"Are you okay? You were unconscious for two whole days!" Dogyoon exclaimed. He examined Suho's complexion as he sat on the bed, and in that moment, their eyes met. "I'm sorry! I'm really sorry for running away on my own!" The teaching assistant abruptly started apologizing.
In all fairness, there was not much an E-rank hunter could do in such a situation. Their physical abilities were similar to ordinary people, which is why they hardly fought even in dungeons. When Dogyoon awakened as an E-rank hunter, the first rule of thumb he learned was to run away at full speed if he came across a magic beast.
However, Suho, an ordinary civilian, had exceeded expectations and was exceptionally heroic. It was such a dangerous place, and he continued to save people until he fainted! His heroism stood in stark contrast to his own, which made Dogyoon feel incredibly insignificant and humiliated for the first time in his life. But none of that seemed to bother Suho, who calmly accepted his apology.
"Well, it's fine. There's no need for you to feel sorry for me."
"No... I wouldn't know what to say even if I had ten mouths."
While continuing to apologize, Dogyoon took out a steaming bowl of porridge from the shopping bag he had brought and set it in front of Suho.
"Come now. You're hungry, right? Porridge is better for you on an empty stomach. Here's a spoon."
"And I thought you had no sense of timing." A loud growl emanated from Suho's stomach. The scent of sesame oil wafted through the air. It was a beef porridge with a good texture and delicious flavor. Suho wasted no time and started spooning the porridge into his mouth eagerly. After two days without food, the porridge tasted heavenly.
"If you're done eating, shall I peel an apple for you?"
Now that he mentioned it, there seemed to be apples in the refrigerator. As it turned out, Dogyoon had been visiting Suho repeatedly while he had been unconscious over the last two days.
I never expected to receive hospital care like this from our department's teaching assistant. It's not like I'm hurting anywhere since I leveled up. As he thought about the possibility of extending his stay at the hospital, Dogyoon handed over an apple slice and asked him a question.
"Those people who were leaving the room a little while ago were from the association, right? Why were they here?"
"They came to measure my mana."
"Oh? Did they measure it? Have you really awakened?" The teaching assistant's eyes widened. "How much mana do you have? You survived in a D-ranked dungeon, so at least..."
"I'm an E-rank."
"Huh? Really?" Dogyoon's eyes widened even bigger. Suho unfolded the mana test result sheet that the association staff had left behind a moment ago.
"Oh, what's this? Are you really E-rank? With a mana score of forty-six, your mana is on the lower side, even among E-ranks."
"What's the matter? Why are you disappointed? What were you expecting? Wow, seriously. Were you trying to flatter me just in case I awakened as a super impressive hunter? No wonder you've been so nice to me," Suho admonished.
"That's not it! Would you have fainted in that dangerous place if you were an extraordinary hunter to begin with? I thought you were at most a D-rank."
"See? I had my suspicions."
Feeling misunderstood, Dogyoon jumped up. Then, he placed the result sheet on the table and began comforting Suho. "Hey, it's actually not bad. Being E-rank is a good thing, you know. Being an E-rank is way more stable than being a mediocre D-rank."
"How would I know?"
"Of course, you wouldn't. However, you have now awakened." The teaching assistant patted his student on the shoulder, trying to cheer him up. "From now on, trust and follow me. As an experienced E-rank, I'll lead you into the world of E-rank hunters."
***
Dungeon conquests were carried out by dividing responsibilities. The assault team first conquered the dungeon. Next, the collection team followed to gather the carcasses of the beasts. The last to enter was the mining team that extracted the resources from the dungeon. Among these roles, E-rank hunters were responsible for almost everything except the initial attack, which meant that they had the most job opportunities.
Dogyoon's statement was indeed accurate. D-rank hunters were the weakest among the hunters qualified to join the assault team. In a way, it was a position most exposed to danger. On the other hand, E-rank hunters were completely excluded from combat forces, which allowed them to work in safe environments, doing manual labor and earning a steady income, making it quite favorable.
"Of course, there are some of us who take the risk and volunteer for combat forces because they need urgent funds, but it's not common. The hospital bills can be even higher unless you have a close friend who is a healer."
Dogyoon's explanation was keenly absorbed by Suho as the two eventually arrived at the Hanguk University Art Gallery. Admittedly, it was a surprise since he had only been out of the hospital for a day.
Somehow, I didn't expect to come here again. Suho looked at the heavily damaged art gallery and thought, All because of Beru.
His purpose for the visit was to become a miner. Except for the shadow dungeon, this was Suho's first real dungeon, so he decided to accept Dogyoon's offer to help without hesitation.
"Oh, by the way, the school has switched to online classes until the dungeon is completely cleared. Since you've become a hunter, you're obviously taking a leave of absence, right?"
"That's the plan. The exhibition is finished, and this semester is pretty much over anyway."
"Okay. I'll stop by the assistant's office later to submit your hunter leave application. Now, shall we begin?" Dogyoon looked at Suho with enthusiasm, his eyes shining brightly. He had the authority of a seasoned hunter in his eyes. "Today, I'll thoroughly guide you on the life of a wise E-rank hunter! First, let me explain what a miner does."
"You're getting so worked up over nothing." At that moment, Beru suddenly emerged from Suho's shadow.
"What is that?!" Startled, Dogyoon jumped and stumbled backward. "A m-magic beast?!"
Beru looked down at the teaching assistant with a contemptuous gaze and muttered, "Tsk. You're easily frightened. Young Monarch, I understand what a hunter is far better than this one. You'd better learn from me." The ant flew toward Suho, extending his short arms wide. "A hunter is a born hunter! Killing and dominating the enemy, capturing and devouring them! That is the true essence of a hunter. So, please, kill and kill again, harnessing all that power… Wait, what are you doing?"
Suho reached out and grabbed Beru, just like a baseball. "Why did you suddenly come out?"
"My apologies, but I sensed a dungeon's energy nearby. Right now, my young lord, you're as weak as a helpless ant, so I must stay close to protect you, and provide reassurance."
Beru's body stretched smoothly and slipped out of Suho's hand. The pocket-size magic beast then perched on Suho's shoulder and began to scan the surroundings with a rather stern expression in his eyes. However, Suho was determined not to be fooled by the monster. He talks big like this, but when it comes to fighting, he'll probably just yap from the sidelines.
A moment later, Dogyoon, who had belatedly snapped out of his initial surprise, cautiously pointed at Beru and asked, "Suho, is this by any chance a summoned creature?"
"No," Beru responded firmly instead. Strictly speaking, the ant king wasn't Suho's summon but his father's.
"If you're not a summon, wise creature, then what are you?" Already at a disadvantage in the initial exchange, Dogyoon involuntarily started speaking formally.
Beru's eyes flashed intensely. "I'm his nurse ant."
"Nurse ant…?" Dogyoon tilted his head.
"Correct. By human standards... something like an uncle? Well, there were times like that."
What is he saying? Suho couldn't understand Beru, who was gazing fondly at him with a wistful expression.
The teaching assistant ignored the ant and asked Suho directly, "Did you awaken as a summoner hunter?"
"Well, yes. I think so."
"Hmm. Interesting. I've never seen an E-rank summoner before." Dogyoon revealed. He hesitated to speak any further since everyone knew how undesirable summoners were. To make matters worse, Suho was an E-rank hunter with summoning skills. It seemed like he was staring at the bottom of the barrel.
Dogyoon turned his attention to Beru, who stood on Suho's shoulder. He was startled when the small creature suddenly popped out just moments ago, but now he found him to be delicate—even cute. "What use could this summon possibly have?"
"That gaze is rather disrespectful. Should I pluck your eyes out?" Beru replied.
Dogyoon cast a silent glance toward the ant. It seemed like the creature possessed quick awareness, and since he could engage in conversation, he thought he might be unexpectedly useful, and decided to keep a closer eye on him. "Anyway, there are many E-rank hunters without skills, so you're quite lucky. By the way, I have the running skill."
"I see. That's why you ran away so well." Suho's innocent words hurt Dogyoon. They hurt even more because it was true.
***
Suho followed his teaching assistant's advice and became a miner.
"All right! Let's work hard again today!" The mining team was made up of E-rank hunters, and an atmosphere similar to that of a construction site. "Hey, rookie! Come and get a pickaxe."
Suho firmly grasped the dungeon pickaxe. The man distributing pickaxes flashed Suho a friendly smile and began to speak. "If it happens to break while you're working, come back to me for a replacement. Be careful while using it, since the cost of the pickaxe will be deducted from your daily earnings. Anyway, young friend, you're quite impressive. You mentioned you're a student at this school, right?"
"Hey, is this that guy?" Surprisingly, most of the miners recognized Suho and approached him in a friendly manner.
It's because of the news article. He recalled the article that had circled the internet for the past two days, and he chuckled to himself. The title was something like "Becoming a Hero of Hanguk University, an E-rank Hunter," wasn't it? It was somewhat ambiguous whether the new article was in praise or mockery.
As a civilian, he would have likely received a brave citizen's award for becoming a hero of the art gallery incident, but due to his sudden awakening midway, he was simply reported as a hunter. However, since he was a hunter of the lowest rank, people's opinions about his heroics were understandably mixed. Luckily, his mining team seemed to sympathize with his situation.
"It's quite a shame, really. Had you awakened a couple of ranks higher, your life would have completely changed."
"But don't be too upset about your rank being low. We make a decent living too, you know?"
"Of course, of course. Although it's a bit tough on the body, you don't need any special skills, you just need to be good at wielding a pickaxe. How great is that?"
They were all eager to give Suho some advice, whilst adding that it had been a while since they had such an enthusiastic new recruit. Everyone was getting along except Beru, who disliked the heartwarming atmosphere.
"Young Monarch, instead of chatting with these ignorant folks, you should be leveling up. This is a waste of time."
"Oh! Is this a summoned creature?"
"Wow. I've never seen something like this before."
"It's a cute little thing to have by your side."
"It's too small to be of any use for mining, right?"
The miners gathered around in amazement at the sudden appearance of Beru, who in response, emitted an aura of hostility toward them.
"Hey, don't come near him, you unmannered rock collectors! The Young Monarch is a fragile being, and a simple push might lead to his demise! My lord, don't worry. I shall protect you!"
Suho wondered whether the ant was being overprotective or overly affectionate.
"This summon sure is dependable."
"Okay, let's go do some work."
After sharing a playful laugh at the expense of Beru, the miners picked up their pickaxes and scattered to do their work. As Suho watched them go, an idea suddenly crossed his mind.
"Beru."
"Yes. If you give the order, I will cut the throats of these disrespectful scoundrels."
"Don't do that."
"What is your command then?"
"Retrieve some goblin corpses from the shadow dungeon."