The First Step of Enhancement
The entrance to the F-02 Abandoned Smelter Dungeon in Yangju, northern Gyeonggi Province, stood before me. The air around the entrance was thick with the metallic scent of iron, and a half-collapsed chimney loomed over the ground where blue-green rust stains spread like bruises. I twisted in the driver's seat and opened the notebook on the passenger side. It was my personal growth log, a three-day reinforcement plan I'd written myself.
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[Unofficial Personal Reinforcement Plan — 3-Day Schedule]
Day 1 — 2 F-rank Dungeons (Sensory & Reflex Enhancement)
① Yangju F-02 Abandoned Smelter Dungeon (Gyeonggi North)
Monsters: Goblins (F-rank)
Environment: Cave-type, high air density due to mana leakage.
Goal: Improve close-quarters combat sense.
② Osan F-05 Drainage Tunnel Dungeon
Monsters: Kobolds (F-rank)
Environment: Damp and dark. Severe sound distortion.
Goal: Expand auditory and spatial awareness.
Day 2 — 2 F-rank Dungeons (Endurance & Focus Enhancement)
① Pyeongtaek F-08 Abandoned Power Plant Dungeon
Monsters: Slimes (F-rank)
Environment: High-conductivity wetlands, viscous mana present.
Goal: Strengthen telekinetic sustain.
② Jinjeop F-01 Metal Mutation Dungeon
Monsters: Iron Residue Entities (F-rank)
Environment: Metallic airflow, residual electronic interference.
Goal: Improve telekinetic precision control.
Day 3 — 1 E-rank Dungeon (Limit-Breaking Training)
Chuncheon E-01 Elite Goblin Habitat (Gangwon entrance)
Rank: E-rank (Unregistered area / Small gate-type)
Monsters: Elite Goblins
Environment: Cave terrain, unstable airflow, shallow mana layer.
Characteristics: Abandoned mine terrain. Residual mana circulates and releases at regular intervals. Mana reactions are inconsistent, making it suitable for experimental conditions.
Goal: Strengthen telekinetic explosive power and break physical limits.
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I closed the notebook, killed the engine, and cracked the window. A breeze drifted in, carrying dust that brushed past the glass.
“Ha… This smell is way too strong. This isn’t a smelter anymore—just an abandoned processing plant.”
The metallic odor stung my nose. In the truck bed, the gear I’d prepped the night before sat ready. The alloy sword was secured in its mount, daggers divided neatly in their cases. The reinforced armor suit lay spread in its container, reflecting a faint light. Inside the support equipment box, six mana-stone bombs rested in cushioning, while the mana core emitted a soft blue vibration.
I transferred two of the bombs and a potion box into my bag.
“Investment or not… I’ve got to get my money’s worth.”
Muttering under my breath, I drew the sword.
“Alright. First dungeon of the first day… Let’s test myself.”
I steadied my breathing and headed for the entrance. Though the exterior resembled an abandoned smelter, the inside was completely different. Vines and moss tangled across the walls, and the floor was covered in damp soil instead of melted metal. It felt more like a small cave than factory ruins.
I lowered my stance and scanned the surroundings. In the darkness, a pair of glowing green eyes flashed, and a goblin lunged out.
“Damn… Shit, it came out of nowhere. Scared the hell out of me.”
The words left my mouth as I twisted aside. A pipe slammed into a pillar with a deafening clang, sending metal shards scattering across the floor. I dropped low and hurled a dagger. The blade sliced through the air, grazing the goblin’s arm before embedding in the wall with a sharp thunk.
Seizing the opening, I raised my sword and thrust upward.
“Day one and I’m already booking muscle pain.”
My shoulder throbbed, but my hands didn’t stop. I shoved the tip of my blade against a nearby pipe, splitting the metal with a screech. The impact flung the goblin backward into the wall. I didn’t miss the chance—I twisted the sword and drove it deep into its abdomen. Hot blood spilled across the dirt floor.
I wiped the blade clean and exhaled.
“Whew… This isn’t exactly what people should be doing… but I’ve got to.”
Gloved, I pulled the corpse flat and sliced open its chest with a dagger. I searched around the center but felt nothing.
“Tch. Another dud. Checking every single one by hand is ridiculous… I need to buy a mana-stone scanner. Can’t afford it now, though. I’ll look into it after this plan’s done and I settle the accounts.”
While I was dealing with the body, two more shapes emerged from the darkness ahead.
“Two of them? Fine. Let’s make this one exciting.”
I drew two daggers from their sheaths. The moment I heard metal striking the wall, two goblins burst into the passage.
“Aigoo!.. Damn it! Their gear looks decent. …But I’m carrying something way more expensive.”
I grabbed a mana-stone bomb, pulled the pin, and threw it toward the pair.
Click.
“Eat this!”
Boom!
The shockwave erupted, dust rippling through the tunnel. My ears rang for a moment as I crouched to ride out the blast. Both goblins tumbled across the floor, tangled together.
“Now.”
I flung my daggers at the fallen goblins, adjusting their trajectory mid-air. The blades buried themselves in their heads, ending their lives instantly.
“Whoa… This is what real combat feels like.”
“Ugh… That bomb was expensive. I should’ve saved it for when they were clustered. I used it without thinking. From now on, only when they’re bunched up.”
I straightened the corpses and retrieved my daggers.
“Time to harvest again. There’s gotta be at least one this time. Bombs aren’t cheap… I need to break even.”
I slid the blade along the chest cavity until it caught on something hard.
“Huh? This is… a lowest-grade mana stone? Finally got one. Let’s keep going.”
The stench of blood and mold rose sharply. I turned my head slightly to avoid it. Sticky blood coated my fingers, and within it, a faint blue light slowly spread.
“Damn it… It’s stuck to my hand. Gross… Son of a bitch.”
Small and unstable, yet the living energy was unmistakable. I shook the blood from my hand and muttered.
“Still… this is money.”
I looked down at the blue stone in my palm.
“First successful harvest. Feels like crap.”
“Pretty color, though… My hands are a mess.”
After a quick equipment check, I moved deeper toward the center. Several pairs of green eyes gleamed in the distance—about five of them.
“Damn it, seriously… Five this time? I need to hide.”
I ducked behind a pile of debris. Five goblins soon gathered around the corpses, rummaging through them.
Now’s the time.
I pulled the pin on another mana-stone bomb.
“One shot should do it.”
As I gripped the bomb and prepared to throw, my fingers slipped from tension.
“No, damn it… That’s the wrong direction!”
The bomb veered sharply left. Reflexively, I reached out—and a faint force burst from my fingertips, wrapping around the bomb like an invisible hand. Its falling trajectory slowly corrected, twisting mid-air before being sucked straight into the center of the group.
A short explosion rocked the tunnel. My ears rang again as dust billowed upward. The goblins were hurled backward amid the debris.
Adrenaline surged through me. The blast echoed off the walls, fragments scattering across the floor.
“Heh… This is what money can really do. One bomb and it’s over.”
Suppressing a laugh, I stood up and finished off the last goblin still twitching with a single strike.
“Whew… I’m not used to this. Do hunters really do this every day?”
Grumbling, I flipped the corpses. Three lowest-grade mana stones glittered in the darkness.
“Three out of five… Today’s luck isn’t bad. Even F-rank stones add up to money. Alright, let’s keep going.”
I pressed deeper. The closer I got to the center, the heavier the air felt. My gaze caught a cracked section on the wall. I grabbed an iron pipe, gathered my strength, and swung down.
Crash.
The wall split open, revealing a blue glow between the cracks. The lowest-grade dungeon core slowly emerged from within.
“…Finally found it.”
I reached through the gap and pulled the core free. It was slightly smaller than my palm—cold at first, then a warm vibration seeped into my wrist.
“Ugh…”
My breath caught. The moment mana flowed into my body, my muscles tensed and then relaxed. My heart pounded two or three times, blood rushing all at once as a wave of heat surged upward. Warmth and coolness swept through me simultaneously. My joints hummed faintly, and my fingertips grew sharper.
The mana in the air, the metallic smell, the heat—every sensation arrived separately, distinct.
“This is… weird. Everything around me feels separated.”
I steadied my posture and opened my hand. As the tension in my body settled, my vision calmed. My heartbeat was still fast, but steady. I slowly stood up. When I brushed the dust from the wall, the air rippled faintly. The new flow inside me was unmistakable.
“Okay. Time for the next location.”
A cold wind brushed my face as I exited the gate. The smell outside felt harsher, more real.
“Ha… Inside or out, the smell’s about the same.”
After driving for over an hour, another gate appeared. Osan F-05 Drainage Tunnel. From the entrance, the stench of mold and sewage rose together. My nose stung; I wiped it with the back of my hand.
I retrieved my gear from the truck and checked the stabilization meter. 4.6 — a stabilized dungeon. A short mechanical beep sounded. I adjusted my stance and stepped inside.
A thin layer of water covered the floor, and droplets fell from the ceiling in a steady rhythm. The tunnel stretched endlessly into deepening darkness.
Then came the sound of claws scraping against the wall—short and sharp.
“…Here they come.”
I drew my sword and aimed it toward the approaching kobold. The first one lunged. In the instant its eyes flashed, my body reacted first. I pushed off with my toes and twisted aside; its claws grazed past my shoulder. I raised my blade horizontally, slicing through flesh as hot blood sprayed in a line.
“One.”
Another charged from the right. I ducked low and slashed across its neck, sending it tumbling. Stepping on the falling body, I drove forward. An iron club whistled past my head; my reflexive thrust pierced straight through a kobold’s heart.
“Two.”
A presence rushed from behind. As I spun, my blade carved a deep line across its abdomen. Blood burst forth, the air growing momentarily heavy. My left hand rose naturally. Responding to the motion, a dagger floated in the air, spinning slowly before flying into my grasp.
“Go.”
The sensation of the blade burying itself under a kobold’s jaw traveled up my arm. Its body arched backward and went limp.
“Three.”
I shook the sword once; thick blood dripped to the floor. The tunnel air grew damper, and a faint tremor lingered in my fingertips.
“Training? Screw that… Right now, it’s just surviving.”
The dagger spun once and settled perfectly in my hand. I walked toward the corpses.
“Yeah… My hands are finally starting to keep up.”
When I cut open the chest, more hot blood sprayed. I retrieved the mana stone and steadied my breathing.
“So this is why people come here even though it’s dangerous… because it pays.”
I wiped my bloodied hand and stood up.
“…Five?”
The moment I gripped my sword again, the darkness tore open as five kobolds lunged at once.
“Ah, another group fight.”
I dropped low and rolled aside. An iron club scraped the wall, sending sparks flying. Three more kobolds crawled out from the shadows behind me. I took a steadying breath and threw myself forward. Two daggers, carried by telekinesis, sliced through the air in clean arcs.
Swish-swish-swish.
Wounds opened across three kobolds’ shoulders and legs.
“Yeah, you’re mad now? That’s exactly what I wanted.”
The howling kobolds charged as one.
“Good. Gather up. All of you.”
I retreated, forcing them into the narrow passage. Spinning my sword vertically, I focused my mana. The ground beneath me thudded, and my body lifted lightly. I stepped on their shoulders and leapt over them. From my waist, I drew another bomb.
Click.
“Service time!”
I hurled the bomb into the middle of the group and ducked, arms shielding my head as I took a short breath.
Boom—
The explosion shook the tunnel. Heat and dust rushed in; I covered my nose and mouth, but my body reacted faster than expected.
“Kuh… If I’d let my guard down, that would’ve been it.”
As the smoke cleared, scorched kobolds lay scattered across the floor. A few still twitched with their last breaths. I stood slowly and approached.
“Still hanging on, huh.”
My sword gently traced the first one’s neck. A dagger buried itself in the second’s crown. The third took a deep thrust to the chest before its final breath escaped.
“Three. That’s all of them.”
“Whew… That was way too close.”
I caught my breath, realizing this wasn’t the end.