Chapter 214
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 214
Chapter Title: Spec Up
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“Push forward! Take out the mage!”
The hero serving as both healer and fixed team leader shouted.
At that moment, Shin Ji-min, who had been about to attack the goblin chief, ducked low and charged ahead. Yubora, who had started to move in response to the leader’s command, turned instead upon seeing Ji-min take the initiative first and began assaulting the goblin chief.
While the tank and the others held the goblin chief’s attention, Ji-min managed to close in on the goblin mage who was preparing to cast a spell.
Splash!
The mage’s throat was pierced by Ji-min’s dagger thrust, a technique she’d learned from Minguk. After dispatching the mage, Ji-min swiftly retreated to the front line and swung her dagger once more at the goblin chief.
“One-shot takedown. That was a critical hit, right?”
“She should’ve moved before the leader even gave the order. Her situational awareness is a bit lacking...”
“Still, her attack prowess isn’t bad. With proper training, she could grow into a core dealer for a strike team.”
Those watching the battle from beyond the boundary line chimed in one by one.
They were the mentors, essentially the instructors for those currently fighting the monster. Naturally, a drone camera capable of operating inside the dungeon captured every word of their conversation without missing a beat.
“What’s her potential like? 【A】-rank difficulty?”
“She could reach that with growth, right? These days, everyone climbs to 【B – 1】 with enough experience. Ji-min’s got a shot at 【A】.”
The hero they were discussing was none other than Shin Ji-min.
Under Minguk’s coaching in this program, she’d improved to the point where “complete transformation” felt like an understatement.
Compared to her old self, wildly swinging her dagger like a thug, she now precisely targeted monsters’ vital points with the sharpness of a true dealer. Just like she’d done moments ago.
Moreover, her vicious edge—fitting her rough background and delinquent image—earned high praise among heroes.
In the endless war against darkness monsters, heroes needed that ruthless drive to overcome despair. It was what kept them from throwing away their lives in futility when setbacks hit later on.
In that regard, Ji-min’s tenacity was near-perfect. Once she earned her official license, she’d likely field offers from multiple clans.
“Planning to bring her into R’s?”
Dam-i directed the question at Minguk, who had remained quietly observant amid the mentees’ battle.
To her eyes, Ji-min showed solid potential, so her own Ewha Clan was planning to recruit both Ji-min and Yubora.
But Ji-min was a hero who’d learned dagger arts directly from Han Minguk—his disciple, in a way. His opinion mattered most. She didn’t want to sour relations with Minguk, no matter what.
“Who knows. I don’t know anything about recruitment.”
Minguk shrugged at Dam-i’s question.
He wasn’t sure about Ji-min’s potential, but even if they recruited her, it wouldn’t make much difference either way. He didn’t see himself raiding with her. And purely in terms of talent, Oh Hyun-ah outshone her by far.
Hyun-ah’s skills went beyond mere weapon handling—her positioning and judgment made her a reliable shield for any strike team. Ji-min fell a bit short there. Her attack power was strong, but her decision-making lagged.
Well, experience could fix that...
But he had no obligation to help that far. Managing Team GGW already took all his time. Though Oh Hyun-jung, lately focused on expanding the clan, might see it differently.
The dungeon clear ended in success.
As the final monster fell, the five women embraced, sobbing uncontrollably. Compared to their disastrous first battle weeks ago, they’d now conquered a dungeon even tougher than their initial challenge.
And with this lineup, they planned to form a five-person team to tackle Grade-3 monsters—fulfilling the conditions for their official licenses.
“Great job, everyone!”
“You all worked so hard! I learned a ton!”
“I’ll train hard to become a hero like you, Mentor!”
The long shoot finally wrapped.
With a special guest, the schedule had run longer than usual. Yet now that it was over, everyone’s faces brimmed with regret.
“Ah... I was holding out just knowing I could see Han Minguk even if we pulled an all-nighter for the shoot...”
“Dam-i Hero won’t be a regular guest like that, right?”
“PD, you’re not ending it here with Han Minguk Hero, are you? Come on, spill something!”
“I’ve got zero pull. Even if the network president showed up, I’d have to grovel. And don’t you know Team GGW is tackling 【A - 5】 difficulty?”
As the writer said, the PD would welcome Minguk as a regular with open arms. Ratings for My Precious Hero had more than doubled since he appeared.
But the odds of him committing long-term were near zero.
Tch... What a shame.
The PD’s gaze drifted to Minguk chatting with Ji-min.
“Wow, it’s finally over. We’ll see each other again, right?”
Minguk responded to Ji-min’s voice, thick with reluctance, by simply raising his phone instead of answering.
“Messages won’t even get through properly.”
“Higher-difficulty dungeons block them, you know? You’ll see when you’re clearing 【B】-rank ones. And you usually emerge at dawn anyway.”
“I reply right away even at dawn. Anyway, if I get my official license, can I join R’s?”
Minguk tilted his head at her question, recalling Dam-i’s earlier words.
“R’s? Ewha seemed keen on recruiting you.”
“Ewha Clan would be great for me too... But R’s has my mentor. If both offer at once, I’ll pick Rose Shield.”
Ji-min had no grand reason. She just wanted to be near Han Minguk. Ewha was a ranker clan; R’s had lost its ranker status—but she didn’t care.
“Oh... Still, I don’t know much about recruitment. It’s not my department. But I’ll mention you to the scouting team.”
“I’ll work super hard!”
Minguk smiled at Ji-min as she bowed deeply. The least he could do.
Plus, if she joins the clan, we could have some steamy fun whenever I’m bored. Come to think of it, if this was their last meeting, it was about time to enjoy her with her civilian friends too.
Sua seems interested in me too, but...
Turning toward Sodam, their eyes met briefly; she startled and bowed her head. He knew exactly what that meant.
But celebrities felt tricky to touch. With her public persona and pride, sleeping with her once might mean adding her to his cartel. Ji-min and her friends seemed less hassle.
Besides, Minguk craved raw, beastly sex with women stripped bare.
Ji-min hadn’t even expected cartel entry—she’d told him to call anytime he wanted her body. And during My Precious Hero shoots, he’d taken her multiple times.
“Anyway, your fixed team’s strong enough that Grade-3 monsters won’t be too hard. You’ve got revival stones from Hero Academy graduation, right?”
“Uh, we used them all. I’ve got none left.”
“Huh...?”
Minguk scratched his head at Ji-min’s casual reply.
It reminded him of hunting Grade-3 monsters with Hyun-ah, Lin Sha, Ashlyn, and Choi Yuna.
We had zero revival stones back then too.
They’d burned through all the ones from graduation in dungeons, leaving them helpless right before the license exam.
Luckily, arriving in this world and Chaos granting beginner revival stones like subsidies had gotten him through without issue.
“What about the others?”
“They’re all used up too, obviously. If we had any, we’d have formed a fixed team for the license—not joined a show. No stones, no skills—that’s why we applied here. But it worked out.”
“Worked out?”
“Yeah. PD said the network and Ewha Clan will supply revival stones until we get our licenses post-show. They’ve done it before.”
“Oh...”
Minguk let out an impressed sigh. Ewha Clan’s generosity was impressive.
They’d probably seen it as investing in future heroes. And Ji-min was his disciple, in a way. He couldn’t just sit idle.
Revival stones are just bought with money anyway...
Stone Mountain Dungeon consumed tons, but he’d already requested bulk purchases with his Vietnam dungeon break rewards.
Once the U.S.-sourced bundles arrived domestically, shortages wouldn’t be an issue for a while. And he had some in his pocket right now.
“Here. Take these.”
“...Pardon?”
“Leftovers from a dungeon run. Not sure exactly how many—over fifty, at least.”
“Eek?!”
Ji-min shrieked as she took the pouch from Minguk, realizing what it was. Fifty revival stones equaled five million dollars.
“I’m your mentor—can’t just do nothing.”
“W-Wow... Wow...”
“Use them for your license run. Sell a few for gear if needed.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Ji-min gazed at him with moved eyes.
Handsome face, kind heart, and bedroom prowess beyond measure—this man lacked nothing. Then, in a quiet voice, Minguk said to her,
“And I’ll contact you soon. You know what I mean, right?”
“Bring those two—excluding them, with me makes three?”
“Yeah.”
As Minguk nodded, Ji-min grinned mischievously.
“Got it! I’ll set the table nice and pretty. Just come and enjoy.”
Three days later, Ji-min received a message from Minguk.
“Whoa! Ji-min! It’s been forever, hasn’t it?”
A woman in a deeply plunging V-neck knit dress waved exuberantly at Ji-min, her figure so stunning it drew glances from passersby.
“Don’t even ask. Shoots and dungeon runs left zero time. Where’s So-jin?”
“On her way in her oppa’s car.”
“Oppa?”
“You know, the older guy So-jin hooked up with before.”
Ji-min tilted her head at her friend Eun-seo’s words, then let out a short gasp.
Ten-year age gap or something? Anyway, she vaguely recalled So-jin picking up some office worker at a club.
“And he’s got a car?”
“Apparently. Sounds like she’s serious this time.”
“Her? That’s rich.”
Ji-min snorted. Among their five friends, So-jin was the biggest man-eater.
Even with a boyfriend, she’d hit on strangers whenever she felt like it. Her killer looks meant plenty fell for it.
Before her mana awakening, Ji-min had joined So-jin in toying with guys more than once.
“Ji-min! Eun-seo!”
Moments later, So-jin arrived, and the trio laughed gaily as they headed to a bar. The rare meetup was, of course, for drinks and fun.
“I’m buying everything tonight—drink up!”
“Hell yeah! Heroes are on another level? So clubs are on you too?”
“Clubs are a hassle with guys starting shit. Not even official heroes yet—trouble could ruin my life.”
“Tch... Bummer. Nights like this, we should grind hips with some guys laid out, with you along.”
“Says the one with a boyfriend...”
“Love and sex are separate, duh? Strangers taste best. And my guy’s too weak—leaves me unsatisfied every night. Could use a strong partner.”
They ordered their drinks and burst into giggles, chatting away.
Most topics circled Ji-min’s My Precious Hero stint—specifically, Han Minguk.
“Ji-min, you saw tons of Han Minguk on set. Spill—hotter than on TV?”
“TV does him dirty. Up close, he steals your breath.”
Ji-min thumbs-upped while downing her beer. Envy flooded her friends’ faces.
“Damn, Ji-min, you lucky bitch. Must’ve been torture holding back next to him.”
“Nearly lost my mind. Every smile made me wanna jump him. But he’s stronger, so no chance. Tried once—got wrecked without landing a hit.”
Her friends cackled at Ji-min’s head-shake. They’d seen that first-episode clip of Minguk toying with her.
“Anything happen on set? Hand-holding? Looked cozy on air.”
“Hmm... Just hands, you think?”
“No way—spill! I’m dying of jealousy. What? Did you touch his dick?”
So-jin snorted eagerly at Ji-min’s teasing tone, true to her man-loving form.
“Telling you ‘cause you’re friends. Lips sealed, or no more Han Minguk contact for me.”
“...You’re still talking?”
“Wanna see messages? He knows your faces too—I showed him.”
Ji-min spun her broadcast tales, plying her friends with drinks. By the third round in a private room, they were all tipsy.
Heavy drinkers both, but as a hero, Ji-min’s mana purged alcohol—heroes barely had limits. As the mood peaked, Minguk’s message hit Ji-min’s phone.