Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Porter (2)
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"Looks like he came as a porter."
Everyone burst into small laughs at Lee Sung-ho's words.
"Pfft..."
"A porter? What's your rank... No way, F-rank?"
"Answer us. You aren't mute, are you?"
Park Kang-hyuk let out a small sigh.
He never imagined he'd run into these guys again—the ones who'd been bullies back in college.
The hunters in front of him were the group that always orbited around Lee Sung-ho.
"I'm E-rank."
"Pfft!"
"This bastard's E-rank!"
"You think you can handle porter duty at that level?"
Kang-hyuk immediately summoned a skeleton.
"This guy'll take care of all the miscellaneous stuff. I'll just handle the light work."
Lee Sung-ho's group looked slightly surprised at the skeleton.
Summon skills were fairly rare.
But the summon skill Kang-hyuk had was F-rank.
Even if the skill level went up, it'd just increase the numbers.
It was a Lowest Skeleton Summon.
"Huh... This thing in combat..."
Boom!
Kim Jun-su, the yellow-haired young man standing next to Sung-ho, swung his fist lightly, and the skeleton shattered like it had exploded.
"What the...!?"
Kang-hyuk stared at Jun-su in shock.
"How does it break so easily?"
"Isn't this made of pretzel sticks or something? The skeletons I fought before weren't this weak."
"Yeah. And look at that shoddy equipment on it..."
"Guess you're just born to be a porter."
Kang-hyuk gritted his teeth at the mockery from Sung-ho's group.
"What the hell was that!?"
"Why are you getting so pissed off, you punk? We were just checking if it's any good."
"Right. You're flipping out over one measly summon?"
"Don't tell me you have to wait for your mana to recover after summoning just one?"
"What, you that low on mana?"
"Hahahahaha! You were that much of a loser?"
Kang-hyuk's shoulders trembled.
Summoning a skeleton cost 10 mana.
His current mana was 13.
He'd only gotten that by leveling up his status to 4 and spending AP to boost mana.
He gained 1 AP each time he leveled up.
'Mana recovery takes time...!'
For reference, top hunters started with thousands or even tens of thousands of mana right from awakening.
Some had physical stats in the dozens from the start, and there were cases with skill levels at 2 or higher.
That's how they got high ranks from the get-go.
They grew fast based on that initial mana and physical prowess, cementing themselves as top hunters.
Sung-ho's group was probably the same.
Kang-hyuk, on the other hand, started with just 10 mana, and his physical stats hadn't changed much from before awakening.
'Damn it.'
Kang-hyuk glared at Sung-ho's group with fierce eyes.
Sung-ho let out a hollow chuckle in response.
"Damn, people can make a little mistake... You're glaring like you wanna kill us over one summon?"
Sung-ho approached right up to Kang-hyuk's face, radiating killing intent.
"You cocky bastard... You wanna die?"
Kang-hyuk's body shook under the mana pressure Sung-ho released.
"Eyes down."
His gaze slowly dropped.
It wasn't about pride.
The aura Sung-ho emitted felt like it was crushing his entire body.
"Everyone gather up! I'll explain the operation one more time!"
Sung-ho let out a small hollow laugh at the voice from behind.
"Fucking mutt... Barking without knowing his place. Let's go."
"Yeah."
"Pathetic."
"What confidence does a porter even have..."
Kang-hyuk clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut.
He was the weak one.
As the weak one, he had no choice but to submit.
Once he'd barely recovered his mana, Kang-hyuk took the tents and rations handed over by the Teynen Guild staff.
The heavy loads were carried by the skeleton.
"Whoa, that's one hell of a useful ability."
A young porter beside him marveled at the skeleton.
"But as the summoner, my own physical stats are pretty low..."
"Mine aren't that high either. I just leveled up a bit to boost stamina and strength. Even so, it's just a little stronger than a regular person..."
Hardly worthy of being called a hunter.
"We're heading out!"
At the shout of Yoo Chan-seok, the S2-rank Hunter from Teynen Guild's first team, the hunters and porters began to move slowly.
A rippling blue aura shimmered ahead.
People entered it one by one.
Kang-hyuk stepped forward as if it were familiar.
'Just like they said—a cave.'
A terrain he knew well enough.
"The inside is a maze! We've already distributed maps, so check them during breaks! If you get lost, just head straight to the exit! Alright, let's move!"
The hunters and porters nodded in unison at Chan-seok's voice as the leader.
30 hunters and 15 porters formed a line and advanced slowly.
Sung-ho, up front, glanced back at the rear.
Kang-hyuk, following as a porter with his skeleton.
'Cocky bastard...'
Sung-ho didn't like Kang-hyuk.
Back in college, Kang-hyuk had always been a loner.
He'd never seen him hanging out with anyone.
Sure, his grades were decent, but that was it—an E-rank Hunter.
Worlds apart from himself, an S-rank Hunter hailed as one of Korea's elites.
Sung-ho looked ahead, calming his irritation.
'Wasting energy on trash like that would just give me a headache.'
Most of his old college buddies knew to bow their heads and cater to him.
So Kang-hyuk's defiance grated a bit.
'Focus on subjugating the magic beasts for now.'
Sung-ho gripped his weapon and followed Chan-seok.
"We'll conquer the dungeon over four days and take down the boss, the Dullahan! Don't get complacent just because it's low-rank magic beasts!"
Moments later, in a vast clearing, skeleton warriors and skeleton shamans appeared.
The warriors numbered easily over a hundred.
About five shamans.
"Haaah!"
Shwaaaa!
Sung-ho unleashed a flame ray, vaporizing the skeleton warriors and shamans in an instant.
Chan-seok nodded as if it was expected.
Then Kim Jun-su, Sung Soo-hyun, Yoo Ah-yeon, Kang Ji-hye, Kim Yu-jin... the five who'd gone to college with Kang-hyuk... effortlessly subjugated the skeletons.
Kang-hyuk watched their fight and gritted his teeth.
'Rich families, and top-tier awakener talents to boot...'
The haves really had it all.
As a porter, Kang-hyuk trailed after the hunters, set up tents in the clearing, and prepared meals.
While the skeleton moved the gear, Kang-hyuk distributed rations to the hunters.
Fortunately, he didn't run into Sung-ho's group.
They got theirs from another porter.
They grimaced at the rations.
Simple foods you could eat with minimal prep, like military combat rations.
They'd probably all done their service.
But as high-rank hunters, they'd gotten special treatment.
'They got real combat experience in the army, so this dungeon's nothing to them.'
A B-rank dungeon with two S-rank Hunters.
10 A-rank and 19 B-rank Hunters besides.
Overkill for a B-rank clear.
They could earn big in perfect safety.
Kang-hyuk smiled faintly and started his late meal.
Then Yoo Chan-seok approached him.
"Park Kang-hyuk... right?"
Kang-hyuk stood in surprise.
"Ah, yes... that's me."
"Could you have your skeleton keep watch while we sleep? Just instruct it to ring this bell if any magic beasts show up. In return, we'll pay you an extra 10,000 won per hour. Sleep shift's 8 hours, so for three nights... that's 240,000 won extra."
"Ah...!"
Kang-hyuk nodded eagerly.
"Yes, I'll do it."
"Anyone else among the porters up for night watch? Just one hour per person."
All the porters raised their hands.
One hour for 10,000 won.
No real work involved.
Just stand and watch for approaching magic beasts.
A bit boring, but worth it.
"Put the skeleton at the east entrance. One hunter will watch the west. Porters, patrol around the camp. Stay on your feet—no sitting."
Sitting might lead to dozing off, which could be disastrous.
The porters nodded at Chan-seok's warning.
One each at east and west entrances.
Thanks to the porters volunteering, most hunters could sleep without watch.
Of course, Kang-hyuk just gave his skeleton the order and drifted off comfortably.
Rumble...
"Mm..."
Kang-hyuk tossed at the faint tremor.
'...What was that?'
An earthquake?
Did dungeons even have those?
He brushed off the thought and fell back asleep.
He'd walked 6 hours with a pack on.
Lighter load than most, plus 2 hours rest, but still exhausting.
Unable to fight the fatigue, he slept deep.
The other sleeping porters didn't stir either.
No bell rung, so no need to wake.
Time passed, and smartphone alarms blared across the clearing.
Not just Kang-hyuk's—porters and hunters alike filled the space with noise.
"Ugh..."
The young porter groaned about sore muscles.
The middle-aged one next to him patted his shoulder with a wry smile.
"Hang in there. Still two nights and three days left."
"Ugh... I'm losing strength."
Kang-hyuk chuckled wryly at the middle-aged man's words.
"It's a job that pays 1.2 million won. Of course it's tough. But endure three more days, and you can rest easy after."
1.2 million won incoming.
No—1.44 million with the bonus.
After taxes, still enough to chill at home for a few days.
Kang-hyuk clenched his fist and stood.
"Let's pack the tents first!"
"Distribute meals to the hunters!"
Kang-hyuk summoned his skeleton to dismantle the tents.
"We'll hand out food to the hunters!"
"Got it."
The porters moved efficiently, letting the hunters eat in comfort.
As the camp packed up, Sung-ho's group sneered at Kang-hyuk.
Unlike the leisurely hunters, porters had to hustle.
"Later, I'll tell the higher-ups not to hire that bastard at Teynen Guild."
His girlfriend, Kang Ji-hye, smirked at Sung-ho's words.
"Better to keep hiring him. Once we start properly in the guild, we can make him our bitch."
Jun-su nodded.
"Yeah, that sounds fun. Toying with him."
The group around them snickered as they eyed Kang-hyuk.