"Why is Woo-jin oppa's nickname 'hunting dog'?"
At the question, everyone but Kim Woo-jin looked towards a woman in her early 20s with snow-white hair. Kim Woo-jin himself was smiling with a smirk.
"Isn't it odd? Someone like Woo-jin Oppa's strength is comparable to members of the first seven, such as the King of Deadly Poisons and the King of Undead, but why on earth is there a "dog" in his nickname? Shouldn't he be called a hunting king or something?"
Nearby, a man answered that question, he decided to answer for Kim Woo-jin.
"You are mistaken, he wasn't given the nickname of 'hunting dog' because of his hound-like hunting style."
"Huh?"
"It's because he resembles a dog."
He was like a dog. Everyone, excluding the one who had asked the question nodded a little after remembering the things Kim Woo-jin had done. On the other hand, the woman who asked the question remained confused, and decided to raise another question.
"Like a dog? What do you mean?"
"It's just like I said. Maybe you would understand if you became Kim Woo-jin's prey. This is bastard is just like a fucking dog...."
"Our hunt is starting."
That was the end of the conversation.
"Get ready for the hunt."
After that order, Kim Woo-jin's eyes changed. That was the end of his recollection.
'That was a dream.'
Kim Woo-jin opened his eyes after the recollection.
Taang! Taang! Taang!
At the same time, an old alarm clock on top of Kim Woo-jin's mattress began to ring boisterously.
'It feels like deja-vu.'
Kim Woo-jin turned off the alarm and got up from bed. Afterwards, he quickly got ready for work.
'Today's first hunt won't be a problem.'
It was his second time clearing a dungeon for the first time.
Dungeon gate. It was literally a door that connected the dungeon to the real world. If the Dungeon Gate was left unattended, the monsters inside could come out. Therefore, the Dungeon Gate needed to be monitored as soon as possible after its discovery. Once the Dungeon Gate was discovered, mercenaries or soldiers who had a contract with the government regulated the area surrounding the dungeon gate.
"Currently, this area is restricted."
Of course, entry was restricted for normal civilians. For safety reasons, only authorized personnel were allowed into the urban park in Gwanmun-dong, Gwacheon Province.
"Come on, I just want to take back my parked car!"
"That action is prohibited by regulations."
"But it's not like monsters will come out the moment I walk in?"
"It is still not allowed."
The regulations in place were extremely strict and thorough.
"You, which group are you from? Do you know who I am?"
"If you do not abide by the regulations, you will be arrested or detained."
The regulations weren't something that could be altered or bypassed with a such poorly executed threat. However, there were occasions when such regulations were overlooked. A red Ferrari, which just entered the gate leading to the park's parking lot, was an example of such a case. Without even the need to get out of the car or verifying the identity, the Ferrari entered the restricted area, as if it were entering a department store parking lot.
"I wonder if that's a player?"
"It probably is. Who else but players would come to places like this, driving cars like that?"
Players were the only ones who could freely ride in expensive foreign cars like that while economic growth was consistently negative, inflation soaring, and unemployment high. It was just as expected. Already, there were three expensive cars parked in the parking lot that appeared to be worth a billion won.
Soon, a young man came out from the parked Ferrari. He was a burly man packed with muscles, it was apparent that he exercised quite frequently.
"Hey Joo-seop!"
Three men and women waved his way.
"Everyone arrived early?"
Everyone there was a player belonging to the Phoenix Guild. They had gathered to clear the dungeon that spawned in the Gwangmu Urban Park.
"To think of it, isn't it our party's first hunt?"
"That's right, we have to come early, since it's our first hunt."
In addition, for the four of them, today's dungeon run was their first time hunting as a group. There was nothing unusual about it. The dungeon they would enter today would allow a maximum of five players under Lv10 to enter at the same time. It was also was rated as a mere E-class dungeon.
"It might be the first dungeon run for you guys, but it's already my fourth time clearing a dungeon."
What's more, it was the man called Bang Joo-seop who led them. He, who had already cleared three dungeon with other, could be described as a veteran with a significant amount of experience.
"I even leveled up twice already."
He was already Lv3.
"I believe in Joo-seop hyung."
"I will believe only you, Joo-seop oppa~"
"Yo Joo-seop, take good care of me."
For the three who gathered under the leadership of Bang Joo-seop, there was no fear of their first dungeon clear.
"Anyway, isn't this a new model of Ferrari? Isn't it really expensive?"
After he calculated his income, he realized he could afford it too. He just had to wait for the regular rewards that he was going to receive.
"Well, the dungeon clear pays out almost 10 million won even after sharing. Also, if a rare item were to drop..."
Moreover, they thought their expectations were not unreasonable and instead inevitable, for they were the chosen ones.
"Anyway, isn't there supposed to be one more person with us?"
"Yes. Based on the stories I heard, he is a player who awakened just yesterday."
"Yesterday? How odd. I was only allowed to participate in a dungeon hunt after I joined the guild for a month."
"Apparently, he used to be a mercenary."
"Ah, he was a mercenary. Wait, what?"
Cold water poured down over his expectations.
"What's that over there?"
"What is that thing?"
A car approached the parking lot where they were standing. Of course, it wasn't weird for a car to come in the parking lot.
'A light car?' (*TL Note: think about those small compact square cars.)
The problem was that it was a small car; it was not a new one, but a very old model that was discontinued 10 years ago. The small, compact car that appeared, parked in the space between the Ferrari and Bentley. At long last, a young man came out of the car. He was the 5th member of the Gwangmu Urban Park dungeon team.
As you may have expected, Kim Woo-jin's first impression of those four people was not good at all, especially that Bang Joo-seop. They were obviously not going to along.
'What the fuck does that bastard think he is doing?'
'He calls that piece of trash a car and drove it here?'
Wasn't the Republic of Korea a place where people are judged by quality of their cars? Isn't that why people were more inclined to ride more expensive cars to show off their status?
Furthermore, all the players thought they were chosen beings. Like medieval aristocrats, they judged that their fundamental existence was different from ordinary people. At the end of the day, the extravagant showcase of the four players, including Bang Joo-seop, was the evidence of this. Of course, this did not mean that all the players cruised around in expensive cars. However, no player anywhere in South Korea had ever driven a small, compact car that was discontinued for over 10 years. It did not even exist in the Messiah Guild, whose sole goal was to save the world.
At that time, Bang Joo-seop and his party each made a similar hypothesis in their heads.
'He must have had a lot of debt if he has to ride a car like that when the Phoenix Guild's down payment alone is so enormous.'
They made a hypothesis that Kim Woo-jin was not a guy who was frugal but one who was too poor.
'They said he started as a mercenary?'
'Who would become a mercenary if they weren't desperate for money?'
Furthermore, the fact that Kim Woo-jin used to be a mercenary provided strong grounds for their hypothesis. Finally, Bang Joo-seop and the rest of the team came to a conclusion.
'Is he a beggar?'
'He is probably broke, huh?'
'With a car like that, he probably only has supplies for items.'
It was not necessary to develop a close relationship with the man named Kim Woo-jin, who appeared before them. Kim Woo-jin, who got out of the car as if everything was normal, immediately introduced himself to Bang Joo-seop and his party with a smile.
"I am called Kim Woo-jin."
While introducing himself, he held out his hand to Bang Joo-seop. Bang Joo-seop took Kim Woo-jin's hand, gave a look of contempt, and introduced himself.
"I am Bang Joo-seop."
The voice of Bang Joo-seop, who spoke out, showed signs of disapproval of the other party. Bang Joo-seop was not the only one. Bang Joo-seop's colleagues were the same. Nevertheless, Kim Woo-jin smiled at them, shook their hands, smiled, and even greeted them eye to eye.
"I'm Lee Hyun-jung."
"I'm Park Sung-moon."
"I'm Kang Hyun-in."
Then he listened to their voices, paid attention to their names, and pondered, 'I don't recognize any of their names, I don't remember their faces either.'
He was checking if there was anyone important he clearly remembered or anyone who used to be his prey.
'I guess there isn't anyone I have to kill for now.'
Among the four of them, there wasn't anyone who could obstruct Kim Woo-jin. After thinking for a while, Kim Woo-jin stopped caring about them. This was the moment when the lives of those four were spared.
'He acts strangely, as if we are close friends.'
'He is not going to ask to borrow money, is he?
'I should avoid him.'
Naturally, they would never know the truth. They didn't even have the chance to know.
"Ah, everyone is here. I am Koo Sung-hoon, a member of the support team. I'll start the dungeon briefing."
Afterwards, the dungeon run started right away.
[Goblin's Nest]
A whip. That was the weapon that Kim Woo-jin had chosen for this dungeon. In addition, the weapon had been purchased by Kim Woo-jin by spending half the money he received from Phoenix Guild. It was a weapon as expensive as the Ferrari that Bang Joo-seop bragged about. However, Kim Woo-jin did not care much about the fact that he spent so much money on just one weapon. Rather, it was something else that made Kim Woo-jin feel unpleasant at that moment.
'I could have bought a better item if I borrowed about one billion won.'
It was the fact that he was not satisfied with his loan from the Phoenix guild.
'I guess I'll just have to keep earning money like a dog for a while.'
It meant that he had to keep spending money while earning. However, such aggravating feelings did not last long.
"Then, we will begin the dungeon entry!"
To a hunting dog, such feelings were unnecessary.