woo the moment Iron arose from Kim-Chul's dead body. 

Jin-Woo used his "Dagger Throw" skill.
Realizing he couldn't dodge, the boss deflected the dagger with his weapon.
However, this move caused the boss's weapon to break in his hand.

Taking advantage of this moment, Jin-Woo closed the distance between himself and the boss and stabbed him in the side with Rasaka's Fang. 

The boss's eyes widened in pain.
Still, the ice elf grabbed Jin-Woo's wrist. 
Boss raised his tanto above Jin-Woo's head. At this action of the boss, the hunter smiled, feeling the end of the fight. 
A huge hammer struck the ice elf's head.
With a sickening crunch, the boss's head hit the snow. Behind him stood the Iron Man with his giant hammer, his arms already regenerated. The giant knight raised his hammer again and lowered it.
Igris also prepared to attack, but then put down his sword when he saw that the creature that threatened his master was dead. Jin-Woo also returned his daggers to his inventory.

[THE UNDERGROUND BOSS HAS BEEN DEFEATED]
[YOU LEVELED]
[YOU LEVELED]

Jin-Woo breathed a sigh of relief. 

It was undoubtedly a difficult fight. 

- That's enough. - Jin-Woo looked at Iron through half-closed eyes. 

Iron has already hit the boss's motionless and certainly completely dead body several times. 

Despite becoming a shadow, there seemed to be some small element of the ass left in him. 

The boss's corpse was now nothing more than one big bloody mess. 

Looking at them, Jin-Woo understood where the saying "become a wet spot" came from.

Jin-Woo smiled widely again. His reward after a difficult battle was waiting at his feet, even if it currently only resembled a bloody blob. 

***

It was already 3 a.m.

The faces of the four men guarding the area were grim. Unable to bear it any longer, Hyun Gee-Chul said,

"Master, why don't you go to your place?"
Beak Yoon-Ho nodded slightly. 

- How could I sleep with my people inside? I'll wait at least until morning. 

The man was very determined. As a Guild Master and an S-rank Hunter, he couldn't leave this place. Suddenly, Ahn Sang-Min shouted in surprise:

- The gate... It's opening!

Hyun He-Chul and Joo Sung-Chans looked at the gate with wide eyes. 

- They defeated the boss!

-Someone's leaving!
Baek Yoon-Ho clenched his fist in anticipation, expecting to see his new A-rank hunter at the front. 

All four men ran closer to the gate. Unable to hide his excitement, Baek Yoon-Ho searched for Kim Chul's face among the survivors. But even after everyone left the Gate, he couldn't see him.

Even Joo Sung-Chan, who told everyone to believe in Kim Chul, lost his confidence and put on a confused expression.

- Huntress Park Hee-Jin! Hunters Go Myung-Hwan, Yoon Ki-Jong!
Seeing Jin-Woo following Han Song-I out of the Gate, a smile spread across Ahn Sang-Min's face.

He was right.

Joo Sung-Chan and Ahn Sang-Min's moods completely reversed. However, the smile quickly disappeared from Ahn Sang-Min's face. After the five Hunters, including Sung Jin-Woo, exited the Gate, the Gate quickly disappeared, disappearing as if it had never been there.

With tears in his eyes, Hyun Gee-Chul began crossing the names of the dead from the guild list. It was a sad job, but someone had to do it. 

Beak Yoon-Ho stood in the same place all the time, looking at the faces of the survivors.

Only one B-rank hunter and lower-rank hunters returned?! Two of them not from his E-rank guild?! 

It was impossible. What happened there?
- Let's go. I'll take you home. 

Jin-Woo was about to leave the scene to take Han Song-I home, but he was forced to stop when Beak Yoon-Ho put a hand on his shoulder.

- Let's talk for a while. 

Jin-Woo rejected the S-rank hunter's hug, and Beak Yoon-Ho's eyes became sharp.
Jin-Woo turned around. 

- If you want to ask something, you might as well talk to your people. I probably won't be able to give answers that differ from theirs.

Baek Yoon-Ho couldn't stand it anymore. Jin-Woo introduced himself, gritting his teeth in irritation. 

- I'm Beak Yoon-Ho, master of the White Tiger guild.

Jinwoo's eyes remained calmly cold as he looked at the hunter. 

- So what about this? 

At Jin-Woo's cold response, Baek Yoon-Ho's irises flickered and changed color, narrowing. 

- We lost nine men. I think I deserve some explanation. 

It wasn't a request.

Not an order.

It was a threat. 

No matter what, Baek Yoon-Ho had no intention of letting Jin-Woo go so easily. 
Jin-Woo pursed his lips, feeling a twinge of irritation. 

- And what about this? I saved the other three.

Jin-Woo allowed his blue magic to color his irises. 

He knew he wouldn't win against this hunter yet. But he wasn't defenseless. 
And he was going to show it.

- I got carried away. - Beak Yoon-Ho admitted after a moment of silence. - You're right. Sorry. 

- Come on, kid. 

The student carefully followed Jin-Woo, looking at Baek Yoon-Ho warily. The pair soon got into the van they arrived in and left the scene.

His thoughts in chaos, Baek Yoonho quickly approached the only high-ranking survivor of this nightmare. 

- Who is he? And why is he so nervous? 
The woman had a blanket draped over her shoulders and was holding tea in her hands. However, she looked surprisingly healthy. Not cold, not pale, sleep-deprived or hungry. 

Their team overcame all odds and left the underground in one piece, even if it was with such a small team, so why was Sung Jin-Woo so full of anger?

- I'm not sure. He took care of the boss, stood over him for a moment and then left, looking nervous. 

- Weird. - Beak Yoon-Ho admitted thoughtfully, trying to understand what could have upset this strange hunter. 

Ahn Sang-Min approached his boss with an uncertain expression on his face. 

- He's usually a bit cold, but polite. - Sang-Min admitted. - Maybe it's because of fatigue. He's a good man...

- That's not the point. - Beak Yoon-Ho admitted with a sigh.

The Guild Master looked ahead thoughtfully.

This hunter showed such confidence. He didn't flinch or flinch when he saw his inhuman eyes. 

In a fight with him, he would have to take into account at least the loss of an arm. 
Baek Yoon-Ho turned around and faced Ahn Sang-Min,

- Why haven't you recruited him yet?

- I'm still working on it. 

- You have my full support. Bring this man to our guild at all costs. 
Sung Jin-Woo...

As expected, Ahn Sang-Min's eyes were never wrong.

Beak Yoon-Ho felt guilty for doubting him earlier. 

- I see.

***

Jin-Woo's face was gloomy as he stared at the road. 

Jin-Woo failed to bring out Baruka's shadow, which was a bitter disappointment. 

Was it because of the difference in their strength? 

It's very possible, after all, Baruka was stronger than him and if it weren't for Iron and Igris, Jin-Woo probably wouldn't have won. 

He gained Iron so it wasn't that bad. His new soldier was only slightly weaker than Igris, but had the same rank as him. 
There will surely be an opportunity to defeat another high-level boss at some point. The important thing was that when this opportunity came again, he would be strong enough not to fail like he did today. 
He removed his left hand from the steering wheel and summoned his new dagger from his inventory. 

[ITEM: BARUKA'S DAGGER]
ITEM GRADE: A
TYPE: DAGGER
A DAGGER WILD BY THE GREAT WARRIOR BARUKE. A SLIGHT MAGICAL ENHANCEMENT HAS BEEN APPLIED.
ATTACK: +110
DEXTERITY: +10

The dagger he got was pretty good. It added as much as 110 to attack and 10 dexterity points. 

Neither Fang nor Knightslayer was a match for this dagger. Especially since the first one was increasingly losing its usefulness in combat and was already quite worn out. 
While he was analyzing the events at the gate, the car drove up to Han Song-I's house. 

- Good night. Sleep will probably be good for you.

- Yeah... probably. Thank you for today. See you tomorrow... or rather later.
Later? Jin-Woo looked at his watch and realized that it was already three in the morning. 

Watching the girl walk home with slumped shoulders, Jin-Woo felt like he had accomplished his task.

Things got a little complicated, but the original goal was to dissuade her from becoming a hunter, and it rather succeeded, after what she saw today. 
Her first real raid was the red gate and this event will probably make the girl think twice before she decides to enter any underground. 

If Han Song-I completely withdrew from anything related to the Hunters, Yoo Jin-Ho's team would lose a team member, delaying their plans. Fortunately, it looked like the girl would at least finish the remaining raids. After all, she didn't have to go underground and wait in front of the gate with the others.

With Shadow Troopers, C-rank dungeon clearing speed would increase much more. Jin-Woo was confident that he could complete the remaining rallies in record time. He also couldn't wait to see Jin-Ho's reaction to seeing his new soldiers.

Chapter Text

After a short nap, he got up at eight and went to meet Jin-Ho.

He felt pretty good despite only getting a few hours of sleep. Since gaining Igris to watch over him every night, he was finally able to sleep somewhat normally.

Tonight (if the fourth could still be called night) he was joined by Iron and Tank. The bear curled up next to his bed and Jin-Woo woke up lying half on the bed and half on the big bear, feeling its warm fur.

Iron was quite a loud and enthusiastic guard, but almost as good as Igris.

So he left the house completely rested and satisfied.

- Hi brother!

He was greeted by a familiar voice full of energy. Yoo Jin-Wo was already waiting for him.

- I took the car. How did you end up here?

Jin-Woo had borrowed Bongo for last night's events. The van was parked nearby just as he had left it.

- Taxi.

– Ach, no to ma sens.

Jin-Woo hoped that for once their roles would be reversed and Jin-Woo would be able to drive him.

Pity.

- I'm the one getting your help. I should be the one to give you a ride.

Jin-Ho said this while giggling. After a one-day break, their morning exchanges returned to normal.

Jin-Ho's attention was caught by the strange glass bottle in Jin-Woo's hands.

- What is this? - He asked curiously.

Jin-Woo smiled broadly when he heard his question,

- I'm going to use this in the underground today.

And...

The smile on Jin-Woo's face made Jin-Ho's stomach twist with anxiety, Jin-Woo liked to show off dangerous things in the underground

- We'll pick up someone else on the way there.

- Hm? OK, who?

Jin-Woo ignored him, taking out his phone and dialing the number.

- Hurry up Song-And we'll be at your house soon. We'll give you a lift.

That girl from their rallies? When did they get to know each other? He even has her number.

- That girl from high school who's in our band?

- Correct.

Jin-Woo nodded. Since she lived really close to his house, he thought it would be a good idea to just pick her up before leaving the area.

A pretty girl with short hair falling just behind her ears.

Could their relationship be deeper than just business?

Maybe they were having an affair!

But she was still in high school!

Soon, Hang Song-I came down from her apartment. Compared to their previous encounters, the girl seemed to pay a little more attention to her appearance this time.

- Good morning boss. - She greeted Jin-Ho politely as she got into the car.

- Hello.

- Hello, kid. Have you had enough sleep? - Jin-Woo asked with concern.

Han Song-I smiled and shook her head.

- I could not fall asleep.

Jin-Ho's face froze when he heard this exchange.

- You must be dead. Try sleeping in the car.

As they talked in the backseat, Yoo Jin-Ho's thoughts became more and more chaotic.

- What about you?

-I just took a short nap. When I got home it was already after four o'clock.

"Must you be down?"

„Night?"

"Four o'clock in the morning?"

- Seriously? - Jin-Ho asked weakly, looking at Jin-Woo in the mirror.

Seeing Jin-Ho's strange expression and already knowing his tendency to over-interpret, Jin-Woo quickly guessed what his friend must have been thinking.

- Oh no. Whatever you think, stop.

- Um... Well...

Song-I looked at them both in confusion.

- Jin-ho I have nothing in common with this kid, she's my sister's friend and I prefer guys... And no, you're not my type.

He decided to pretend that when he talked about "type", a handsome, serious face with sunglasses hadn't appeared before his eyes.

Understanding what he meant, Song-I grimaced.

-Why! I mean, you're very handsome... But you're my best friend's brother! And she told me that she wanted to find you a nice boyfriend. - The girl grimaced, turning red.

- My sister should stop interfering in my love life. - Jin-Woo said, rolling his eyes.

- Or lack thereof, as he likes to point out.

-She should just stop.

***

After being stuck in the red gate for several long days, returning to the usual cave underground was very welcome.

The enemies here turned out to be humanoid figures made of stone.

He forgot the name of the damn things, but it didn't matter.

These beasts boasted high defense and were second only to golems.

Jin-Woo approached one of the monsters and summoned the Knightslayer and the Baruka Dagger.

He wanted to try out his new dagger.

In an instant, the head of the stone monster fell to the ground. Jin-Woo looked at his new dagger with satisfaction,

He is'nt bad. Jin-Woo didn't use much strength in this attack, and yet a monster with such a high resistance to physical attacks fell dead.

Jin-Woo hurriedly began dashing towards the monsters around and slashed each of them with his new dagger.

In a moment, ten monsters were dead and shattered on the ground.

His body became lighter after clearing the red gate.

Of course, he was currently level 60. Hunting Bears and Ice Elves had raised his level 9 levels from 51.

In terms of strength, the Category C gate monsters were now as dangerous to him as the Category E gate goblins when he was level 10.

He wasn't sure at all whether it was worth drawing a gun on them.

But now that his warm-up was over, Jin-Woo looked at his companion standing behind him.

- Will show you something. Just don't panic... Get out.

As he gave the order, the Shadow soldiers waiting for his call appeared behind him.

Jin-Woo heard a terrified squeal behind him.

I guess the hastily issued warning didn't help much.

The boy was sitting on the ground, looking like he had just fallen, and pointing with a trembling finger at one of the shadow soldiers.

- What the hell is this, brother?!

- It's... my special skill.

-Can you summon something like that?!

- It's a bit too complicated to explain quickly. Don't worry, they won't hurt you.

Feeling the dangerous aura of the jet black clad soldiers, Jin-Ho swallowed.

This was their eleventh raid and just when he thought that Jin-Woo wouldn't surprise him anymore, he showed him something like this.

As the shadows began to move, it seemed as if the entire cave began to shake from their weight.

Now that he had Iron and the bear in his army, the burden certainly increased significantly. As if he added a tank division to his army.

Jin-Woo looked at the scene before him with satisfaction.

It took less than ten minutes to kill all the regular monsters.

Jin-Woo was delighted, at this rate he would finish the remaining raids in no time.

After the battle, the Shadow Troopers gathered the magic cores and positioned themselves in front of Jin-Woo. They were led by Iron and Igris. The two knights stood at attention. When the Shadow Troopers stopped, finishing the slaughter, Yoo Jin-Ho was finally able to move, he walked up to Jin-Woo, looking nervously at the Shadow Troopers standing calmly.

- How many gates have we booked for today? - Jin-Woo asked after he drank the mana regenerating potion hidden in his inventory.

When Jin-Woo's gaze fell on his companion, the hunter noticed that the boy had somehow ended up hugging the happy bear alpha like a big teddy bear. 

- Four.

Today four, tomorrow five.

So they'll finish it tomorrow.

- Brother... Can I at least collect crystals?

- What for?

- I feel like my job was taken away. - Jin-Ho moaned piteously, rubbing his cheek against the bear's fur. - Soft.

Jin-Woo laughed at the boy's explanation.

He was really starting to like him.

And that was surprising. He hasn't let anyone get close to him in... a long time.

***

The next day they completed all planned 19 rallies.

- Now that we're done, how about a gala dinner?

On the way home, Yoo Jin-Ho carefully broached the topic.

- Gala dinner? Just the two of us?

With the last raid, their team was disbanded. Han Song-I told them that she still had to do something in the city, so only Jin-Woo and Jin-Ho were in the car, who just shyly brought up the topic.

- I would like to repay you somehow for this help.

Why was he so shy about asking to eat together? Jin-Woo smiled, the kid was really endearing sometimes.

- Gladly.

When Jin-Woo agreed casually, Jin-Ho's face brightened visibly.

- In one of the hotels I know, there is a very elegant restaurant. Their steak is divine. What do you think?

- I have a better idea.

Jin-Woo wanted to eat in peace with Jin-Ho in a quiet, casual place.

He knew a small place serving samgyupsal a few minutes from their current location.

After parking the van, the duo entered the small building, the interior still bustling with activity despite almost 7 p.m. being closing time for most restaurants.

When they sat down at the back of the restaurant and after a short while, a waitress approached them with what Jin-Ho asked her for.

- Here's samgyupsal and two bottles of soju.

The two Hunters immediately started eating. Pieces of meat disappeared from the pan one by one.

The young boy didn't seem to mind eating pork rinds.

- I often eat samgyupsal with friends.

-You mean friends from college?

-Yes. Compared to rich kids from expensive and prestigious schools, I get along much better with my peers at regular colleges.

Jin-Ho poured Jin-Woo a glass of soju.

Jin-Woo grimaced after drinking his glass.

[HARMFUL SUBSTANCE EXPOSED]

[DETOXIFICATION COMPLETE]

Yeah. He'll never be able to get drunk again.

No matter what he drank or how much, the results would always remain the same.

He preferred to drink soda water rather than useless bitter water.

Jin-Woo called the waitress.

- Could we get two more orders of samgyupsal and a bottle of soda?

- Of course.

When the waitress left, Jin-Ho tilted his head,

- You won't drink anymore?

- Alcohol affects me badly. - Jin-Woo lied. - What are you planning now? 

- Now all that's left is the theoretical exam and I can get the rank of master. And then I'll talk to my father.

Determination appeared in the young man's eyes. He had invested a lot of his own money in this plan, and now there was no way to back out.

Additionally, he had to keep his promise to Jin-Woo.

That building that Jin-Woo promised. He could only keep this promise if he could convince his father to hand over the position of Guild Master to him. Meanwhile, Jin-Woo didn't attach much importance to this whole matter.

It would be nice to get a building worth 30 billion, but his real goal was to level up. And thanks to the 20 C-rank dungeons he cleared of Jin-Ho, he managed to achieve this goal. The results of this promotion? Kim Chul had a naked A and yet Jin-Woo had no difficulty defeating him.

He wondered if his strength was as strong as Inspector Woo's?

Thinking about the man, Jin-Woo couldn't help but smile.

This man really made a great impression on him.

Great income naturally followed great ability. Jin-Woo didn't have to worry about money.

- What about you? What are your plans?

- I will be unavailable for some time. - Jin-Woo admitted after a moment of silence when the memory of Cerberus appeared in his mind.

Now he felt like he was ready to go in there.

After this sentence, a grimace appeared on Jin-Ho's face. The boy looked like a kicked puppy left in the rain.

Drinking another glass and feeling a surge of liquid courage, Jin-Ho spoke up.

- If I'm imposing on you, just tell me. I won't bother you any longer.

Jin-Woo scratched his temple. The kid misunderstood what Jin-Woo meant again.

- Hello Jin-Ho?

- Hm?

- Who am I for you?

-Hmm? I have a brother ten years older than me.

Jin-Woo had vaguely heard about it before. Yoo Myung-Han's firstborn, Yoo Jin-Sung.

- He doesn't like me, so we don't spend much time together. You saved my life and then you helped me. You are closer to me than my own brother.

Jin-Woo smiled slightly.

- If that's how you put it... I'll treat you like a younger brother.

Jin-Ho sniffled, surprised by this declaration.

- Can I hug you?!

- Hi! You're drunk, you bastard.

- NO. I finally feel alive!

- At least until tomorrow's hangover. - Jin-Woo muttered under his breath.

Whether he was truly moved or just drunk, Jin-Ho put his head on the table and began to cry loudly. Jin-Woo gently patted the young man's head. After a while, the sniffling stopped and Jin-Ho fell asleep, snoring loudly.

The kid was annoying, but Jin-Woo actually liked him.

Suddenly, Jin-Woo heard the sound of an interview playing on the TV behind him.

Jin-Woo turned his head towards the screen.

“It is said that a serious incident occurred during recruit training. Is it true?

Jin-Woo was staring absently at the screen when a familiar face appeared.

Jin-Woo's eyes widened. Leaving his guild hall, Baek Yoon-Ho was attacked by a barrage of questions from the reporters surrounding him.

“Apparently someone helped them. How will you respond to this information?"

“Apparently all the higher-ranking hunters died. Only the weakest survived."

The S-rank hunter tried to ignore the reporters, but eventually relented under the pressure of endless questions.

“The investigation has been completed. It is true that an incident occurred, but no third parties were involved."

"So why won't you let me interview any of the survivors?"

“They barely escaped this terrible place alive. I won't let them be forced to interrogate after what they've been through. That's all"

Television showed that Baek Yoon-Ho quickly got into the car and drove away. Jin-Woo's eyes were wide open.

Did they mean him?

***

James fell to the ground straight into the water that was all over the room. He felt his heart pounding with fear.

This time the dungeons were of rank A. A group of hunters of appropriate ranks were assembled to clear the dungeons, but the entire group was destroyed. To be precise, they were knocked out.

Leaning back against the wall, James gathered his breath and shook his head several times. It was really impossible. When they first entered the underground, the group found it completely empty. They didn't find a single beast.

The hunters were unanimously very confused.

Only in the boss's chamber did they find any monster.

Or more precisely, a monster that looked like a human.

This strange beast was incredibly strong and defeated James' entire team.

He barely managed to escape from the chamber.

Did all the magical power of this gate really come from a single beast?

The Category A designation was awarded to the underground after measuring the magical power seeping out from the gate. In a normal situation, this magical power would be the sum that leaked from every magical beast in the underworld.

But there was only one being in this underground.

James belatedly realized that the boss had left his chamber and approached him.

Seeing him, the American screamed in terror.

What the hunter didn't know was that standing in front of him was not a monster but a very bearded Asian man.

- Don't worry, I didn't knock them out. They only lost consciousness.

James couldn't understand the man. His face became whiter and whiter. The Asian stared at the panicked American, wondering what he should do. He sighed deeply.

The Yankees didn't understand him. He should have realized this sooner.

Nevertheless, the man tried to communicate. He crouched down to be eye level with James, then tried to speak as friendly as possible.

The man tried to remember anything from his poor English.

And I am Korean. I want to go home.

A living man emerged from the underground.

This was incredible news

***

- You've only been thinking about work lately. And now you're suddenly going on a trip? - Jin-Ah looked with furrowed eyebrows at her brother who had just put his backpack on his shoulder and was ready to leave.

- I'll only be gone for about a week.

- Who are you going with? Have you finally found someone? - He asked the amused girl.

-Uh! I'm going alone. Stop trying to match me.

Jin-Woo quickly ran away from home to avoid further insults from his sister.

Once he was in the place where he once fought Cerberus, Jin-Woo looked at the key in his hand.

ITEM

[ITEM: LOCK DOOR KEY]

SUBJECT CLASS: A

TYPE: KEY

THE KEY THAT OPENS THE DOOR TO THE DEMONS CASTLE. OBTAINED BY KILLING A GUARD.

He felt less overwhelmed by this place than before.

No wonder, as he has grown stronger.

He barely managed to defeat the gatekeeper.

Now he finally felt like he was ready.

[WANT TO USE THE KEY?]

[YES / NO]

The gigantic gates opened, causing a strong breeze to blow all the dust and sand upwards.

The hunter frowned when he didn't sense any monsters behind the open door.

He prepared for the exact opposite. His worst-case scenario was a scene where tons of monsters attacked him the moment he opened the door.

However, nothing of the sort happened.

He passed through the gates, summoning his new dagger just in case.

Instead of an attack, he heard the sound of the system and a window appeared in front of his eyes.

He completed his daily mission before coming here, so this couldn't be it.

TASK

[NORMAL TASK: OBTAIN THE SOUL OF DEMONS (PART 1)]

1)

THE CASTLE IS FILLED WITH DEMONS. HUNT THEM AND CAPTURE THEIR SOUL TO GET SPECIAL REWARDS.

REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE TASK:

10,000 DEMON SOULS.

AWARDS:

ANY ITEM FROM THE STORE

20 BONUS STATISTICS

HIDDEN REWARD

20 stat points! As always, the first thing that caught Jin-Woo's attention was the stat point reward.

This would allow him to increase his intelligence by 20 points!

He couldn't help but smile. The disadvantages of low mana are really annoying.

He needed a lot of mana points for his soldiers to regenerate.

And mana wasn't the only advantage of the intelligence stat. Jin-Woo was eventually able to learn that as his intelligence increased, so did the number of shadows he could extract and store. For this reason, he had to increase his intelligence.

And with promotions and rewards from daily tasks, there was a limit to how many points he could get.

If he scored as many as 20 points, it would help him significantly.

Jin-Woo looked at the remaining prizes.

Just 20 stat points was a crazy reward.

And every possible item in the store was really great too.

He remembered the highest quality equipment he had seen in the store.

From what he remembered, he even noticed S-category equipment that cost billions, and sometimes even tens of billions, of gold. For comparison, the knight assassin cost 3 million gold.

A was merely a category B item.

There were a lot of such rewards for killing a few demons.

Since Jin-Woo's eyes first fell on the mission rewards, he didn't take a closer look at the mission objective. The man finally looked at the number of zeros and was quite surprised.

Ten thousand?!

It wasn't just defeating a few demons.

This really wasn't an ordinary mission.

No matter what monsters these demons were, killing ten thousand of them would be torture. But the hunter smiled broadly.

At least it would be torture if he was alone.

The current number of soldiers was 50. Each of them simply had to defeat 200 demons. Yes, with these soldiers this mission would be achievable.

He accepted the task.

Even if he didn't do it, and he definitely intended to do it, the only punishment would be wasted time.

Compared to the penalty for failing to complete other tasks...

No heart attack or penalty.

The moment he accepted the task, a counter appeared in the air.

[DEMON SOULS COLLECTED: 0 / 10,000]

10,000 souls... it's going to be a long road.

After a while, he also discovered a second, slightly weirder counter.

[POINTS TO THE NEXT LEVEL: 60,000]

The holographic letters clearly displayed a number that told him he would advance when he exceeded that number.

The sight of this counter was surprising because until now he had not seen how many points he was missing to the next level. Which to be honest was really annoying at times.

The system did not show how many points he received for killing any monster.

He was currently at level 61, which didn't seem like a major milestone for such a counter to suddenly appear. Moreover, Jin-Woo did not see this counter before heading to the Demon Castle.

Jin-Woo took a step back and left the Demon Castle. With this, both the soul counter and the experience counter disappeared. When he returned, the two counters were back as if they had always been there.

So that was it.

Both of these counters were only when Jin-Woo was in the demon castle.

It's a shame he wouldn't be able to see the experience meter outside, but it would certainly be convenient while he was here. 

On the other hand, did that mean it would take so long to clean the place?

He closed the window, sighing. He already knew everything, there was no point in delaying any further.

It's finally time to explore the interior of the Demon Castle.

When he took a few more steps, he sighed weakly at the sight that greeted him.

The ruined city stretched before his eyes. Underground under the open sky. Just like the red gate.

Was it Seoul?

Perhaps if everyone in Seoul died and a hundred years passed, it might look like this. The dead city turned gray. The few street lamps flickered on and off here and there. Here and there, Jin-Woo saw a burning building or two.

It's possible that this underground used Seoul as a base.

Now the question arose, where was he supposed to go first?

And where was his goal? Jin-Woo looked around here and there.

This place must have had some kind of boss. But where the hell was he?

Fortunately, he didn't have to think long about what to do. In the distance, where the Namsan Tower should have been, a giant pillar of light stood in its place.

He could always try to go there.

However, he didn't get far before something blocked his path.

Here and there, small, ugly monsters crawled out from between the buildings.

LOW LEVEL DEMON

The name of the monster said everything and nothing.

The monsters in front of him were apparently quite weak, but their names gave him no idea what they might be.

There were eight strange monsters in front of him.

He practically had eight souls already.

Not one to hesitate, Jin-Woo summoned Baruka's dagger and moved towards them.

[YOU DEFEATED 3 LOW-LEVEL DEMONS]

[YOU RECEIVED 3x 100 EXPERIENCE]

[YOU RECEIVED THREE DEMON SOULS]

The monsters were actually quite weak. And slow by Jin-Woo's standards.

[YOU DEFEATED A LOW LEVEL DEMON]

[YOU RECEIVED 100 EXPERIENCE]

[YOU RECEIVED ONE DEMON SOUL]

Now it was just a fight against time.

On the other hand, he had told his sister that it would only take him a week, but now Jin-Woo was afraid that would not be enough time for this place.

***

After a few days of being extremely busy, Baek Yoon-Ho was looking through documents and reports that he had neglected for far too long.

However, his work was interrupted by the sound of the landline telephone ringing on his desk.

He picked up the phone.

- Boss, hunter Min Byung-Gyu asks to speak to him. I have to connect it.

- Yes please.

A moment later, a familiar voice came from the receiver.

- In-Ho why don't you answer the phone?

Baek Yoon-Ho sighed deeply,

- I want to distance myself until this case dies down and the reporters finally leave me alone.

-Ah! Red gate. They talk about it in Japan too. Have you pissed off your boyfriend again and he decided to tease you?

- I hope not. Besides, you know that we separate our private and professional lives. What are you doing in Japan anyway?

-Japan secretly contacted the Korean Hunters Association. About a week ago. I checked it myself to be sure and something thick is floating.

- Speak more clearly. Why would Japan contact the Korean Association. President Go Gun-Hee doesn't like stalking, you know.

- They asked to consult with hunters who participated in the raid on Jeju Island.

The S-rank gate on Jeju Island opened four years ago. The underground was inhabited by magical ant-type beasts. South Korea has tried to reclaim the island three times. They failed three times. Ultimately, the government gave up on regaining the island, which was completely taken over by monsters.

- Give me the details! - Beak Yoon-Ho ordered immediately, completely forgetting about those stupid reports in front of him.

Min Byung-Gyu sighed loudly.

- Do you know that we almost died because of all this chaos?

- You're right. It was a nightmare I'd rather forget. So why does anyone want to dig into this mess?

- It looks like some mutation has occurred.

- Mutation? - Yoon-Ho asked, clenching his jaw nervously, feeling a shiver run down his spine.

He thought this nightmare was over. But that gate will probably never give them peace.

- It shouldn't matter at all. After all, this island is cut off from the world. Mutation or not... why bother?

- Well... - Byung-Gyu's voice was very audibly worried. - Now they can leave her. Flying across the ocean. An ant with wings was found on the Japanese coast. These abominations have evolved into even worse monsters.

- O.

Beak Yoon-Ho completely pushed away the papers he was working on and looked with wide eyes at the phone lying on the desk.

***

[YOU DEFEATED A LOW LEVEL DEMON]

[YOU RECEIVED 100 EXPERIENCE]

[YOU RECEIVED ONE DEMON SOUL]

[YOU DEFEATED A LOW LEVEL DEMON]

[YOU RECEIVED 100 EXPERIENCE]

[YOU RECEIVED ONE DEMON SOUL]

[YOU DEFEATED A LOW LEVEL DEMON]

[YOU RECEIVED 100 EXPERIENCE]

[YOU RECEIVED ONE DEMON SOUL]

Jin-Woo had been hunting low-level demons for two hours now. He checked the current number of souls.

[DEMON SOULS OBTAINED: 309 / 10,000]

It was slow.

Plus, at his current rate, he would level up after about two hours of hunting. His current level was 61. It took nine Category C dungeons for him to advance from 60 to 61, and that took over two days. Compared to this, he would be able to gain one level after four hours of hunting here.

So even if it was slow and he would reach the levels faster here than in the C category underground.

How long had it been since he had enjoyed hunting so much?

He recalled his first systemic underground with nostalgia. Jin-Woo hunted non-stop on the first and second levels of the subway until he stopped leveling up.  

Those hunts were really profitable.

He continued to push through the weak demons, letting his thoughts flow. The monsters here were too weak to do him any harm.

One fell, then another, third, tenth.

Experience points and the number of souls increased accordingly with the fallen demons. In addition, there were horns that he collected from dead opponents.

ITEM

[ITEM: LOW-LEVEL DEMON HORN]

ITEM CLASS: NONE

TYPE: LAUGHTER

TWO SMALL HORNS FROM THE HEAD OF A LOW-LEVEL DEMON.

THEY ARE USED AS INGREDIENTS FOR HIGH LEVEL MAGIC AND CAN ALSO BE SOLD.

He sold such a horn for 200,000 gold pieces.

For the tusks of the much stronger Cerberus, he received 150,000 gold pieces.

On the other hand, it is possible that currently Cerberus would not be a dangerous opponent for him either, just like these demons here.

After recently getting a taste of the store's value, trash was no longer just "junk" to Jin-Woo. It was mostly valuable gold that was very useful.

While searching through the bodies, he came across something unexpected. Something that was definitely not just junk to sell.

[ITEM: PASS]

ITEM CLASS: ???

TYPE: ???

THE PASS ALLOWS YOU TO GET TO THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE CASTLE. CAN BE USED IN THE MAGICAL ENERGY CAMP ON THE FIRST FLOOR.

Unrolling the scroll, Jin-Woo found several letters and shapes he couldn't read.

It was surprising that an underground, even a field underground, had many floors. He has never heard of or encountered anything like this before.

Did that mean that this place had a hundred floors like the Daesung Tower?

Just at the thought, Jin-Woo opened his mouth and looked with wide eyes at the energy column visible in the distance.

That would be rather unrealistic.

True?

Actually, there was only one way to find out.

He looked at the energy pole again.

Well, that was his goal from the beginning, but he got distracted by hunting low-level demons and ended up going in the opposite direction.

However, he was glad he did so.

If he didn't kill all the demons here, he wouldn't get the scroll and probably wouldn't be able to move on, and that would be frustrating.

- Arise.

The Shadow Troopers stored in the Shadow Warehouse did not require any specific command to be summoned. It was about the intention itself. It didn't matter what he said or if he said it at all.

He could choose whether he wanted to summon a specific soldier, a group or an entire small army.

If at all, the ridiculous number of 50 shadows could now be called an army.

Probably not, their numbers were a bit too pitifully small to be called an 'Army of Shadows' for now.

A shadow extracted from the alpha ice bear appeared in front of Jin-Woo.

This teddy bear was a really comfortable, harmless pillow, his fighting skills weren't bad, but he wasn't as good as Zelazny or Igris.

But now Jin-Woo would be useful for something else.

The monster bear stood on its hind legs. He towered over Jin-Woo at least twice. But to him, he was no different than a trained puppy.

- They.

The Shadow Beast obediently left its body, and Jin-Woo sat on its back.

- Forward.

The beast lunged forward with surprising speed for such a large, massive beast.

The destination of their journey was approaching surprisingly quickly, and from time to time an obstacle appearing on the road in the form of a demon was brutally rammed.

Seeing this, Jin-Woo smiled with satisfaction.

He thought this ride might be fun so he tried it, but it was much faster and more effective than he initially expected.

Jin-Woo decided to use it as a mount in the future and even gave it a name.

- You're crazy. From now on you will act as our tank.

Finally, after several minutes of a crazy charge during which Jin-Woo was forced to hold on to the tank's blue longer fur, the bear reached the energy pole.

- Good bear.

Jin-Woo dismounted the bear, stroked the beast's head, and then ordered it to return to its shadow.

Jin-Woo took out a scroll from his inventory and stuck his hand with it into the energy pole. The scroll melted away after just a second.

THE 2nd FLOOR OF THE DEMON CASTLE HAS BEEN OPENED.

The magic circle began to glow violently as if to encourage him to enter.

And.

It was just an elevator.

The moment he understood the purpose of the energy pole, Jin-Woo entered it and was transported upwards.

2 floor.

Then 3 and 4.

Next 6 and 7.

And so on until the 27th floor.

This is the progress he made in two days.

***

The Assistant Secretary General for Hunter Affairs stood in the interrogation room of the Central Bureau of American Hunters on one side of a one-way mirror, and on the other side was a strange Asian man in handcuffs.

- It's him?

- Right.

- Have you already found out who he is?

- He claims to be a hunter from South Korea.

If he tidied up his messy matted hair and facial hair, he would look like an ordinary middle-aged Asian.

- How did a hunter from South Korea end up underground on the other side of the earth?

- Apparently he got stuck underground 10 years ago after the gate closed behind him. Before he knew it, he was in the USA.

- When he opened his eyes again, he was just in the United States?

- That's what he says.

This is a real precedent. Not only was he able to survive in the A-rank gate for so long, but he also dispatched the other A-rank hunters without any problem.

The vice principal placed his hand on his forehead. How will he explain all this to the director? He could already feel a headache coming on.

- That's all? That's all you got out of it?

- We suspect he may be a monster with human memories. Without the support of an S-rank hunter, we cannot take any action. If something goes wrong, the entire capital could be in danger.

It was certainly a possibility. Since he defeated a large group of A-rank hunters, he could be very dangerous. They couldn't make any careless moves.

- We contacted the Scavenger guild and from what we learned, there is currently one S-rank hunter in Washington who knows Korean.

- Mr. Hwang.

It wasn't a question, but a statement.

The vice-principal knew all the S-rank hunters from the Scavenger guild very well.

He was one of the main hunters of this guild. Bringing it to the USA required a lot of effort from FBH.

- Ah... What's his name?

The interrogation chief had trouble pronouncing the name. He double-checked the report delivered to him by one of his subordinates.

- His name is, um... Sung Il-Hwan.

***

Given the increasing speed at which he was clearing each floor, Jin-Woo gained hope that he might be able to reach the 100th floor within the remaining five days.

Jin-Woo looked around. Another destroyed city. Each floor imitated a city that looked like from a post-apocalyptic movie.

However, he couldn't say which city it was. Did it even imitate any of the Korean cities?

He saw no historic European architecture, no tenement houses, churches or castles.

He couldn't even assign this place to any of the continuants.

It is possible that it was caused by one factor.

The destruction of the cities deepened as he climbed higher and higher.

He checked his watch, it was 11 p.m. There was neither night nor day in this place. He had to rely on his watch to keep track of the time. If it was eleven o'clock, he should get some rest. Adequate sleep was needed to continue the rally.

***

Despite his fears, the speed at which he cleared the place did not slow down at all as he continued to climb upwards.

With each floor he also understood this place a little more.

Although each city was referred to as a floor, it was a separate world.

Cities, location of energy poles, monsters. Everything was different on different floors.

Passes to subsequent floors could only be found in monster bodies and were dropped randomly.

Initially, he assumed that he had to find the right monster, but since the monsters on each floor were different from each other, at least a little, this hypothesis quickly fell apart.

It didn't have to be the last monster on the floor either.

He must have just been lucky. Sometimes the scroll dropped from the third monster killed on the floor and sometimes from the fortieth one. Regardless of which monster he obtained the pass from, he tried to kill them all so as not to waste experience points.

Along the way, his touch of domination, which he used very often because this ability did not consume mana, was leveled up, which was a nice gift because he could lift larger and heavier objects as well as monsters.

He also noticed that the monsters' strength increased exponentially with the difficulty of subsequent floors.

Floor 48.

Floor 49.

Floor 50.

He finally reached the halfway point of this place.

He felt like he was hunting an endless horde of demons here, but the wall known as 10,000 was still very high.

He only had 2,561 souls. It wasn't even half needed.

The pace of leveling was much faster than collecting souls.

His level was currently 69, and he entered here at level 61.

Considering the increasing difficulty of leveling up in normal category C dungeons, eight levels here was a very nice result.

Jin-Woo moved his gaze to the pillar of glowing energy. At this level, the energy pillar was guarded by a giant demon surrounded by many high-level demons. Jin-Woo looked over the giant demon's head.

[LORD OF THE LOWER FLOORS, GREEDY VULCAN]

The demon had a gigantic, muscular body that looked like it weighed several dozen, no, several hundred tons. In his hands he held a large, poorly made wooden club.

Ruler of the lower floors, right?

Jin-Woo had quite fond memories of the system's underground bosses. They always gave a lot of experience points and dropped good items.

There was no point in delaying much.

Shadow Soldiers appeared behind Jin-Woo. His army consisted of infantry, magicians, beasts and two knights.

The two knights stepped forward and took a seat on Jin-Woo's sides. Igris on his right, Zelazny on his left.

Looking at the two, Jin-Woo couldn't help but smile proudly.

They were reliable in combat.

However, the enemy looked like a dangerous type. Mainly because of that big stupid club.

He was curious what the devil's tree was big enough to make this club.

Given Vulcan's gigantic body and the size of his wooden club, one strike would destroy his entire army.

The problem was the limited amount of mana he had to use to regenerate the entire army.

If he attacks the boss in a reckless way, dragging the entire army after him, his mana level will drop to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. He had to take care of this bag of meat himself.

His army will take care of Vulcan's guards scattered around him, while Jin-Woo will fight the giant demon on his own, undisturbed by other demons. He felt this was the best way to approach this fight.

What was the point of having guards who were much weaker than themselves?

Jin-Woo really didn't understand why these garbage enemies were placed around Vulcan.

But never mind that.

Now he had to focus on not getting hit by that club.

Unlike his soldiers, Jin-Woo was confident in his ability to dodge Vulcan's attacks. The Hunter ordered the Shadow Mages to fire the starting shot.

A fireball exploded near Vulcan's guards, signaling the start of the battle.

[VULCAN GUARDIAN DETECTED ENEMY]

[VULCAN GUARDIAN DETECTED ENEMY]

[VULCAN GUARDIAN DETECTED ENEMY]

They managed to attract the attention of the Enemies. Jin-woo activated "Stealth", his plan was to bypass the guards and reach Vulcan itself.

Contrary to Jin-Woo's expectations, Vulcan rose from his strange great throne made of strangely gigantic bones and was the first to rush towards the Shadow Army.

For such a thick and massive monster, he moved surprisingly fast.

Passing his guards, Vulcan focused on Jin-Woo's soldiers.

Vulcan raised his club and struck it down. The club flew towards the mages, the Iron One suddenly appearing in front of them and raising his pitch-black shield to block the attack.

It was a brave effort... While the giant knight managed to block the attack and protect the mages, both of his arms were completely destroyed. The Shadow Trooper with the highest defense was rendered useless after one attack.

As if disappointed by his latest attack, Vulcana tilted his head and glanced at his club. Well, the demon's confusion only lasted a split second. The wooden club was raised again.

Watching this scene, something broke inside Jin-Woo.

The hunter bit his lower lip. His body moved before his mind could give the order.

Before he knew it, Jin-Woo was already in the air, flying towards Vulcan. His goal was clear. Compared to its mountain-like body, the demon's head was tiny. Jin-Woo twisted his hips in the air, withdrawing his right hand. The muscles in the Hunter's right arm tensed.

Jin-Woo's clenched fist hit the demon's huge cheek.

The giant boss's body was thrown back. The demon rolled along the ground for some time, finally stopping when it hit the building, which then completely collapsed.

Jin-Woo landed on the ground nimbly, but was quite surprised by the outcome of the attack.

The demon flew quite far.

He looked at his fist in disbelief. There wasn't a scratch on his fist, even though he had just punched a giant demon with it. Then he realized something important.

Jin-Woo opened the statistics window.

STR: 150

CONDITION: 109

DEXTERITY: 139

INTELLIGENCE: 109

SENSES: 111

And.

Yeah.

Even though he had been investing every point into intelligence lately, his strength was still his highest stat.

Moreover, it has increased its levels dramatically in the last few days.

And the result of the growth turned out to be the fallen Vulcan.

He heard the sound of the system in his head and a window appeared in front of his eyes.

[LORD OF THE LOWER FLOORS, THE GREED VULCAN, USED SKILL: "RAGE".]

[VULCAN ENTERED BERSERKER MODE]

[VULCAN STATISTICS INCREASED BY 50%]

[VULCAN'S PAIN FEELING HAS BEEN REDUCED]

Before Jin-Woo could recall Cerberus and its attack, which was virtually identical, Vulcan attacked him while the color of his eyes changed to a furious red.

The ground shook with each deafening step. Jin-Woo quickly looked behind him, his Shadow Troopers and Vulcan's minions were still engaged in a fierce battle.

Amidst the chaos of battle, Jin-Woo found the Iron Man. A testament to Vulcan's destructive power was the fact that the knight was constantly regenerating.