Chapter 82: Chapter 82
'There's a breeze inside this dungeon?'
Jin-Woo raised his head.
As soon as stepping inside, he sensed an ominous wind blowing in from the deepest part of the cave-like dungeon.
Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his back. And at the same time, Jin-Woo realised the identity of this mysterious wind.
'It's no normal wind, is it?'
No, this was a ripple caused by the magic energy. The powerful magic energy emitted by the boss of this rank A dungeon was physically touching Jin-Woo's body.
Considering that the rank S dungeons were incredibly hard to find, even in the entire world, the owner of this magic energy could very well be the highest levelled monster Jin-Woo could realistically meet.
'The boss of a rank A dungeon….'
He was tempted to confirm the creature with his own two eyes now. And, if there was a chance….
Even though Jin-Woo was shuddering from the bone-chilling aura that managed to make his hair stand on end, he couldn't stop smiling at the same time.
Was this the instinct of a hunter?
Wasn't the act of pointing a gun at a powerful predator the most instinctive act there could be for a real hunter?
It was then.
Tap.
A guy coming inside the dungeon bumped into Jin-Woo's shoulder.
"Eiii, come on, man. Walk faster."
A man named Lee Seong-Gu frowned deeply, the words flying out of his mouth sounding sullen.
The interior of the rank A dungeon was huge. There was plenty of space to go around the person in front. However, Lee Seong-Gu found this newbie who stood there unmoving not to his liking at all.
So, he figured he'd embarrass the kid or something by bumping into his back, but…..
'What the fck is up with this guy? He's like a dmn concrete pillar!'
When he ran into the newbie's back, it was him who got bounced away instead. So, quite obviously, his irritation had shot up to the heavens.
'Why is a rank E this tough?'
Still, this kid was a measly E. And he was a rank C.
Although his skills lagged behind compared to other rank C Hunters, and therefore he had to work as a miner, but regardless of all that, it wouldn't do for him to lose out to a rank E like this.
However, the newbie didn't even show a single hint of a response.
Lee Seong-Gu's eyes narrowed to a slit.
'Oh? Would you look at this fool?'
Now that his ire had reached a boiling point, Lee Seong-Gu angrily glared at the newbie and raised his voice higher.
"Look here, man. Aren't you supposed to apologise if you run into someone?"
Jin-Woo finally turned around, then.
Lee Seong-Gu flinched and took a step back.
'Heok!!'
It was if a dangerous light was emanating from Jin-Woo's eyes just then. While being pressurised by an aura that robbed away his breaths, Lee Seong-Gu began panicking greatly. It was here that Jin-Woo finally opened his mouth.
"Sorry."
"N-no. I….."
Lee Seong-Gu stuttered before managing to squeeze his voice out.
"Well, uh, mistakes… happen."
His voice sounding unexpectedly meek now, Lee Seong-Gu lowered his reddened face and hurriedly walked past Jin-Woo.
"Fuu-woo…."
Only after distancing himself far away from the newbie did Lee Seong-Gu find some leeway to pat his pounding chest.
'What the hell was up with those eyes, man? And why was he smiling so creepily like that?!'
Their gazes met for only a brief second, yet Lee Seong-Gu's entire body froze up and he couldn't even speak properly. Him managing to not avert his eyes right away was his desperate attempt to hold on to his pride.
'…..Is he really a rank E?'
When he bumped into him, and that murderous glare – just what the heck was going on here?
'Eiii, who cares anymore?'
Lee Seong-Gu shook his head hard in order to get rid of the distracting thoughts and hurried his steps.
"…D*mn it."
Jin-Woo scratched the side of his head as he looked on at Lee Seong-Gu quickly rushing past him.
'Because my nerves were in a heightened state due to the boss, I….'
He ended up frightening that guy, instead.
This was only because he lacked enough practice. Yup, more practice was needed. Jin-Woo inwardly reflected on how overly sensitive his response was and chased after the rest of the mining team.
He caught up with them pretty quickly. Jin-Woo stuck to the rear of the advancing miners and matched their walking pace.
'Well, none of these guys would be able to catch up with me if I walk in my usual speed….'
So, he had to match theirs.
However….
The deeper they went in, the greater the ripples of the magic energy from the boss became.
'My Perception Stat has risen up by a lot, hasn't it.'
To be able to clearly sense the boss monster hidden in the deepest chamber of the dungeon like this….
Because of that, he was getting excited for no particular reason.
'Would I even be able to concentrate on my job at this rate?'
As if to try answering his rhetorical question, he could hear the loud, manly roars coming from his front.
"Orya! Orya!!"
The retrieval team that had entered one step earlier than the mining team was already in the middle of their operation. And that would be to drag a corpse of a huge monster outside using the ropes tightly tied around it.
"One, two! One, two!"
"Eut-chaaa!"
The physical strength of the close-quarter combat-type Hunters was excellent, to begin with, so they didn't require help from specialised tools to smoothly carry out their work.
Jin-Woo imprinted every step of a high-rank dungeon's conquest into his brain.
'First of all, the raid team enters before everyone else and eliminates all the monsters found inside, with the exception of the boss.'
Afterwards, the retrieval team entered to drag out the monster remains, and finally, the mining team entered to extract various minerals embedded in the dungeon's walls.
In order to maximise profit, none of these steps could be omitted.
Both the Mana stones and magic crystals were a given, but the high-ranked monster's body could be utilised in various ways as well, and thus was worth a lot of money.
'Bones, hides, flesh, etc…. Not one part of a high-ranked monster is useless.'
And that was one of the differences between monsters found in low-ranked dungeons and those from the high-ranked ones.
After sweeping away every single thing worth money from a dungeon….
'They kill the boss and close the Gate.'
Only after going through all four stages of this process could one declare that the high-ranked dungeon was perfectly conquered. At least, that would be from the Guild's perspective.
However….
'Wouldn't my soldiers be enough to carry out these simple labours?'
While walking past the sweating Hunters of the retrieval team, Jin-Woo suddenly came up with that idea.
For sure, after all their level-ups, the shadow soldiers were much stronger than the members of the retrieval team, who were all Hunters ranked below rank C, to begin with.
Dividing his troops into three, and by making one group hunt, another one retrieve, while the remaining group took care of mining, then…..
'Then, I might really be able to perfectly conquer a high-rank dungeon all by myself.'
A satisfied smile formed on Jin-Woo's face.
The reason for him being here was to explore. And now, he was beginning to think that it was a good idea to come here, after all.
"Mister Seong? Did something good happen?"
The foreman asked him from the side.
Seeing that the rank E with no experience of being inside a high-ranked dungeon broke out in a grin like that, he couldn't help but get curious.
"Well, I was just surprised by the sizes of the monsters that are bigger than I thought, that's all."
Perhaps finding Jin-Woo's vague answer satisfying, the foreman replied jovially while trying to dig through his memory.
"Oh, is that so? Well, even I couldn't keep my mouth shut the first time I entered one, too."
Now that they were talking like this, Jin-Woo decided to ask a couple more questions.
"I heard that all the regular monsters have been killed off, but the boss is still alive, isn't it?"
"That's right. Well, if the boss dies, the Gate will close down, after all."
His answer implied that, until the retrieval and mining operations were completed, the boss could not be hunted down.
"What if the boss comes out of the boss room?"
"Well, such a case is almost non-existent, but…. In that case, everyone remaining inside would be dead meat."
Now that would be an obvious result.
The raid team exiting from the dungeon would take an extended break until the boss raid. And quite obviously, the Hunters in the mining team or the extraction team didn't possess enough power to fight against a boss of a rank A dungeon.
However, the commonly-accepted belief was that, before the dungeon break occurs, the boss would almost always remain inside the boss room. Perhaps that was why there was no trace of fear on the foreman's expression.
"But, such a horrifying monster is not too far from us. You aren't even remotely scared?"
"Not at all."
The Foreman Bae sounded confident.
"In the last three years I worked for the Hunters Guild, not once was there an incident similar to that. So, you can rest easy, Mister Seong."
Jin-Woo stared at the grinning foreman Bae lightly tapping him on the shoulder, and couldn't help but find it rather envious.
'Ignorance is a blessing, isn't it?'
The ripples of magic energy coming from the boss were powerful enough to shake his body even when standing still.
It looked like only Jin-Woo could pick up on the boss's aura in this place.
"Ohh, so it starts from here!"
The Foreman Bae discovered Mana stones on the cave walls and smiled brightly.
The experienced miners began occupying their natural spots in front of the stones even though no one directed them to do so. They put down their gear and hefted the pickaxes up.
Jin-Woo too stood towards the end of the cavern wall filled with Mana stones.
'So, am I suppose to just strike down?'
He grew worried that, were he to use his real strength and strike down, both the Mana stones and the pickaxe might shatter into tiny little pieces.
'What should I do?'
Jin-Woo stood there hesitating, unable to start his job. But, he was able to take in the sight of Mok Jin-Su, the supposed veteran of the mining team as referred to by the Foreman Bae.
Swish! Crack! Swish-! Crack!!
Mok Jin-Su rhythmically mined the stones. Whenever he struck the walls, Mana stones noisily tumbled down to the ground.
'Wow….'
Now that was some skill worthy of the 'veteran' label. He was mining the stones twice as quickly as compared to the speed of his colleagues.
Jin-Woo's eyes gleamed brightly.
As the time slowed down in his perception, Jin-Woo observed and learned Mok Jin-Su's postures and breathing patterns, as well as the movements of muscles.
And soon, Mok Jin-Su's economical but effective movements were being replayed countless times in Jin-Woo's head.
'I think I get it now.'
Indeed, he thought he understood it, more or less. Jin-Woo lifted his pickaxe up. It was as if he was the mirror image of Mok Jin-Su.
Swish! Crack! Swish-! Crack!!
Even if their movements were similar, Jin-Woo's strength was on a completely another level from Mok Jin-Su's. Whenever Jin-Woo struck the cave walls, larger, more intact Mana stones tumbled down in droves.
Swish!!! Craaack! Swish—! Crack!!
A rather refreshing noise came from the end of the wall. The Hunters of the mining team realised one by one that something didn't feel right.
"Uhm… Oii."
"What's up?"
"Look over there."
"Heok?!"
"What the hell is up with him?"
The Hunters stopped what they were doing and dazedly stared at Jin-Woo. Even Mok Jin-Su's tireless hands came to a stop, too.
'....'
Everyone was rendered speechless.
The supposedly mining-virgin rank E Hunter was currently making easy mincemeat out of the Mana stone wall with practised movements!
"What are you doing, guys?! You came here to do a job, so why are you all standing around like that?"
The Foreman Bae had been jotting down the scale of the Mana stone deposit on a ledger until then. But when he discovered that every member of the mining team had downed tools for some reason, he got shocked out of his mind and quickly ran to where they were.
"Foreman? Will you take a look over there?"
"What now?"
The Foreman Bae craned his neck to look. And then, his eyes grew super large.
"Heot?!"
Even the foreman displayed the same reaction as everyone else. He couldn't rip his eyes away from Jin-Woo and his speed, which was around three times faster than other miners.
"Foreman, didn't you say that it's the newbie's first time today?"
"….That I did."
Lee Seong-Gu, who had been wondering about Jin-Woo's identity earlier, butted in suddenly.
"Is he really a rank E?"
"I confirmed it with his licence, obviously! You think I'll let a complete stranger into my team without confirming his Hunter licence first?"
"Well, then. How do you explain that?"
"…."
Wordlessly observing Jin-Woo, the Foreman Bae nervously swallowed his saliva as excitement dyed his expression.
"Without a doubt….. Mister Seong is the heaven-sent miner."
Indeed, there was a reason why those rugged, tough-looking chest muscles caught the foreman's attention back when they were having a short job interview.
'Yup, I really am good at finding the right people.'
A thick smile spread on the Foreman Bae's face.
Beep, beep, beep!
An alarm went off from Foreman Bae's wristwatch. He raised his wrist to confirm the time.
'Aigoo~. It's already…..'
It was lunch hour already.
"Everyone, let's take a break and have lunch."
"Yes!!"
Everyone dropped their tools and dusted their hands.
While the miners were walking towards the exit in pairs and groups, Jin-Woo showed no hint of moving from the spot. Foreman Bae got closer and asked him.
"Mister Seong? Aren't you going, too?"
"I'm not feeling all that hungry at the moment."
"Even then, you should eat something if you plan to continue working in the afternoon."
"Nah, I'm fine. I did eat my breakfast a bit later than usual, anyway."
"Really? ….Well, nothing I can do about that, then."
Bae was planning to talk about the future together with this young man during the lunch break, but that didn't mean he should forcibly drag the kid away, no?
Foreman Bae ruefully turned around towards the Gate's exit.
It was at this point that the corners of Jin-Woo's lips arched up. Watching the distancing backs of the miners, he formed a deep smile.
'I can't miss such a wonderful opportunity, right?'
Finally, he was left all alone. Both the mining team and the retrieval team had left the dungeon. For about one hour, he was free to do whatever he wanted.
Meaning, this was the best chance for him to seek out the boss hiding in the deepest part of the dungeon.
Jin-Woo put the pickaxe down, and slowly shifted his gaze to the direction of the boss room. He could still sense the thick aura of the monster.
'I'll just go and take a quick look.'
He wasn't thinking of doing anything at all. No, he just wanted to see what the boss looked like.
Thump, thump, thump…
Just from imagining him seeing the boss, his heart was pounding faster.
Jin-Woo forcibly controlled his wildly-beating heart and walked forward. He moved deeper into the cave, following after the aura of the boss.
And so, just how long did he have to walk?
A long stroll later, he finally arrived at the entrance of a huge chamber. It was the boss room. The cavern itself was already pretty huge, but the boss room was even bigger.
Was every high ranking dungeon as huge as this one? Just as he began wondering like that….
He discovered the boss and automatically accepted that this dungeon simply had to be this big.
'If a monster like that gets outside….'
His eyes spotted the lone humanoid monster standing still at the far end of the boss room. Jin-Woo's eyes began gleaming brightly like a young kid who got his hands on a toy he wanted so much as a gift.
'A giant-type monster.'
He heard a few things about this type of monster before, but this would be his first time looking at one. Because a giant-type monster's corpse was so huge, it was practically impossible to retrieve it in time, so most people would hardly ever get to see one outside of dungeon breaks.
Such a creature was right over there, and that was causing his heart to palpitate faster and faster.
'That thing's really strong.'
The hair on his body was standing up. But, for some reason, he didn't think for once that hunting that thing down was impossible for him.
'The current me can…..'
He'd be more than enough. The moment he thought like this, he reflexively swallowed his saliva.
Gulp.
Just how much experience points would he earn by hunting that guy down? By working his a*s off inside the Demon's Castle, he levelled up 15 times in a week. But, if he could kill one boss and raise his level by 2, 3 times….
'No, I shouldn't be doing this.'
Even though he was telling himself he shouldn't, both the 'Baruka's Dagger' and the 'Knight Killer' were summoned into his hands already. More importantly, his expression wasn't of someone stuck in a dilemma, wondering whether he should do something or not.
Should I just go ahead and do this thing?
A soft but excited grin formed on his lips.
However….
While Jin-Woo stood there deliberating with a smile on his face, a certain woman's incredibly sharp voice flew at him from his behind.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Chapter 83: Chapter 83
Right then, Jin-Woo felt his heart crash down to the pit of his stomach.
'When did she….?'
He was paying too much attention to the boss and failed to notice that someone had come closer.
'I'm busted….'
Jin-Woo could only smack his lips in regret.
Tsk.
However, with an eyewitness around, it was no longer possible to stare avariciously at the boss.
The Hunters Guild had purchased the raid permit for his particular dungeon, so naturally, the boss of this place was also a part of their investment.
And, if the boss was killed off, the Gate would close down. The potential losses the Hunters Guild might incur would be a lot, then.
'I nearly messed up.'
He got blinded by the desire to level up and nearly put his hands on someone else's property. Jin-Woo regained his bearings and spat out a sigh of relief; meanwhile, the owner of the voice had walked closer.
"I asked you what you were doing."
Jin-Woo formed an embarrassed smile and turned around to face her.
"I got lost and ended up here."
"You got lost?!"
She sounded flabbergasted. Only then did Jin-Woo confirm who the owner of the voice was.
'Huh? Isn't she….?'
He saw that face just before entering the dungeon, didn't he?
It was none other than the rank S Hunter Cha Hae-In. As Cha Hae-In slowly closed the distance, she carefully scanned both of Jin-Woo's hands.
'I definitely saw him holding weapons just now, though?'
Was she mistaken?
Whatever the case might have been, they had disappeared without a trace.
Cha Hae-In's gaze scanned the entirety of Jin-Woo, up and down.
'A hard hat and a worker's overall….. Is he from our mining team?'
She honestly believed him about getting lost here. She didn't know how he got this far, but well, the boss room was a very dangerous place to hang around.
Discovering the 'reason' was secondary. For now, Cha Hae-In figured that the priority should be on helping this man to leave this place.
"That chamber is where the boss is."
Cha Hae-In covered her nose with her handkerchief as usual and stood before Jin-Woo.
"Please exit from the dungeon as soon as possible. If you manage to attract its aggro, people inside this dungeon could all die."
"Ah. I'm sorry."
It seemed that his acting worked. Jin-Woo formed a satisfied expression and walked past Cha Hae-In. It was then.
'….Uh?'
Cha Hae-In's head snapped towards Jin-Woo.
Something impossible just happened.
Cha Hae-In's eyes opened wide and even before she realised it, she was calling out to him.
"Excuse me. Wait!"
"Yes?"
"Can you take a look at me for a sec?"
What's gotten into her?
And they said that thieves knew what they did wrong; Jin-Woo was not looking forward to Cha Hae-In coming in close to him. Too bad, she was already standing right in front of his nose.
"What…. what's the matter?"
He asked with a troubled look on his face, but she didn't answer and simply proceeded to lightly breathe in the air near him. She had already put away the handkerchief covering her nose.
'What's going on here?'
Jin-Woo failed to understand why she was doing this.
'Wait, why is she suddenly smelling me?'
Jin-Woo began panicking inwardly. However, the state of confusion Cha Hae-In was going through at the moment was several times greater than his.
'There is no…. stink coming from him.'
This would be her first time meeting another Hunter that didn't stink.
Cha Hae-In's surprised eyes stared at Jin-Woo. And a question mark floated above Jin-Woo's head as his reply.
"Is there some kind of a problem?"
"You… Are you a Hunter for real?"
Was there a need for words here? Jin-Woo pushed forward the Hunter licence hanging on his neck. Cha Hae-In took the licence and her gaze quickly alternated between Jin-Woo's face and the ID photo.
'Rank E…. Seong Jin-Woo….'
Was this because his rank was too low?
She could not pick up any type of smell coming from this man named Jin-Woo. No, wait. Actually, a pleasant odour was gently wafting out of him, instead.
Jin-Woo sneakily extracted his licence out of Cha Hae-In's hand.
"Can I go now?"
"Uhm, well, I…."
Cha Hae-In did call out to Jin-Woo, but then, realised that she had nothing else to say nor had a reason to keep him here.
"…..It's nothing. Please be careful on your way out. This dungeon is rather large, you see."
"Ah, of course."
Jin-Woo lightly nodded his head and turned towards the location of the mining operation. His back soon disappeared around the corner of the cavern.
However, Cha Hae-In's lingering gaze didn't shift away from the path Jin-Woo had walked down on.
'He smelled really nice.'
Hunters of the mining team were returning to the mining operations area one by one after finishing their lunch.
Foreman Bae was walking with a toothpick stuck in between his teeth. Once he saw Jin-Woo appearing from the deeper parts of the dungeon, though, he flinched greatly in shock.
"Uh? Huh?? Mister Seong, why are you coming from there??"
"Oh, that…."
Jin-Woo sneakily shifted his gaze over in the direction of the boss.
'….I can't tell him about me stopping by the boss to see what it looks like out of curiosity, right?'
Jin-Woo's gaze returned to Foreman Bae.
"I got lost while searching for the bathroom, actually."
"Aigoo! You need to be more careful, young man. Interiors of these dungeons all look the same, so if you get lost inside, it won't be easy finding your way around! But still, how did you find your way back to here?"
"Oh, I ran into Cha Hae-In Hunter-nim on my way back, so…."
"Ahh, Cha Hunter-nim, was it? She's probably gone to stand guard by the boss room just in case the boss decides to take a stroll. That lady also worries a lot, maybe as much as you, Mister Seong."
Foreman Bae guffawed vigorously. It seemed that Jin-Woo being worried about the boss not too long ago had left a deep impression in his mind.
Jin-Woo could only smile wryly.
'The foreman can laugh like this only because he has no idea how terrifying the boss actually is.'
This was the difference between the Hunters doing these sorts of jobs, and the Hunters working in the assault team.
Cha Hae-In understood very well how dangerous and scary an existence the monsters could be, so she was just being meticulous in those areas that no one else was paying much attention to.
'I didn't know there was such a side to her, what with that expressionless face of hers and all.'
If the boss decided to come out of the boss room, the assault team wouldn't be the ones in danger. No, it would be the workers doing their job, as the raid team would be taking a break outside the dungeon.
And she was sacrificing the allure of sweet rest to stand guard in front of the boss room, just for the sake of total strangers.
'…..She's an amazing woman.'
That was Jin-Woo's honest impression of Cha Hae-In. It was at this point that he suddenly recalled her odd habit.
'Why was she covering her nose with a handkerchief?'
Thinking back, she never let go of the handkerchief not even once, except for their meeting a few moments ago.
"Foreman?"
"Yeah?"
Foreman Bae remained very friendly whenever Jin-Woo asked him a question, even though it'd be quite reasonable for him to get a bit annoyed by now.
'Right, the responses were pretty good back when I was doing my job, wasn't it?'
Indeed, one should strive to do their best in their jobs.
Thanks to his efforts, Jin-Woo could ask about this and that without holding back now. Heck, it was Foreman Bae who urged Jin-Woo to speak, instead.
"Mister Seong? You called for me, so how come you ain't saying a thing?"
"Oh, well, it's nothing important, but…. By any chance, do you know why Cha Hae-In Hunter-nim walks around with a handkerchief?"
"Oh, that? Well, it's cuz Hunter Cha is a bit peculiar, you see."
"A bit peculiar?"
What did he mean by that?
Jin-Woo didn't have to ask, because Foreman Bae helpfully explained himself first.
"Hunter Cha can supposedly smell a kind of body odour coming from other Hunters. And I hear she finds them pretty horrible."
"She can smell other Hunters?!"
"I heard something or other about her special constitutions and stuff."
Her special constitutions, he said.
Jin-Woo also possessed something similar to that – his excellent sense of hearing.
Even from his early years, his hearing could be considered better than average, but once he Awakened, it developed even further.
'Probably, Cha Hae-In's sense of smell also got enhanced like mine.'
So, he could more or less understand where she was coming from.
"Well, wouldn't you agree that she is peculiar?"
Perhaps he enjoyed the sight of Jin-Woo focusing on his words more than he should, because Foreman Bae continued on with his explanations without any prompt from the youth.
"I heard that she finds it really hard to breathe near other Hunters because of the stink."
"…"
Was that why?
'….Asking me if I was a Hunter.'
Was it because, unlike other Hunters, he didn't smell at all?
Back in the Red Gate, the leader of the White Phantoms said something similar.
Every one of us can hear a certain voice repeating itself in our heads. It tells us to kill humans. However, I can't hear that voice when I'm looking at you.
Wasn't this a bit similar in context with what that creature told him? He didn't have the Hunter-specific stink, and they couldn't hear the voice telling them to kill him.
'Because, I'm a Player…..'
A unique existence who had received the advantages of the System.
Just what was this 'Player'?
The question of his own identity rose up in Jin-Woo's head, but he shook his head eventually.
'This isn't a problem I can figure out now, anyway.'
Jin-Woo emptied his mind. Problems that couldn't be solved by thinking too hard would only tire him out if he continued to dwell on it.
Crack! Kwack!
It was then, he heard his colleagues getting back to work. So, Jin-Woo also lifted the pickaxe.
'The rank A boss… I wish I could hunt it down.'
What would he have done if Cha Hae-In didn't show up in time?
He couldn't help but wonder.
Thanks to Jin-Woo's brilliant efforts, the mining team was able to finish their operation well before the dinner time. According to the foreman, they had finished two hours faster than planned.
With that, the looks the fellow miners were giving him had gone through substantial changes.
"Nice work, Mister Seong!"
"You were really good, you know?"
"After seeing all those Mana stones tumbling down, I thought we somehow got ourselves on an excavator or something."
Hunters surrounding Jin-Woo began praising him one by one. The cold, indifferent eyes before entering the Gate were nowhere to be seen now.
Jin-Woo was also feeling rather pleased with himself. This experience of being a dungeon miner proved to be surprisingly educational, and he also got to achieve the purpose of coming to this rank A dungeon as well.
"Well, let's get out of here, everyone!"
"Roger that!"
"Let's go!"
At Foreman Bae's order, the miners all began moving at the same time.
"One, two!"
"Yu-cha!"
They left behind the retrieval team still suffering through their operation and, after changing out of their overalls, the miners re-gathered in one spot.
Unlike the other miners, who were all full-time employees of the Guild, Jin-Woo's daily wage was handed to him immediately.
"Here. This is your share, Mister Seong."
"Ah, thank you."
While handing over the envelope containing the day's wage, Foreman Bae sneakily threw in a question as well.
"We're planning to go and enjoy a drink together, so how about it? Would you like to join us?"
He sounded light and cheery, but his eyes were gleaming in a serious light.
'Looks like he has something important to say to me, but….'
Jin-Woo could sense the man's desperation, even. Unfortunately, Jin-Woo declined the invite as tactfully as possible.
"I'm sorry."
"Mm…. Is that so."
Foreman Bae scratched his chin.
'Well, this is a story best told after knocking back a few cold ones, but…'
He hurriedly changed his tactic.
"I've met quite a few people while doing this job for many years now."
"Okay."
"But, it's my first time meeting someone like you. You have a natural-born talent to become a miner."
It seemed that Foreman Bae really liked Jin-Woo here.
'Haha…. Well, this is….'
All Jin-Woo could do here was to chuckle awkwardly, unable to neither agree or refute that notion. Deciding that the young man's smile was a good omen, Foreman Bae confidently moved on to the main topic at hand.
"I'd normally not say something like this, but…. Don't you want to come and work for me full-time? I will definitely not treat you poorly, you see."
This young man named Seong Jin-Woo.
Even though today was his first day as a miner, he managed to outperform the veterans by three, four times the amount.
If he couldn't hold on to such outstanding talent, wouldn't he be a failure of a foreman?
He was even thinking of discussing the matter with the person in charge and have Jin-Woo's wages paid separately from others. That was how badly he wanted to reel in this young man.
Too bad, Jin-Woo remained resolute.
"Thank you for your kind words, but…. Actually, I'm getting ready for something else at the moment."
Just a few words from Jin-Woo, and Foreman Bae's face was forming a dejected expression of a man who had lost his country.
"….R-really?"
Jin-Woo chuckled to himself.
'What an interesting guy.'
To display his raw emotions so openly like this. More than likely, Foreman Bae must've thought that he had discovered an unpolished rough within the E rank.
Foreman Bae pondered something for a bit, before cautiously asking the youth.
"What about tomorrow, then? Can you come to work tomorrow as well?"
"Tomorrow? Hmm….."
Actually, he didn't have anything else planned for tomorrow. The re-evaluation was scheduled for the day after, too.
Still, was there a reason for him to take another mining job now? He already got to learn the process of the dungeon conquest, and he even got to witness the rank A boss, too.
However….
'Wait a minute.'
Just as he was opening his mouth to voice his refusal, a new question quickly entered Jin-Woo's mind.
"Does that mean Hunters Guild will go on another raid tomorrow?"
"That's right. And that one's also a rank A."
"But, is that even possible? They finished the raid today."
Normally, a raid team would take about a week off after finishing up a raid.
'And this raid only started from yesterday afternoon.'
Which meant the elites of the Hunters Guild were raiding this dungeon for two days in a row – yesterday and today.
And by the time they kill the boss after the retrieval operations finally end, it'd be the early dawn. Naturally, Jin-Woo couldn't understand how there would be another raid tomorrow.
When Jin-Woo displayed a hint of interest, Foreman Bae also got more enthusiastic.
"You see, assault team B will be stepping forward tomorrow, not team A."
Assault team B?
Could it be that they were thinking of clearing a rank A dungeon with a backup team?
"And this is precisely the power of the Hunters Guild, you see. I mean, we are probably the only Guild in entire South Korea who can conquer rank A dungeons with two different teams."
Foreman Bae sounded quite proud, then.
"Does Hunters raid dungeons like this all the time?"
"No, no. Now normally, we wouldn't have to split up the teams like that. But it looks like the schedule got overlapped this time."
Because two rank A Gates appeared around the same time in the district the Hunters Guild operated in, Chairman Choi Jong-In had to sweat a lot in order to get the permits for both of them, apparently.
'Ah. So, the reason for running into Chairman Choi in the Association yesterday was this���.'
Someone as busy as Choi Jong-In wouldn't just randomly show up in the Association for no reason whatsoever.
Jin-Woo nodded his head.
"Okay, so does that mean it'll be your first time trying to raid the dungeon with the B team?"
"That's right. However, the B team of the Hunters isn't your regular backup team, okay? They are even better than the A team of some of the other large Guilds, I'll have you know."
"Still, it should be far more dangerous than today, yes?"
Foreman Bae became speechless, then.
Because, that would be quite obvious.
In today's raid, two rank S Hunters participated. On the other hand, only the rank As and below would try to raid the dungeon tomorrow.
Sure, he heard that the size of tomorrow's Gate was smaller than the one today, but still, losing two rank S Hunters was a big blow, indeed.
After all, Mister Seong was worried about the boss monster, even when the assault team featuring two rank S Hunters were nearby.
'Doesn��t mean I can lie to the kid, now is it?'
Foreman Bae was thinking of changing the youth's mind tomorrow while working beside him, but realising that he had failed, he expressed some regret.
"Yes, it'll get more dangerous, for sure. If something goes wrong, then the raid itself might fail, too."
It was here that the light in Jin-Woo's eyes changed.
Chapter 84: Chapter 84
Jin-Woo didn't ponder for long before speaking up.
"I see."
"If that's what you think, then there's not much I can do."
"Where should I show up tomorrow?"
"….Eh?"
After hearing this unexpected reply, Foreman Bae's eyes went extra round in shock.
'Wait, I haven't made a mistake just now with what I said, right?'
Didn't he definitely say that tomorrow was going to be more dangerous than today?
Mister Seong's expression wasn't so good after hearing Bae's story, so the older man was just about ready to forget about the matter completely. However, what was the meaning of this?
Thanks to this youth, it looked like Bae wouldn't have to worry about finding another miner for tomorrow.
'Is that all??'
Mister Seong could easily do the work of four or five people all by himself. And that was on his first day, too.
The boy's work speed that even managed to impress the 'ace' of the mining team, Mok Jin-Su, was indeed pretty shocking the first time Bae witnessed it.
From Jin-Woo's declaration that he'd come tomorrow, Foreman Bae felt like he had gained a powerful, trustworthy ally and he was filled up with lots of confidence.
"Mister Seong, you made the right choice!"
Foreman Bae's moustache quivered as he formed a blindingly brilliant smile. And then, to make sure that Jin-Woo's mind wouldn't change overnight, he even came up with an unprecedented offer, too.
"I'll have a good chat with the person in charge, and make sure that you get double the normal daily wages tomorrow."
"Will that be okay?"
���Of course. You think I won't be able to do that much for you, Mister Seong?"
Foreman Bae confidently pounded on his chest.
"Mister Seong, don't you worry about a thing and just come to work tomorrow."
Quite obviously, who would sweat over paying twice as much in daily wages to a guy capable of doing the work of 4-5 people?
If Bae was the Chairman, never mind double, he'd triple – no, maybe even more with an eye towards the future.
'Didn't expect myself to rue the day that I'm not the Chairman of the Hunters….'
Foreman Bae could only swallow back his laughter.
Jin-Woo asked him a question, then.
"Ahh, right. I promised to meet someone tomorrow evening, so will I be able to make that in time?"
Earlier this morning, Yu Jin-Ho gave him a call.
"Hyung-nim, can I come and speak to you?"
For some reason, he sounded worn out.
'That kid was on the top of the world yesterday, saying that everything had worked out alright, yet today…..'
Jin-Woo was taken by surprise, but unfortunately, the call came only after he had already applied to become a miner. He had no choice but to delay the meeting until tomorrow evening.
Foreman Bae chuckled out loudly.
"From what I hear, tomorrow's dungeon should be much smaller in scale then today's one. So, we should be finished well before 6 o'clock."
Weren't they able to finish today's work around five PM today? They should be even faster tomorrow, not the other way around.
Jin-Woo nodded his head. That would be fine for him, too.
"In that case, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Alright. Take care."
Watching Jin-Woo turn around and walk away, a satisfied grin formed on Foreman Bae's lips.
'If I did marry, I'd probably have a son around his age by now.'
Why did that boy's back look so wide and trustworthy? How wonderful would it be if the world was filled with newbies as excellent as Mister Seong?
A thick smile refused to leave Foreman Bae's lips.
However, he wasn't the only one smiling.
While walking towards the bus stop, an imperceptible smile was floating on Jin-Woo's lips, too.
'Well, it's not like I'm wishing for the raid team to make a blunder tomorrow, but….'
But, if something were to happen, then his existence would prove to be a huge help either to the raid team or to the mining team.
It wasn't as if he had a change of heart, either.
Perhaps ironically, the success rate for clearing rank A Gates was actually greater than those of the lower ranks.
'For one, the Association doesn't hand over the permit to any ol' Guilds, and….'
And, once the Guild was given the opportunity, they would commit all of their resources and try to conquer the dungeon, too.
However….
'The Hunters Guild isn't committing their everything in tomorrow's dungeon raid.'
To think, they'd have the balls to split a single assault team into two and prey on two separate rank A Gates at the same time. That was some confidence befitting the holder of the top spot in their profession.
But, it was undeniable that the accompanying risk was incredibly high, too.
'Regardless of what happens, I won't lose out either way.'
If they managed to complete the raid safely, that'd be the best for everyone involved. On the other hand, if an accident did occur, he'd assist the Hunters Guild, but in return, he would get to monopolise the high-ranked monsters by himself.
'Very good.'
A deeper smile formed on Jin-Woo's face as he climbed into the bus.
Late at night.
Cha Hae-In was tossing and turning in her bed.
'Why is he different from others?'
Occupied by various thoughts regarding the man she met back in the boss room, she couldn't fall asleep at all.
After Awakening her abilities roughly two years ago, she ran into many, many Hunters but there had never been an exception. Whenever she approached Hunters, or to be more specific, the Awakened, a deeply unpleasant stink assaulted her nose.
At first, she thought she was sick, so she went to see various doctors. However, she made no progress in that regard.
One of the doctors she went to see cautiously told her of his hypothesis.
Could it be possible that you, Cha Hunter-nim, can sense other's magic energy through your olfactory senses?
That guess certainly held some merit; the stink would get worse the higher the rank of a Hunter was. And sure enough, the lower the rank, the more tolerable the stink was, too. Of course, regular people didn't emit any stink whatsoever.
However…..
'….This is the first time meeting someone with a pleasant smell.'
Recalling the events of earlier, her heart began beating a bit faster.
She became quite curious who that man could be, so as soon as the raid ended, she connected to the Association's website and searched for his details.
Rank E.
Seong Jin-Woo.
The information on the man, as seen on the Hunter licence, could be seen on the screen.
'There are no contact details….'
But then again, what would she even do after finding out about his contact info?
Realising that there was nothing more she could glean from the Association's website, she then ended up calling the phone number of Joh Myoung-Ki, the manager of the recruitment department. She didn't even mean to do that, though.
"What's going on? Cha Hunter-nim, did something happen at this late hour?"
It was already well past one AM by the time she called him.
He wouldn't have answered the phone if it wasn't from South Korea's sole female rank S Hunter, who also happened to be the Vice Chairman of the Hunters Guild.
She couldn't help but think that she made a mistake after hearing the still-sleepy voice of Joh Myoung-Ki, but that lasted only for a short while.
Cha Hae-In opened her mouth with some difficulty.
"Can you find some information on a Hunter named Seong Jin-Woo?"
"I beg your pardon? Wait, are you talking about the rank E Hunter currently working for the Association?"
Cha Hae-In was taken in by a huge surprise.
Joh Myoung-Ki was none other than the man in charge of recruiting in South Korea's best Guild. So, why did a man like that remember the name of a rank E Hunter?
"Do you know who he is?"
"Ah, the thing is…. Actually, Chairman Choi has requested me yesterday to do the same thing as you have, you see. He asked me to uncover more information on that person."
"Chairman did that?"
"Yes, miss."
"Do you know what's going on?"
"Well, even I don't….."
"…So, what did you find out?"
A voice that was thick with a helpless sigh came out of the phone's speaker.
"I did my best to uncover more, but the Association has placed a lockdown on his information. It's my first time encountering a situation like this, them blocking the flow of all information on a regular Hunter. He's not even a top-ranked Hunter, either…."
"Ah….."
"But, why are you looking for him, Cha Hunter-nim? Is there something I should assist you with?"
"No, it's fine. I'm sorry for calling you so late. Good night."
Click.
….Those were the contents of the phone call she made three hours ago.
She worked up her courage to find out more about a guy, only for more questions to bubble up in her mind.
A mystery Hunter whose identity was being sought after by the leader of the Hunters Guild, while the Association was doing their best to hide it.
'There's definitely something going on here.'
No, wait. There simply had to be something….
She earnestly prayed for it.
He could very well be the person to unravel the mysterious and special constitution that continued to torment her ever since she turned 21 – two years ago, when she had Awakened her powers.
'That man, can I meet him again?'
Could it be that she'd never get to see him again?
She was beset with worry all of a sudden.
Thankfully, Cha Hae-In recalled Seong Jin-Woo's hard hat. She remembered that the hard hat and the overall he was wearing both spotted the emblem of the Hunters Guild.
'I remember now. He was in the mining team, wasn't he?'
Unlike her, who was the part of the raid team A, the mining team would be working later today as well.
If Seong Jin-Woo hadn't left the mining team, then there was a chance that she could meet him again.
'Let's go and take a look.'
Since she was the Vice Chairman of the Guild, it'd not be a strange thing for her to stop by at the raid location.
'Right, I'll just show up there as if nothing's wrong, and see whether that man came to work or not.'
….But, why? As soon as she thought about the possibility of seeing that suspicious Hunter again, she felt much more relaxed.
'If I want to do that, I gotta get some sleep first.'
For the sake of today's schedule, Cha Hae-In forced her unwilling eyes to close.
Even before the morning sun rose up.
Jin-Woo left for the meeting area first thing in the morning. It was different from yesterday, when he had some leeway, as he only joined the crew during the middle of the raid.
'Maybe, I shouldn't have worried.'
He was worried about whether he was too early or not, but…
Well, many Hunters had gathered before the Gate already by the time he got there.
"Uh? Uhh?? Hey, Mister Seong!! Seong!"
Foreman Bae Yun-Seok greeted him first.
"Hey, it's Mister Seong."
"Heyyy, man. Mister Seong!"
Other Hunters began greeting him with a slight nod, and some even raised their hands as high as their chest to greet Jin-Woo, which was quite different from yesterday.
The work each of the miners did was important, so they'd wholeheartedly welcome a colleague with great skills any time. From the expressions of the Hunters of the mining team, their delight could clearly be seen.
'This is a bit… awkward.'
Jin-Woo had been subjected to poor treatment ever since becoming a rank E Hunter, so when he received such a warm welcome, he couldn't help be dazed somewhat.
Still, he didn't feel bad about their honest reactions.
"…."
Jin-Woo wordlessly lowered his head as his greeting.
"One, two, threeee…."
Foreman Bae counted the number of miners present today and jotted it down on the memo.
"Eighteen, Nineteen…. Well, it's almost everyone."
This should be more than enough. Well, it was fine for one or two to miss out on a day like today.
'Because, we have two aces in our midst now.'
Foreman Bae's gaze met those of Mok Jin-Su and Seong Jin-Woo. Bae grinned like a fool, causing Mok Jin-Su to hurriedly avert his gaze, while Seong Jin-Woo was tilting his head in confusion.
It was then.
"Excuse me, Foreman Bae."
"Argh?! You surprised me!"
Foreman Bae flinched and shuddered grandly from the voice suddenly coming from his side.
Moving around without revealing one's presence was clear evidence of one's excellent skills.
And as expected….
The one Foreman Bae's resentful gaze was directed to was the leader of today's raid team, Sohn Ki-Hoon.
"Aigoo…. My heart nearly stopped from fright just now, Sohn Hunter-nim."
"My apologies. It's a bad habit I picked up from working in the dungeons for too long."
Sohn Ki-Hoon grinned sheepishly.
It was then, the foreman of the retrieval team suddenly revealed himself from behind Sohn Ki-Hoon.
"An old man not acting his age…"
"What the? Even you? Why would you two be here where the mining team is?"
"What do you mean, why? We are here because we've got business with you, obviously."
Foreman Bae stared at Sohn Ki-Hoon with a puzzled expression.
Meanwhile, Sohn Ki-Hoon was scanning the Hunters of the mining team as he opened his mouth.
"The thing is, our team's porter decided to not show up today. Looks like I'll have to borrow someone from the mining team."
"Ehhh?"
Foreman Bae's eyes went round in surprise.
"But, why from my team? When you got the retrieval team with lots of strong people who can carry luggage better than us….?"
As if he was waiting for that reply, the foreman of the retrieval team flew off his handle.
"My boys had to work overtime for three more hours just to finish our operation. They even missed dinner, too! But now, you want to use them as a porter, too?"
The reason why the retrieval team had to put in overtime while missing supper – because the mining team had finished their operation far too early. (TL note at the end)
'Well, it's true that we finished our operation which should've normally ended around seven in the evening, by around five o'clock all thanks to Mister Seong….'
When the foreman of the retrieval team glared daggers with veins popping up in his neck, Foreman Bae forgot what he wanted to say.
Perhaps he thought that this would be enough of an explanation, Sohn Ki-Hoon then addressed the miners.
"Is there anyone among you who wish to accompany the raid team? Once the raid is over, we will furnish you the additional hazard pay immediately."
"….."
Soh Ki-Hoon's pleading eyes darted from here to there, but no one stepped forward. Either they looked down on the ground, or stared at the heavens, deliberately avoiding meeting his gaze.
That would be obvious, really.
'I ain't gonna risk my neck for a couple more bucks.'
'Won't do it, even if you beat me up….'
The highest ranked Hunter among the mining team was only a rank C. Most of them were rank Ds. Heck, they even had a rank E among them, too.
However, the place Sohn Ki-Hoon wanted to take them to was a rank A dungeon, seen as perhaps the most dangerous of the lot, realistically speaking.
The miners would still hesitate greatly even if the dungeon in question was rated B, yet it was an A!
Even a gentle graze would kill these Hunters in there. No, just stepping on the wrong spot would result in one's death.
That dungeon was not a place where low ranked Hunters could survive.
Sure, porters only had to lug around the raid team's gear, but still…. Compared to the job of mining, it was still far too dangerous.
"Is there… no one?"
Sohn Ki-Hoon's expression became more and more crestfallen.
Who knew how much more time and effort he needed to waste in order to find another porter? Probably the whole morning, or even till the afternoon; or, if he was really unlucky, then the entire day might go down the drain.
'This is going to be big trouble….'
It was at this point when his eyes met with a certain young Hunter's.
'…Uh?'
Unlike other Hunters, this guy was staring right back at him. It was, of course, Jin-Woo.
'Hmm…..'
While Sohn Ki-Hoon was staring at him, Jin-Woo too was slowly scanning that man's appearance.
'Isn't he a bit sharp for a tanker?'
Common sense dictated that the leaders of raid teams were 'tankers' most of the time.
Compared to other tankers, though, Sohn Ki-Hoon was a bit on the lankier side. He was also quite tall, so, rather than a Hunter, he looked more like a basketball player more than anything else.
'....'
Jin-Woo finally stopped looking at Sohn Ki-Hoon and his eyes drifted away.
"….Fuu-ha…."
Only then did Sohn Ki-Hoon spit out his deeply-held breaths.
What just happened?
Just now, his entire body had frozen up so much that he even forgot to breathe. He couldn't understand why.
'Am I getting too tense, since this will be my first raid as a leader and all?'
Up until now, he had participated in raids as an auxiliary tanker. That was why today's opportunity was doubly important to him. And he definitely could not afford to commit a blunder today.
Sohn Ki-Hoon was bent over and panting laboriously in order to recover, before raising himself back up again.
Murmur, murmur….
Probably because of his rather embarrassing conduct, the surroundings had gotten noisier. However, he soon realised that the cause for the disturbance was not him.
Sohn Ki-Hoon's gaze shifted back to the mining team's Hunters, only to spot a hand raised up to the sky.
Finally, someone was applying for the job. Someone he had been waiting so desperately for.
Sohn Ki-Hoon's expression brightened considerably.
When Jin-Woo took a step forward, he became the centre of the attention.
"I'll do it."
(TL: Well, I'm not sure what the mining team does has any bearing on what happens to the retrieval team, but okay. I'm just TL-ing according to what's in the raw, so don��t question me…..) (ED: The only reason I can think of is it being a matter of workplace pride/appearance. Like, the mining team finished early, so the raid team was only waiting on the retrieval team, hence the overtime/meal skipping. Just my own guess, though.)
Chapter 85: Chapter 85
A rank E Hunter wanted to enter an uncleared rank A dungeon!
Pure pandemonium broke out.
"Upper-rank monsters are waiting with bated breath inside, yet you wanna go in??"
"Mister Seong, what do you think you're doing?!"
"You still have a whole life ahead of you, so why are you risking it all for a measly few extra bucks?!"
The members of the mining team surrounded Jin-Woo in no time. At the same time, Foreman Bae hurriedly explained it to Sohn Ki-Hoon.
"Aigoo. That friend only started this job yesterday so he probably raised his hand not knowing anything."
"What's his rank?"
"That is…."
Foreman Bae sneaked a glance towards Jin-Woo and then, spoke in a hushed voice.
"It's E. Regardless of what else, his rank is too low, so how about going with someone else? It'll be far too dangerous to take that friend along with you."
Sohn Ki-Hoon's expression became grave right away.
'That man is only a rank E….??'
The man who locked gazes with him only a second ago – for sure, he couldn't sense any exceptional fluctuation of magic energy coming from that man.
However, how should he put this?
A certain aura permeated from that man that… couldn't be described in simple words, but at the same time, it also felt sharp and utterly under control.
'He's definitely not a rank E.'
No matter how hard Sohn Ki-Hoon looked, that man was definitely not the bottom-ranked Hunter he claimed to be. Of course, Foreman Bae had no reason to lie here but, from Sohn Ki-Hoon's perspective, his own assessment had to be correct.
'Besides all that. The rank of a porter isn't all that important, is it?'
Indeed, a porter only needed to carry luggage around well.
If the luggage carrier located at the very back of the raid team found himself in danger, then one should look at that raid as a complete failure. In a case like that, not even a rank A could guarantee his survival, so would it really matter if the porter's rank was a C or an E?
They'd die regardless, anyway.
When Sohn Ki-Hoon's thought process reached that point, he began regretting the fact that he actually wasted time worrying about it. The raid hadn't even started, yet they had wasted far too much time already.
Sohn Ki-Hoon stared at Jin-Woo and spoke.
"Nope. I'm taking him."
"Isn't it heavy?"
Sohn Ki-Hoon asked a question, and Jin-Woo simply shook his head.
"No, it's fine."
The large bag being carried on Jin-Woo's back was filled to the brim with extra sets of clothing, weapons, and defensive equipment, etc., for the raid team. Its volume was quite considerable, but honestly speaking, he didn't find it heavy at all. All thanks to his Strength Stat, of course.
'Doesn't look like he's straining himself.'
After studying Jin-Woo's expression for a bit, Sohn Ki-Hoon turned towards the Gate. Jin-Woo also shifted his gaze towards it.
A giant Gate, as big as the one from yesterday, silently floated in the air.
'Wait. Maybe this one's a little bit bigger?'
Even then, the detected amount of magic energy was supposedly less than yesterday's Gate. The raid difficulty was judged by the emitted magic energy and not the size of the Gate; that was probably the main reason why the B team was tasked with clearing this particular dungeon.
'For real… the leaking magic energy is incomparably smaller than yesterday.'
Jin-Woo could tell by standing in front of the Gate. The result of the Association's measurement didn't seem to be wrong.
But then, what was this?
Just like back when he was standing before the Red Gate, a certain creeping sense of ill omen was dawning on him.
'��.I hope it's nothing.'
Meanwhile, Sohn Ki-Hoon gave out his order.
"Let's go inside."
The raid team waiting in front of the Gate began moving once more with that order. Hunters entered the dungeon one by one.
"…."
Jin-Woo stopped staring at the Gate and followed them in.
[You have entered a dungeon.]
The interior of the dungeon was rather plain.
Jin-Woo had been tense after picking up on that odd feeling, but he let off a sigh of relief after seeing the passage that was noticeably smaller than yesterday's dungeon.
'Whew.'
Thankfully, he wasn't forcibly transported to another world.
The thing was, though, the members of this team were plenty good enough to clear a Red Gate, were they to step into one.
11 rank As, and 6 rank Bs.
If it weren't the Hunters Guild but somebody else, these guys wouldn't have been assigned to a B team at all.
Jin-Woo smirked softly.
'I'm not here as a part of the raid team anyway. Let's not sweat over stuff like this.'
Yesterday and today….
If he were being honest, he only came here to have fun. And as coincidence would have it, he was now blessed with more things to spectate on today.
There was no need to stay sharp and alert all the time.
When he thought like that, he felt as if weight was lifted off his shoulders.
"You don't have to be that nervous, you know."
A female Hunter, a Healer, engaged him in conversation from his side.
Was her age around the late twenties or so?
Because his expression was stiff, it seemed that she just wanted to help alleviate some of his tension.
"You see, every single member present here, not just Ki-Hoon oppa, oops, I mean, the leader of the team, is a distinguished Hunter. Except me, that is."
The healer lady smiled refreshingly.
From the word go, Jin-Woo wasn't scared, but after seeing the female Hunter's utterly relaxed face, he felt like a deflated balloon.
Jin-Woo grinned too, and nodded his head.
"Ah. Okay."
The Healer formed a content expression, evidently satisfied by her efforts.
At the same time, the leader confirmed that there were no monsters near the entrance and gave the signal to advance.
"Let's move."
Both Jin-Woo and the Healer matched the walking pace of the raid team and slowly advanced forward. They had to watch the surroundings while moving, so naturally, their rate of progress was rather slow.
"Should I help you carry some, if it's too heavy?"
The Healer glanced at Jin-Woo's luggage and asked him. Jin-Woo wordlessly pushed forward a huge bottle of water in his left hand to her.
"Kyachk?!"
The Healer tottered dangerously on her feet trying to lift that, so he quickly took the bottle back. The raid team came to an abrupt stop and glared at the Healer.
"I'm so sorry. Sorry."
The Healer continued to bow her head here and there, offering an embarrassed apology. After that, he didn't get to hear her asking him if he needed help again. Her sharp glares were just an added bonus, really.
Jin-Woo had to swallow his cackles as he continued to walk forward, pretending to be oblivious.
It sure felt like it'd been a long time since he could laugh like this inside a dungeon.
'Well, getting distracted even only for a second would potentially get me in a lot of trouble, after all.'
Especially recently…..
Just remembering back to the difficulty of the 'Demon's Castle' and its upper floors made him shudder in his boots.
However, today was different. Participating in a raid as an outsider like this every now and then didn't sound like such a bad idea to him.
It was then.
Jin-Woo's steps came to a halt.
A beat later, the Hunters of the raid team also sensed the change in the surroundings.
"They are coming!"
Even before Sohn Ki-Hoon finished giving his order, the Hunters of the raid team got into their battle formation. It happened literally in the blink of an eye. Jin-Woo was inwardly impressed by that.
'So, this is how the high-ranked Hunters raid….'
They were definitely a world apart compared to the ragtag raid teams he was used to until now. Heck, pure and bright lights were already emanating from the hands of the naive-looking female Healer.
'Looks like I won't even get a chance to step up here.'
On one hand, Jin-Woo felt reassured, but at the same time, he did feel a bit rueful as well.
In any case, monsters finally showed themselves.
Beasts? Canines?
Sohn Ki-Hoon's eyes narrowed to a slit.
Tadatadatadatada….
A group of monsters resembling hyenas was rushing towards the raid team. They were as big as a medium-sized car, too.
Sohn Ki-Hoon tilted his head slightly.
'Dungeon Jackals?'
He became sure of it once they got close enough. They were indeed 'Dungeon Jackals.'
Sohn Ki-Hoon had been standing with his shield covering his front, but then, he relaxed a bit and didn't even bother to activate his aggro-attracting skill.
And then, he simply used his shield to batter down the Dungeon Jackal aiming for his neck.
Whimper!!
"What's this?"
"Aren't they Dungeon Jackals?"
Other team members, deeply tense until then, began tilting their heads and straightened their hunched stances. Soon, the short death throes of the Dungeon Jackals filled the cavern's interior.
"Whimper?!"
"Kkheng!"
"Kkhekkheng!"
The Jackal monsters were quickly taken care of.
Over a dozen Dungeon Jackals were turned into corpses in the blink of an eye. Hunters dusted their hands, still confused by what happened.
"What's this?"
"I didn't even have enough time to cast a magic spell before it ended."
"Why are we fighting Dungeon Jackals inside a rank A dungeon?"
"Yeah, right. What's happening here?"
"Wait, did the Association idiots screw up again?!"
Their voices were getting louder.
Now originally, one of the basic rules in raiding was to never make loud noises inside a dungeon. However, the appearance of the Dungeon Jackals was an event shocking enough to make them forget all about even a simple rule like that.
"Hmm…."
Sohn Ki-Hoon stared at the corpses of the Jackals and scratched the back of his head.
'But, why are the monsters from rank C dungeons appearing here?'
Sohn Ki-Hoon scanned his surroundings, looking somewhat dumbfounded. Everyone else was forming similar facial expressions.
With the exception of one person.
Only Jin-Woo was staring at the dead Jackals with a grave expression on his face.
'They are no normal Jackals.'
Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed. He could definitely see that the fur around the Jackal's neck had been flattened down by something until recently. It was clear evidence of them being tied to something, somewhere.
'Meaning, the ones that reared these monsters are somewhere else inside this dungeon….'
Monsters with intellect, in other words.
Jin-Woo recalled the White Phantoms he met back inside the Red Gate.
It was now a well-established fact that, regardless of what species it was, intelligent monsters were quite difficult to deal with.
'Somehow… my premonition might be right after all.'
It was not a good omen, by any stretch of the imagination.
"What are you thinking about so seriously like that?"
The female Hunter peered at Jin-Woo as if to bore a hole in him, just like how he had been staring at the Jackals.
"Shh!"
Jin-Woo raised his index finger and covered his lips.
Step, step.
Step, step.
From the deeper parts of the cave, he could hear the matched footsteps getting closer.
'The real enemies are coming.'
Jin-Woo stood back up. Other Hunters also belatedly realised something was wrong.
"Oh my god…"
"Get….. Get ready for battle!"
Sohn Ki-Hoon forcibly squeezed his voice out.
Finally, the real enemies revealed themselves from the darkness of the cave on the far side. The eyes of the Hunters grew wide from shock.
"High Orcs?!"
"What the hell? Why High Orcs?"
Many well-trained High Orc warriors now stood in rows before the Hunters' eyes. Their number was twenty-two.
Not just any High Orcs, but they were twenty-two High Orc warriors, which meant they would be very difficult opponents to fight.
"Something… Something's wrong."
Someone muttered softly under his breath.
To think, right after the attack of the low-ranked monsters, they now had to battle these high-ranked monsters famed to be the toughest even among the high ranks.
The High Orcs pointed their lengthy spears at the Hunters.
'Looks like the momentum of the Hunters and the High Orcs are about even.'
Jin-Woo quickly retreated to a corner, so he could quietly observe the unfolding situation and find the right time to step forward.
However, the female Hunter obviously didn't share his thought process.
"You gotta keep hiding there, okay! You won't get hurt that way."
That kind of infuriated Jin-Woo just a wee bit. He closed his eyes shut and took several deep breaths while working hard to calm his boiling head.
Soon, the battle began.
"Kroooaaar!!"
Towards the attacking High Orcs, Sohn Ki-Hoon activated his aggro skill. However, these Orcs didn't really fall for his provocation. And soon, High Orcs and melee-type Hunters engaged in a bitter close-quarters battle.
Swiiiish!!
Swish!
Crack!!
Blood splattered to everywhere and a scream reverberated out.
"Uwaaahk!!"
Not too long after that, magic spells fired from the mage-type Hunters slammed into the High Orcs.
Boom!! Kaboom!!
The heads of the High Orcs exploded after getting struck by the arrows of brilliant light. Unfortunately, there was no follow-up attack.
The effects of magic spells were good, but there was the distinct disadvantage of the lengthy casting time.
"Uwaaahk?!"
In a close-quarters battle, High Orcs definitely held the upper hand.
"Heal! Heal!!"
"H-hurry!"
The wounded appeared pretty quickly, and Healers were kept very busy.
"….H-Healer-nim!!"
The female Healer was also kept very busy, running here and there non-stop.
"I'm coming!! Coming!"
The female Healer knelt down next to a heavily-groaning Hunter with a missing arm. She then quickly began chanting.
Wuoong….
And then, along with blinding light, the lost arm slowly grew back.
That was the light of regeneration only the Healers ranked A or above could perform.
Just as she concentrated on the injuries of her patient, a tall shadow suddenly loomed over her. The female Healer raised her head.
A High Orc, previously assumed dead, was holding an axe while breathing heavily right beside her.
"Ah….."
The female Healer's face was drained of all colour, then. Unfortunately, there was no one who could save her nearby.
When the Orc raised its axe up high, the female Healer chose to hug her patient and shield him, instead.
"Noooo!!"
However, she couldn't feel any pain, no matter how long she waited.
Each passing second felt like a minute or more.
The female Healer sheepishly raised her head up. And she got to witness a rather amazing sight.
"Keu…. Kuehhck….."
The Orc was actually floating in the air, its entire body trembling quite noticeably.
"But, what…..?"
What was happening here?
The female Healer's eyes opened even wider.
But then…
Snap!
The head of the High Orc was literally ripped off of its body, and then, even the part of its spine got dragged out, as well.
Now that was a display of terrifying power.
Plop.
'.....??'
While staring at the headless body of the High Orc now on the ground, the female Hunter formed a totally confused expression.
"Uh….?!"
Because, the separated head of the High Orc was still floating in the air, that was why.
'….Blood got splashed on my clothes.'
Jin-Woo frowned deeply and threw the head of the High Orc.
Pow!
Another High Orc was struck down rather unexpectedly by the head of its comrade and collapsed to the ground. Seeing that the victim's neck was twisted around in a bizarre angle, it coming back to life didn't seem very likely.
'That makes it two.'
Jin-Woo shifted his gaze.
Currently, he was in 'Stealth'. Both the High Orcs and the Hunters couldn't sense his presence at all.
Jin-Woo had been sitting back quietly, waiting for a right chance to step forward, because he feared being accused of interfering in other people's raid. But then, he belatedly recalled that he had the 'Stealth' skill.
Wouldn't he be able to do whatever he wanted without running into problems with that skill?
The corners of Jin-Woo's lips arched up.
'Okay, so should I get started for real now?'
And then.
"Uwaaaah-!!"
Just in time, he spotted the leader of the raid team, Sohn Ki-Hoon, engaged in a life-or-death battle with three High Orcs.
Jin-Woo's legs moved swiftly.
Chapter 86: Chapter 86
A distance not too far, but not too close, either.
Just a little push from his legs and he was instantly far above the ground; when he landed back on the solid earth, the wide back of a High Orc dominated Jin-Woo's view.
While landing on his feet, he began thinking.
'Dismantling these High Orcs would be too easy at this rate.'
But, if he did that, there was no meaning in hiding himself with Stealth. Hunters around him, including Sohn Ki-Hoon, were the elites of the Hunters Guild, often referred to as the best in South Korea.
If these High Orcs were ripped apart by some unseen force, then they would pretty soon figure out that 'Stealth' skill was involved here, as they weren't the same as the scatter-brained female Healer.
'Well, it's not like there'll be trouble from getting discovered, but….'
He was only a day away from the result of his reassignment test being made public, so he didn't want to raise any unnecessary fuss today if he could help it.
That was why he was waiting for the raid to fail completely, but…. But, the losses to the Hunters would be far too severe by then.
For example, that female Healer almost got killed just now.
That was why….
A certain light flickered in Jin-Woo's eyes.
'So, choose only those that won't get me noticed.'
He decided to go with this type of method. It took him the whole of one, maybe two seconds, to come to this decision.
Right away, both the 'Baruka's Dagger' and the 'Knight Killer' were already in his hands, summoned out of sheer reflex, even before he could consciously order them to do so.
'When did they come out?'
A smirk formed on his lips. With the sensation of gripping tight these two familiar dagger handles, his wildly-pounding heart slowly regained its calmness.
What a relief it was….
….That no one could see his expression right now, as he was still in the 'Stealth' state. Well, he didn't want to be labelled as a lunatic for smiling all alone in the midst of a desperate battlefield where humans and High Orcs were performing a blood-soaked dance with each other.
Especially so with the leader of the raid team, too busy sweating buckets while being surrounded by three High orcs – he'd go mental if he saw Jin-Woo right now.
'First of all, that one.'
Jin-Woo moved. He crouched, and the reverse-gripped dagger drew a line on the Achilles' heel of a High Orc.
"Kuwahhack?!"
The High Orc Warrior roared out in pain as the back of its ankle was sliced open without a warning.
That was only the beginning.
As if he was dancing, his smooth, unbroken movements led him to stab the 'Baruka's Dagger' into the side of his first victim; he then pulled the dagger out and proceeded to cut open the back of the knee of another High Orc.
"Keururuk!!"
"Keuhark?!"
Perhaps it was impossible to suppress the pain with the adrenaline of the battle, the High Orcs froze up when they were attacked in their weak points when least expected.
That was enough.
Just like how the opening of the sluice gate caused a flood, Sohn Ki-Hoon seized upon the opening created by the High Orcs' fluster to start his counteroffensive.
Stab!!
"Keuru…. Kururuk…."
"Pant, pant….."
Sohn Ki-Hoon raised his head. The long sword held out in his hands was piercing through the heart of the High Orc.
"Kuruk…."
The glaring High Orc and its trembling lips soon collapsed on its back, the whites of its eyes showing.
Thud.
Sohn Ki-Hoon clenched his fist.
'Yes! I can do this!'
Just as Sohn Ki-Hoon was crying out inwardly in elation while still cutting down the surrounding High Orcs one by one, Jin-Woo was making himself busy by going here and there.
"Kuwahhaack?!"
"Keueueuk!"
Inside the slowed-down time, he moved about freely while avoiding being noticed, and he gradually tilted the balance towards the Hunters' favour.
Slice!
Whenever Jin-Woo brushed past, wounds large and small appeared on the bodies of the High Orcs.
"Keuhruruk?!"
"Khuwack??"
The moment these High Orcs froze up from wounds being inflicted on them out of nowhere and lost their focus, that would be their end.
These highest-ranked Hunters didn't fail to grasp the opportunity and continued to attack.
'For some reason… It's easier to fight now.'
'What's going on?'
'Could we be winning against this many High Orcs without a casualty?'
Even though members of the raid team were growing rather suspicious, hope and excitement were filling up their hearts at the same time.
They were resolved to lose one or two of their own before they had entered the battle, but exceeding their own expectations, they were fighting quite well until now.
Pow!!
A mace swung by one of the Hunters cracked open the head of a High Orc Warrior. It was then, Jin-Woo got to hear a rather welcoming message.
[Level up!]
'Oh.'
Indeed, there was a reward for him going around and spending his energy. His level had actually gone up.
It seemed that him not actually killing the enemy outright or wounding them critically still netted him some experience points.
'And I did kill two of them with my own hands, too.'
He then 'aided' in killing more than 13.
Unless he was earning no experience points whatsoever, his level rising up did make sense. Even more excited than before, Jin-Woo's movement became a lot faster than before.
Slice!
Stab!
"Kuwaaaahck?!"
Thanks to Jin-Woo's timely and sneaky manoeuvres, this battle was rapidly coming to a close.
'Fuu-!'
Jin-Woo took a step back and stored his two daggers in his Inventory, before having a quick look around himself.
'Well, with this much….'
The current situation seemed to be more or less settled now. And as an added bonus, he even levelled up once, too.
Jin-Woo's gaze drifted lower. Around twenty or so corpses of High Orcs were discarded haphazardly on the ground.
'Well, if I hunted these down by myself, I'd have gone up more than a single level, though.'
Too bad, this here was a dungeon that the Hunters Guild paid a handsome sum for the exclusive right to hunt. This would have to be as far as he could go.
'Good.'
With a satisfied expression on his face, Jin-Woo returned to the dark corner of the dungeon, a place where a porter such as himself should be hiding in the first place.
"Krooooar!!"
Having their positions reversed, and now being surrounded by the Hunters instead, the last High Orc Warrior cried out at the top of its lungs. Its scream rang around the interior of the cave rather noisily.
While looking at the fall of that High Orc, Jin-Woo undid his Stealth.
Shururu.
Meanwhile, Hunters were panting heavily. They hurriedly scanned the vicinity, but no matter how hard they looked, there were no more High Orcs standing.
"Did we… did we win?!"
"We won?!"
"Hold on."
Just before everyone could revel in the sensation of victory, their leader Sohn Ki-Hoon confirmed the status of the injured first.
"Anyone hurt? Does anyone need healing?"
The truth was, there wouldn't be that many injured in a raid team with a high-ranking Healer as one of the members. As long as that person was still breathing, any exterior wounds could be treated right away.
So, Sohn Ki-Hoon wasn't asking about the conditions of the potential injured. No, he was actually asking if anyone had died in a roundabout way.
When his gaze met the female Healer's, she shook her head. There were a few injured, but no deceased. And better yet, she had finished healing all of the injured just now.
"In that case….."
With that, ecstasy filled the faces of the members of the raid team.
"We won!!"
"We did it!!"
"Waaaaah!!"
Hunters hugged each other and celebrated. Jin-Woo crossed his arms and with a gentle smile on his face, watched the jubilant Hunters.
'Were these high Orcs supposed to be tough, though?'
From his perspective, well….
Since he didn't have any prior experience in raiding high-ranking dungeons, Jin-Woo couldn't really 'get' this loud celebration of the raid team.
Jin-Woo had no idea….
….That, when planning the raid of a dungeon ranked A or B, Hunters not only took into consideration of its ranking, but they even minutely calculated the emitted magic energy before attempting to clear it.
High Orcs were considered to be a higher tier monster within the rank A dungeons. Not only were they not 'normal' High Orcs but High Orc warriors instead, and there were 20 of them to boot….
The current result was far closer to being a miracle than anything else, really.
The main protagonist of that miracle, Jin-Woo, didn't even know the actual worth of his own actions and simply stood there, quietly congratulating the victory of the raid team.
'…Mm?'
In the midst of that, the female Healer approached Sohn Ki-Hoon with a determined face. That was a look of someone wishing to say something important. Jin-Woo focused his hearing in that direction.
"Excuse me, Ki-Hoon oppa?"
"Yeah?"
"When you were fighting against the High Orcs…."
The female Healer cautiously described what she saw in minute detail.
And that would be – the High Orc suddenly floated up in the air, and proceeded to rip its own head off before killing another Orc with its severed head.
She carried a dead-serious face, too.
"...."
Sohn Ki-Hoon was left utterly speechless.
"I'm telling you the truth!!"
As the female Healer and her reddened face protested the injustice of it all, Jin-Woo could barely suppress his giggles.
They basked in the aftermaths of victory for only a little bit longer. The Hunters soon gathered around their leader Sohn Ki-Hoon one by one.
"Captain, will we continue on?"
"Isn't this going to be too dangerous? We aren't even that far from the entrance, yet we ran into a whole bunch of High Orcs already."
"How about a strategic retreat?"
Sohn Ki-Hoon cast his gaze over to the deeper part of the cave, his mouth closed tight.
'It won't be easy.'
Jin-Woo could sympathise with Sohn Ki-Hoon a little bit here.
While working for the Hunters Guild that boasted two rank S Hunters in its ranks, today's raid might be the one and only time Sohn Ki-Hoon would get to lead a raid team.
And to think, he'd have to retreat so quickly in his very first hunt as a leader….
'Anyone in his shoes would be tempted to push forward and clear this place.'
However, if you were a smart, wise leader, then….
As if he had made his mind up, Sohn Ki-Hoon's lips quivered slightly. Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed to a slit.
Fortunately, as it turned out, Sohn Ki-Hoon wasn't a fool.
"For the time being, let's retreat."
The leader's choice was absolute inside the dungeon. The unspoken rule said that as long as one was a part of the raid team, one had to absolutely follow the commands of the leader.
One used to say that, before in war, insubordinate soldiers were executed right away, didn't they?
In a certain way, dungeons were a far more dangerous place than any warzone out there. And so, the question of the team's survival or annihilation depended on who the leader was. Thankfully, Sohn Ki-Hoon didn't disappoint his team members.
After hearing his order to retreat, everyone lightly patted their chest.
"Whew-woo…."
"I was really worried that Sohn hyung would insist on going till the end, you know."
Sohn Ki-Hoon grinned and slapped the person who said that on the shoulder.
"I'm not a blind idiot like that."
"I know that. But, look here, hyung. Look at my shaking hands."
Jin-Woo picked up the luggage and placed it on his back.
Along with Sohn Ki-Hoon's orders, the raid team began moving again, although their direction had reversed.
Jin-Woo smiled wryly.
'And here I am, hoping to go in a little bit deeper.'
Regardless of what happened, he was nothing more than a guest.
And as a guest, he had no right to run his mouth on this and that about the decision of the house owner, now did he?
It was indeed a bit regretful, but it'd have to end here today.
"Argh….."
The female Healer must've found the leader not believing her word a bit cold-hearted, because she continued to grumble as she got right next to Jin-Woo.
"But, it really happened, though…."
With a big pout on her face, she then stared at Jin-Woo, a single strand of hope still persisting in her heart.
"Excuse me, by any chance, did you see that High…."
"I didn't see anything."
"Hiinng….."
Her hope had been cruelly shot down just then.
Jin-Woo had to work very hard to make sure that she didn't notice him sniggering to himself.
However, not long after they began retreating…
The front of the group suddenly came to a halt.
Sohn Ki-Hoon raised his right hand.
"E-everyone, stop!"
There was confusion evident in his voice.
The fatigued Hunters walking cautiously forward came to a stop, and so did Jin-Woo as well; he had been keeping an eye towards the rear in case the monsters decided to chase after them.
Rustle, rustle….
The voices of the Hunters rose up higher.
"What the hell is the meaning of this?!"
"What is going on!"
"Why is the path blocked?! Wasn't it fine when we entered earlier?"
Jin-Woo walked past the noisy Hunters and got to the front, before reaching out with his hand. And his eyes widened as well.
'It's… been blocked off?'
The path had been blocked off by an invisible barrier.
He immediately recalled the instant dungeons. More specifically, the wall that demarcated the border between the instant dungeon and reality. But, he soon shook his head.
'No, this is different from that.'
He could detect a certain sense of 'artificiality' from this invisible wall. Seeing that there was a trace of magic energy mixed in, this barrier must've been the result of a magic spell cast by a monster with high intelligence.
'But, why?'
Why block the path going out, and not going in?
It was then – Jin-Woo's head swivelled to his rear.
'....?'
As if it was waiting for this moment, horrendously powerful magic energy waves crashed into the group like a tsunami from the far end of the cavern.
'How could this be….?'
This was from the boss of this dungeon?
The scale of the magic energy emission inside the dungeon was on another realm altogether compared to the one felt outside the Gate.
Other Hunters also must've sensed that absurd amount of magic energy by now, because they began shivering as well.
"W-what the hell??"
"Why am I getting goosebumps, all of a sudden?!"
Watching the complexions of the Hunters get paler by the second, Jin-Woo came up with a theory.
'If, let's say that there is a boss that can hide its presence, then….'
The wall that wasn't there when they entered. And the boss that bared its fangs only after the barrier had been erected.
'No way…. Did it lay a trap and wait for Hunters to enter the dungeon?'
When thinking like that, a chill ran down Jin-Woo's back.
And sure enough….
….From beyond the darkness of the dungeon's interior, the countless sounds of footsteps, far greater than before, reverberated loudly.
Chapter 87: Chapter 87
What happened next was a bit of a strange phenomenon.
As the footsteps from the other side of the cavern grew louder and closer, the Hunters were making less and less sound.
"Sohn hyung…."
"…."
Soon, choking silence enveloped the group.
Jin-Woo's ears were perked up, though – seizing upon the opening created by his surroundings getting quieter, Jin-Woo began counting the numbers of the enemies via their footsteps.
Step, step.
Thud, thud.
Thanks to his already-enhanced hearing, as well as high Perception Stat, he could separate out each of the footsteps to their original owners.
'….48, 49, 50, 51.'
There were a total of 51 different footsteps. The steps themselves sounded the same as those of the High Orc warriors.
Jin-Woo took a look around him.
'....'
The nervous tension was clearly writ large on the faces of the Hunters. It seemed to him that they also had more or less figured out the size of the enemy from the resounding footsteps.
This raid team managed to eke out a victory against 22 High Orc warriors. But now, 51 of them were coming. That was over twice as many.
'….There is no hope of victory here.'
The raid team members were thinking of roughly the same opinion.
Jin-Woo suddenly cast his glance down at his shadow. He momentarily thought that it was wavering ever so slightly just then.
Wuuuuu….
He even thought that his shadow soldiers were howling out, their desire to see blood intensifying. Jin-Woo raised his head back up again.
Thump, thump, thump!
His calm heart that stayed still until now began pounding harder.
'Wait for it….'
….Now wasn't the right time yet.
Consoling himself as thus, Jin-Woo silently observed the front.
Eventually, the monsters revealed themselves. The countless marching High Orcs came to a halt just a little bit of distance away from the Hunters.
"Kurururu."
"Kuruk."
High Orcs growled as if they'd pounce at any given moment. No words could adequately describe the bloodthirsty aura emitted from over 50 High Orc warriors. The result of a battle was pretty obvious even without actually fighting them.
"This is crazy."
"How can this nonsensical crap be…."
"Euh…."
Hunters spat out long groans. They continued to retreat ever so slightly after feeling the enormous pressure, but too bad, their path was still blocked off.
So, what would they do now?
The Hunters were all ready for battle from a while ago, but no one stepped forward yet and simply waited for Sohn Ki-Hoon's instructions.
Sohn Ki-Hoon's lips were shut tight in a straight line.
'God d*mn it….'
If only either Chairman Choi Jong-In or Hunter Cha Hae-In were here….
Sohn Ki-Hoon's expression crumpled unsightly.
Rank S Hunters all possessed incredible powers that could overturn any unfavourable situation. If either one of those two were here, these High Orcs would've been nothing at all.
'Just why, in a situation like this….'
Why weren't they here?
Sohn Ki-Hoon had fought alongside them all the time, so he could acutely sense his powerlessness right about now. The absence of a single rank S was a bone-chillingly painful thing, indeed.
Unfortunately, he couldn't continue to lament his misfortune forever. No, he had to make a decision here.
'Fighting here will definitely result in our death.'
However, with their path of retreat blocked off, he no longer had any choice in the matter.
The day he chose to become a Hunter, the day he stepped foot inside a dungeon for the first time ever, and the day he lost consciousness for the first time after getting heavily injured….
Didn't he already guess that a day like today would come sooner or later?
'Right. That did happen, didn't it?'
Having resolved himself to meet his maker, Sohn Ki-Hoon unsheathed his longsword.
Shurururng….
Sohn Ki-Hoon took a look at his comrades, and the Hunters nodded their heads as if they had been waiting for the signal. Sohn Ki-Hoon's gaze shifted back to his front.
He then brought the shield right up till his chin and glared at the High Orcs, still not showing any signs of movements yet.
'So, did he finally make his choice, then?'
Jin-Woo also got ready. He hid his right hand behind his back, and the 'Baruka's Dagger' appeared there. He then closed his eyes.
His wildly beating heart suddenly settled down completely as the battle drew near.
Thump, thump, thump….
Get rid of distracting thoughts, and control his breathing.
'…..Okay.'
When Jin-Woo reopened his eyes, a sharp gleaming light was now burning fiercely within them.
Gulp.
Hunters forcibly swallowed down their dried saliva; cold sweat soaked their foreheads. On the other hand, Jin-Woo was busy smacking his lips.
'How much experience points will these guys give me?'
A thin smile of anticipation spread on his lips.
However, before anything could happen….
….One of the High Orcs stepped forward.
It roughly shoved aside other Orcs and emerged from the group, its wild beast-like eyes looking in the direction of the Hunters.
"Growl…."
This one possessed a far bigger physique than the others, and its fangs were noticeably longer as well.
'So, is that the leader?'
Jin-Woo narrowed his eyes.
If he got rid of that guy now, wouldn't the fight become so much easier?
What should he do here, then?
Jin-Woo fiddled with the grip of the 'Baruka's Dagger' and pondered; meanwhile, that High Orc opened its mouth.
"Kurerack tu sheena, wekudo araknaka."
The creature's voice sure sounded loud. The glare of the High Orc was fixed to the leader of the raid team, Sohn Ki-Hoon.
"Kurerack tu sheena, wekudo araknaka!!"
Rustle, rustle….
Hunters' gazes busily darted about.
"What the hell?"
"Is that thing trying to talk to us?"
"What is it saying?"
It was then.
The facial muscles of the High Orc began trembling. When that strange tremor subsided, a completely different voice from before came out from the monster's mouth.
"Humans….."
It was as if something else had borrowed the monster's mouth to speak.
"Oh, humans…."
When looking at closer, that normal-looking Orc's eyes were now unfocused and blurry like those of a dead fish that died a long time ago.
"Heok!"
Hunters began freaking out as if the back of their heads were smacked out of nowhere.
An Orc just spoke a language of humans!
'How can an Orc speak Korean?!'
'Is this magic? Could it be??'
Hunters couldn't keep their mouths shut at this utterly unexpected situation. The 'leader' High Orc continued to speak.
"I am…. Karugalgan….. I…. want…. to…. meet…. humans…. Follow… this…. one."
A monster wished to speak to humans?
There never had been any reports of such a case before.
Facing this unprecedented event, not only Sohn Ki-Hoon but everyone in the raid team fell into a state of pure confusion.
"Ki-Hoon hyung, I hope you ain't listening to the words of a monster."
"Please, you gotta ignore it."
"Ki-Hoon-ah, it's a trap. Regardless what happens, we gotta try to finish it here."
"But, still. If it's an Orc we can talk to, maybe we can…."
"Don't be an idiot. You've been inside so many dungeons already, so don't you know how they operate by now?"
In less than a second, their opinions had split up.
Sohn Ki-Hoon maintained his silence for a while, before answering the monster's words.
"….Karugalgan. Did you block the cavern?"
"That's right….. I am…. the proud…. High Shaman…. of the Orcs…. My spells…. can't be…. broken…. by the strength of…. humans."
"Is there anyone stronger than you inside this cave?"
"Who…. dares to…. oppose…. me!!"
An incredibly loud roar exploded out from the High Orc and slammed into the eardrums of the Hunters. Almost everyone frowned deeply and covered their ears, but Sohn Ki-Hoon was simply nodding his head, still looking rather calm.
His expectation was on the money.
The existence speaking through that High Orc's mouth was, without a doubt, the boss of this dungeon. Since it couldn't escape from the boss room until the time of the dungeon break, it was summoning the Hunters to enter its lair instead.
'I don't know why it wants us there, but….'
When Sohn Ki-Hoon's answer didn't come right away, the leader High Orc raised its large axe above its head.
"Now, choose…. Die here….. at the…. hands… of my soldiers…. Or…. follow… my… soldiers…."
"We'll follow."
Sohn Ki-Hoon's immediate answer prompted the eyes of the Hunters to grow wider.
"Ki-Hoon hyung!!"
"Mister Ki-Hoon!"
Sohn Ki-Hoon interrupted his comrades trying to dissuade him and waited for the reaction of the High Orc.
"Then, come…. Human."
With the end of those words, the blurred eyes of the leader High Orc regained its original clarity. And that would be wild beast-like glare of bloodlust. The creature spoke up again.
"Ashue tu reka."
With that one sentence, the High Orc warriors burning with fierce hostility withdrew as if it was all a lie. The leader High Orc waited without withdrawing, and beckoned to Sohn Ki-Hoon, telling him to follow.
"Let's get going as well."
Sohn Ki-Hoon was the first to start walking, and the hesitant Hunters began to follow after him one after the other.
'What is he thinking?'
Jin-Woo stared with a puzzled expression on his face.
There was little doubt that not only the boss but countless more High Orcs would be waiting for them inside the boss room. Meaning, their odds of victory would be even lower on that side.
So, it was hard to figure out what Sohn Ki-Hoon was thinking of when he chose to follow the monsters.
'Is he trying to negotiate with the boss? In order to get out of here alive?'
Although the odds of that succeeding was extremely low….
No.
Maybe, this was for the better.
Jin-Woo originally believed that this raid would end with him hunting down a few mob creatures, but now, he got himself a chance to meet the boss, instead. He returned the dagger back to his Inventory and slowly followed after the group.
Just how long did they walk?
Sohn Ki-Hoon slowed down his walking speed gradually and had arrived at Jin-Woo's side. And then, he called out with a hushed voice.
"Hunter-nim."
"Yes?"
Jin-Woo continued looking at the front while answering him. Sohn Ki-Hoon, too, continued to stare at the backs of the High Orcs walking further up ahead.
"We… as soon as we meet the boss, we're going to attack right away. When that happens, regardless of whether our attack was successful or not, the b*stard should not be able to maintain the magic spell blocking the exit."
That made a certain amount of sense.
Unless it was some kind of hex-type magic, one had to keep one's focus in order to maintain a spell. Especially if one wanted to maintain high-class magic, an incredible mental focus was a necessity.
However, what about it?
Didn't matter whether they succeed in killing the boss or managed to cancel the magic blocking the exit, they would still meet a dog's death right away inside the boss room after getting surrounded by the countless High Orcs anyway.
The odds of this raid team returning alive were still pathetically low.
Perhaps to answer Jin-Woo's curiosity, Sohn Ki-Hoon spoke with a grave expression on his face.
"While their attention is on us, Hunter-nim, please escape from the boss room. Once you get out of the dungeon, you must alert the main assault force."
By the time the assault team consisting of rank S Hunters arrive here, everything would be over for them. Sohn Ki-Hoon was getting ready to die.
"Are you thinking of dying alongside the boss?"
Jin-Woo sneaked a glance at Sohn Ki-Hoon's expression. His face remained hardened, but there was no wavering in his eyes.
"Our job isn't to get out of this dungeon alive, but to close the Gates. Many people outside are paying us a great deal of money for that purpose."
Sohn Ki-Hoon's voice gained more conviction as he spoke.
"We will do our job according to what we've been training for. However, you're different. There's no reason for you to die here. I hope you can get out of this place alive."
One could now hear the unwavering belief in his voice. His words contained his determination.
Jin-Woo realised that nothing he could say right now would be of any help to Sohn Ki-Hoon.
So, he simply nodded his head as his reply.
Cha Hae-In finally arrived at the location of the second rank A Gate.
She had her baseball cap pushed down low, and as a result, only a few passersby recognised her.
The first thing she did was to seek out the mining team.
A few Hunters walked past her and sneaked a couple of glances, but they were all working for the Guild anyway and none of them paid her any great attention after that.
Eventually, she could see Foreman Bae in the distance – as well as the mining team around him.
Thump, thump!
Her heart began beating faster.
Standing a little bit of distance away from them, she scanned the faces of each miner present.
'Where is he…?'
She couldn't see Jin-Woo among them.
How should she say this? It felt like all of her energy was abandoning her at once.
'Did he give up on being a miner?'
Why don't I wait for another minute? He could have left the spot for only a moment and is coming back soon.
Three minutes more.
No, maybe five.
….And so, she waited for another 15 minutes, but Jin-Woo didn't show up in the end.
"Fuu…."
After spitting out a long sigh, Cha Hae-In turned around to leave. But, only after taking a couple of steps, she turned around again and returned to her original spot.
She yanked her cap off and took in several deep breaths, before walking towards Foreman Bae. The gazes of the mining team members were directed to her now.
Thankfully, the stink wasn't so bad, perhaps due to the ranks of Hunters in the mining team being low.
"Uh? Uhhh?"
Recognising Cha Hae-In, Foreman Bae quickly ran over to her.
"Cha Hunter-nim? I thought you were taking a break today?"
"Hello there."
Cha Hae-In shared a simple greeting with Foreman Bae and after making sure that no one was eavesdropping on her, she cautiously asked him a question.
"By any chance… Is there a Hunter named Seong Jin-Woo working for you?"
"Mister Seong?"
Hearing an unexpected name being mentioned out of the blue, Foreman Bae formed a surprised expression.
"If you're looking for Mister Seong, he subbed for a porter's job…."
"A porter?!"
Cha Hae-In gasped out in shock.
"Are you saying he actually went inside the Gate?!"
Foreman Bae nodded his head vigorously as if to show that he, too, couldn't believe it.
"Yes, miss. That's what happened."
A rank E Hunter volunteered as a porter and entered a rank A dungeon? And he didn't even have dozens of lives or anything, too.
'What was he thinking?'
But, when Cha Hae-In thought about it, didn't she find that man loitering around the boss room yesterday with weapons in his hands? Indeed, she did not see wrong back then.
One more thing to be suspicious of, then.
Even though she ended up letting go of yesterday's event as a coincidence, when she really thought about it in detail, it was a rather strange thing for a Hunter with four years of experience getting lost inside a dungeon like that.
'I need to find out.'
She began thinking that she simply had to confirm what this Hunter named Seong Jin-Woo wanted from her Hunters Guild. And in order to do so, she had to enter the dungeon.
Not only was she the Vice Chairman of the Hunters Guild, but she was also a rank S Hunter as well. No one would try to stop her if she wanted to enter a dungeon where the Hunters Guild was performing a raid.
Cha Hae-In lightly bit into her thumb while pondering her choices, before swiftly making her decision.
"I'll have to enter the Gate myself."