Hajin stood in front of a dungeon gate, glowing with a faint blue light.
This place should've felt unfamiliar to him. It had been years since he last stood in front of a dungeon with the intention of entering. But this time was different.
He was no longer some trash-class Hunter that people looked down on.
His eyes flickered toward the information board next to the dungeon gate.
[Low Rank Dungeon – Level E]
Recommended: Hunter Rank E – D
Status: Stable
Max Party: 5 People
Hajin nodded slightly. This dungeon was safe enough for beginners but still dangerous for normal people. A good place for a warm-up.
But before he could step inside, a voice called out from behind him.
"Oi, you sure about going in alone?"
Hajin turned around and saw a group of hunters standing a short distance away. There were four of them, each dressed in light armor with weapons suited to their respective classes.
One of them a guy with a longsword on his back raised an eyebrow at Hajin.
"You going solo? Or waiting for your party?"
"I'm going in alone," Hajin said with a grin.
"You serious? This might be a Rank E dungeon, but it's still dangerous alone. Especially if you're a support or a weak-ass class," the guy said with a bit of concern.
"I can handle myself," Hajin replied confidently.
One of the party members a woman with a bow chuckled.
"Maybe he's a Rank D or higher?"
The swordsman scanned Hajin from head to toe.
"Never seen you before. You a new hunter?"
"Something like that," Hajin answered vaguely.
"…Alright, good luck then. Try not to die in there."
Hajin just smiled and stepped through the dungeon gate.
The moment his body passed through the portal, the scenery around him changed.
A dark forest. Cold air. The damp, musty smell typical of low-rank dungeons.
The first monsters appeared soon after a pack of goblins.
[Goblins – Level 7]
Weak monsters with high speed and basic intelligence.
Hajin took a deep breath.
"Alright… let's test this out."
Srek… Srek…
Small footsteps rustled through the bushes. Hajin sharpened his gaze. A pack of goblins emerged, their green eyes glowing in the darkness.
There were five of them.
They snarled, revealing disgusting yellowish-brown teeth, their hands gripping rusty, primitive weapons. The stench coming from their bodies instantly assaulted Hajin's nose.
One of the goblins howled before lunging at him.
Hajin didn't move.
Only when the goblin got close enough did he slightly tilt his body.
TSSK!
The goblin's rusty dagger sliced through nothing but air.
Before the monster could react, Hajin slammed his fist into its face.
BUGH!
Its skull shattered instantly. Its eyes popped out, blood gushing from its nose and mouth, and its body was flung backward, crashing onto the ground.
The goblin twitched for a moment… then stopped moving.
One punch. That was all it took.
The remaining goblins froze, their eyes wide as they watched their comrade die a gruesome death. But their wild instincts quickly kicked in, and they charged at him together.
Hajin smirked.
"Reinforce."
[Skill 'Reinforce' Activated – Strength +10 for 10 seconds.]
A surge of power coursed through his body.
One of the goblins swung its weapon wildly, aiming for Hajin's head.
TUK!
Hajin simply raised his arm, letting the weapon smash against it directly. The wooden club shattered into pieces.
The goblin's face twisted in horror.
But Hajin didn't give it time to think.
He grabbed the goblin's head with one hand and slammed it into the ground.
BRAK!
Dirt exploded everywhere, and its skull burst open like a rotten fruit, spilling thick green liquid mixed with bits of brain matter.
The two remaining goblins panicked and tried to flee after witnessing the terrifying sight.
But Hajin wasn't about to let them go.
He crouched low, then propelled himself forward at full speed.
In one swift motion, he grabbed one goblin by the neck and crushed it in his grip. Its spine snapped, its head twisted into a grotesque angle before its body flopped to the ground.
The last goblin could only scream in terror before Hajin kicked it into the air.
TWHUMP!
Its body flew several meters before slamming into a tree with a sickening crack. The impact split the trunk partially, and the goblin fell with a completely broken back, blood dribbling from its mouth before it let out its final breath.
Hajin stood among the blood-soaked remains of the slaughtered goblins.
He let out a slow breath, glancing at his hands, now dripping with thick green blood.
"…Yeah. This is way more fun than writing reports at the office."
Casually, he wiped his hands clean and turned his gaze deeper into the dungeon.
If this was just the beginning, then he wanted to see how far he could push this power.
Hajin walked deeper into the dungeon.
The air grew colder, and the light in the forest dimmed further.
No more goblins lurked around. Only the sound of the wind rustling through the trees and the lingering scent of blood filled the air.
He stopped in front of a massive stone gate.
[Boss Room]
"A boss room, huh?"
Without hesitation, Hajin placed his hand on the gate. A blue glow spread across its surface before the doors slowly creaked open, revealing a vast chamber with rocky terrain and several torches flickering on the walls.
At the center of the room stood a towering figure.
[Goblin Chieftain – Level 15]
A goblin leader with greater strength and intelligence than normal goblins.
The creature was far larger than the usual goblins around two meters tall with a muscular body and dark green skin. In its hand was a massive battle axe, and its red eyes glowed with pure rage as they locked onto Hajin.
GRUUUAAARGH!
The boss let out a furious roar and slammed its axe into the ground.
BOOM!
The ground trembled, and chunks of rock flew in every direction.
Hajin grinned.
"Good. Let's see how far I can push this power."
The boss didn't wait. With heavy steps, it charged straight at Hajin, swinging its giant axe with brutal force.
SWOOSH!
Hajin ducked with ease, letting the massive axe miss his head by mere inches.
In return, he dashed forward and slammed his fist into the boss's gut.
DUAGH!
But something surprising happened.
Even though his punch was strong, the Goblin Chieftain barely stumbled back.
"…Hoh?"
The boss grinned. Its endurance was way higher than regular goblins.
Without giving Hajin time to think, the boss swung its axe sideways.
SREKK!
His clothes got slashed across the chest, and a fresh wound appeared, blood trickling out.
"…Not bad. You're stronger than I thought."
But that only made this more exciting.
He jumped back to create some distance, then opened his system window.
[Edit Parameter – Access Granted]
Agility: 50 → 70
Strength: 60 → 80
In an instant, his body felt lighter and filled with power.
The boss swung its axe again, but this time, Hajin dodged effortlessly.
WOOSH!
The massive weapon struck empty ground.
Before the boss could pull its axe back, Hajin jumped into the air and smashed his elbow into its face.
BAM!
Its nose bone shattered!
Green blood sprayed everywhere.
The Goblin Chieftain roared in pain, but Hajin didn't give it time to recover.
With incredible speed, he leaped behind the boss, grabbed the back of its head, and slammed its face into the rocky ground!
CRACK!
The stone beneath shattered. Blood mixed with bits of brain splattered onto the dirt.
The boss was still twitching despite its half-crushed skull, groaning weakly… but Hajin wasn't done yet.
With cold eyes, he grabbed the massive goblin's body with one hand and hurled it toward the wall.
DUARR!
The stone wall cracked, and the goblin's body got lodged into it.
The Goblin Chieftain struggled, trying to get up…
But Hajin was already in front of it, stomping down on its head with full force!
KRAAK!
Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere.
[Dungeon Boss Defeated!]
Exp Gained!
Level Up!
Hajin let out a slow breath, looking at the corpse of the once-mighty goblin—now nothing more than a pile of mangled flesh.
He touched his wound, feeling the blood still trickling.
"…So I can still feel pain, huh?"
But that didn't matter. As long as he could keep editing his stats, wounds like this were nothing.
Hajin opened his system window and checked his new status.
Name: Kang Hajin
Class: Programmer
Level: 4
Strength: 80
Agility: 70
Vitality: 60
Mana: 50
Skills:
[Edit Parameter (Lv. 1)]
[Reinforce (Lv. 1)]
He smirked in satisfaction.
"Alright. This is just the beginning."
Calmly, he picked up the dungeon loot before making his way out.