[System Alert: Catastrophic Dungeon Event Triggered]
[All Hunters, evacuate immediately.]
Blood dripped down Jinhyuk Choi's forehead, blurring his vision as he gasped for breath. His legs were failing, his arms shaking. Around him, the once-proud Kang Guild had fled, abandoning him to die.
They had used him.
For years, he had done everything—carried their gear, cleaned their weapons, scouted for traps, even took hits for them. And when the dungeon suddenly changed, shifting into a high-tier Red Gate, they did the one thing all cowards do.
They ran.
"Jinhyuk, hold them off for a second!" Kang Taesung, the guild leader, had shouted, his face twisted with desperation. "We'll come back for you!"
Lies.
The moment they reached the exit, they closed it behind them.
Now, Jinhyuk was alone.
Behind him, the sound of monstrous growls filled the chamber. From the darkened corridors of the dungeon, high-ranked beasts emerged—creatures far above the level of any low-tier hunter.
Their glowing eyes fixated on him.
A wounded, exhausted porter.
He had never even awakened. He was just a normal human, a nobody. A weakling among the strong.
"So this is how I die?" he thought bitterly, tightening his grip around the chipped dagger one of the hunters had tossed him as a joke. "Like trash?"
The monsters lunged.
Jinhyuk roared, slashing with every ounce of strength he had left. He would die fighting.
Then—
[SYSTEM ALERT: UNREGISTERED ENTITY DETECTED.]
[ERROR. ERROR. ERROR.]
[Recalculating Awakening Potential…]
[Unique Skill Activated: Limitless Growth.]
A pulse of unimaginable energy surged through his body.
Jinhyuk's eyes widened as power flooded his limbs, his mind burning with knowledge. His muscles, once weak, adapted in an instant. His movements sharpened. His reflexes tripled.
The monsters charged again, but this time—
Jinhyuk moved first.
He dodged a massive claw strike, his body acting faster than his mind could process. Instinct took over. He sidestepped, countered, and—
His dagger sank into the beast's throat.
The monster collapsed in an instant.
[Level Up!]
[Strength +5, Agility +3, Stamina +4]
Jinhyuk staggered back, staring at the glowing message before him. Leveling up? He wasn't even an awakened hunter. How was this happening?
But there was no time to think.
Because the other monsters weren't stopping.
His heart pounded. His breath steadied. He felt alive.
For the first time in his life, he wasn't just watching others grow stronger.
This time, he was the one getting stronger.
Jinhyuk grinned, wiping blood from his face as he stepped forward.
"Fine."
"Let's grind."