[EP1. Mana Level MAX?] Chapter 9
Rumble!
Crack!
The ground split open, and a hill surged up between Jae-jun and the exit.
Something enormous stirred in the gap.
Dirt cascaded down, threatening to bury the escape route at any moment.
Sprint!
Sprint
3000 mana consumed per second.
Movement speed increased by 100%.
Jae-jun swiftly scaled the hill.
Damn it.
In that brief hesitation, the ground had shot up over three meters.
Whoosh!
Fortunately, Jae-jun's feet moved just a fraction faster than the rising earth.
Leaping over the peak, he spotted the escape route, half-buried in dirt.
He poured on the speed, charging down the hillside.
Sand sprayed everywhere, leaving his skin gritty and raw.
Squish.
But the feel of the ground beneath his feet was off.
Too soft for dirt, too slimy for soil.
What now?!
Kraaaah!
Rocks and earth tumbled away, revealing a massive monster's face.
The hill Jae-jun was sprinting across was the body of a female leech.
The moment it surfaced, the leech spotted him and unleashed a guttural roar.
It thrashed wildly, lunging toward him.
Crazy!
The distance closed in an instant.
The exit was nearly buried, only the end barely visible.
With no time to think, Jae-jun threw himself forward in a slide.
Skidding across the muck, he barely squeezed through the gap.
And by a hair's breadth, the leech's maw engulfed the earth above him.
—
Yoon Mi-kyung of the Hunter Association's Dungeon Management Division.
She stared piercingly at the gate the man had just entered.
As if peering deep inside would reveal the answers to her nagging questions.
She was an Association employee, but also a hunter.
Three years ago, the moment gates appeared, she'd awakened without warning.
But her ability was too unique for a typical hunter.
Epicurean.
That was the name of her power.
Despite the name, it had nothing to do with tasting food.
It was an analytical ability that let her indirectly sense others' power levels—through taste on her tongue.
When she met hunters, flavors bloomed in her mouth based on their abilities.
For example, stealthy assassin types tasted sour and bitter.
Healer recovery powers were sweet and nutty.
The taste varied with the ability.
Lower ranks yielded faint flavors; higher ones overwhelmed her tongue, no matter how well they hid their aura.
After awakening, Yoon Mi-kyung marveled at the world's hidden flavors.
But it was no gift.
Everywhere she went, every person she met, forced tastes assaulted her mouth, twisting her face in perpetual grimace.
She'd holed up at home for a while after awakening.
S-rank hunters were the worst.
Yoon Mi-kyung's face crumpled at the memory.
S-ranks hit like a toxic punch—impossible to mask her reaction.
Two years ago, meeting Association S-rank jumper Kang Jun-yong had her vomiting for hours from the greasy aftertaste.
That was why she stuck to low-grade dungeons now.
At least low-rank hunters don't overwhelm the taste buds.
Her gaze drifted to the file in her hand.
[Choi Jae-jun]
[Rank: F-rank]
[Ability: None or unmanifested.]
It was Jae-jun's file.
Her finger tapped between his name and F-rank.
He wouldn't remember her, but she knew him.
The one hunter who'd tasted like nothing.
So she'd remembered.
Back then, she'd chalked it up to his power being too weak.
But at the Gremlin Sewer gate last time, she'd caught a faint hint on her tongue tip.
And he'd cleared an F-rank dungeon fast.
He must've trained like hell for a year.
She'd tried to let it go.
But today, face-to-face at the dungeon...
Her whole body knew it wasn't imagination.
A symphony of flavors erupted in her mouth.
Smooth and salty, spicy-tingly, sometimes sweet.
A totally different person from yesterday.
Maybe mid D- or E-rank—but from F-rank just a day ago? Impossible.
Whoosh—
Jae-jun tumbled out of the gate amid a shower of sand.
Cough, cough.
Sand had jammed up his nose; he hacked away.
The bigger issue is...
Yoon Mi-kyung halted her thoughts and stood.
She closed her eyes, savoring the taste.
He tastes good.
Jae-jun had returned far stronger than when he'd entered.
—
Huff.
Huff.
That was way too close.
Tension drained from Jae-jun as familiar sights greeted him through the exit.
He was covered head to toe in sand.
Quest completed: Escape the Dungeon!
◈ Added to inventory.
The quest completion chime rang in his ears.
He instinctively opened his inventory to check the item but froze at the sight of Yoon Mi-kyung ahead.
His hand hovered mid-air, palm facing her.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Jae-jun scratched his head and stood, sand pouring off in clumps.
"Cleared this dungeon quick too, huh?"
"Ah... Yeah, almost died being a little late."
"Really? Time-attack type?"
Jae-jun paused mid-brush-off and eyed Yoon Mi-kyung.
"Dungeons you gotta clear in a time limit—they call those time-attack dungeons."
"Ahh."
Jae-jun nodded.
Yoon Mi-kyung smiled faintly, a far cry from yesterday's frostiness.
Something good happen?
Her smile's not bad.
He shook off the bulk of the sand and signed the papers she handed him.
Just 500,000 won in clearance pay today.
A bit disappointing.
As Jae-jun greeted her and turned to leave, she grabbed his arm.
"What?"
"...Call me next time. I'll check the gates for you."
"Ah. Thanks."
Thought she was prickly, but she looks out for you.
Jae-jun waved cheerfully and walked off.
Yoon Mi-kyung watched his back with a wistful expression.
—
Bzzz—
Jae-jun's pocket buzzed wildly.
Who?
Bae Ji-hoon's name lit the screen.
Memories of Ji-hoon surfaced naturally.
Bae Ji-hoon. Association guy, just back from overseas dispatch.
After a moment's hesitation, Jae-jun answered.
"..."
<Jae-jun, I'm back in Korea. Let's catch up—been too long. Got something to tell you.>
"Sure. Where?"
<Park near your place. Be there in 10.>
"Got it."
Jae-jun hung up and hailed a taxi.
By the time he reached the park, Ji-hoon was already there, waving in a black suit.
"How've you been?"
"What'd you wanna say?"
"Friend comes back beat to hell, and no welcome."
Ji-hoon pulled canned coffee from a black bag beside him and handed one over.
Pssht.
He cracked his own and took a sip.
"Nothing big. Work at the Association with me. Pay's low, but way safer than dungeon porter."
Come to think of it, Ji-hoon had always tried to talk him out of portering.
Jae-jun thought a beat, then spoke.
"Pass on that. Can I ask a favor?"
"Shoot."
"Any way to speed up a re-exam?"
"Re-exam?"
Ji-hoon narrowed his eyes.
The Association covered one hunter exam per person standard.
Re-awakenings were rare, so re-exams existed for them.
Problem was, tons applied just from dissatisfaction or delusions of growth.
Associations hated processing them.
Hundreds of thousands yearly, but only two re-awakenings ever.
"With staff rec, maybe a week."
Ji-hoon trailed off.
"...You know re-awakening odds are insanely low, right?"
Jae-jun checked for onlookers and extended his hand.
Fire.
Fire
Mana consumption varies with flame size.
3000 mana consumed per second.
Jae-jun cranked mana output to max from the start.
Roar!
Flames erupted from his hand, charring the tree ahead to ash in seconds.
Only then did Ji-hoon's face turn serious.
Incinerating a man-thick trunk instantly?
At least E-rank. D if lucky.
"Max output?"
Jae-jun nodded.
For now, it was.
"Yeah. I'll put in the re-awakening request."
"Thanks, man."
"What're friends for."
Ring ring—
Ji-hoon's phone blared from his pocket.
"Hold up. Phone."
His face hardened the instant he answered.
"What? Dungeon break? Where?"
Ji-hoon whipped around, scanning the park.
Right on cue, something materialized in the center.
Vrrr—
Air hummed as a brilliant glow flared.
And there...
"A gate?"
A membrane like rippling water, glowing blue.
Mana swirled around it—definitely a gate.
And bigger than F-rank.
Jae-jun felt drawn to it, feet carrying him closer.
"Hey! What're you doing?! Get caught in that, you're done! It's D-rank!"
Jae-jun didn't stop.
Ji-hoon's words only fueled the urge to dive in.
A strange thrill coursed through him.
To Jae-jun, it felt like stumbling on a pile of gold.
No way I'm passing this up.
At the gate's edge, Jae-jun glanced back at Ji-hoon.
"Hey, do me a solid."
"...What?"
"Say I got caught in the gate?"
"Huh?"
By the time Ji-hoon processed it, Jae-jun had plunged through and vanished.
A voice crackled from Ji-hoon's phone.
<Someone get swept up?>
<Senior?>
"...Insane!"
Ji-hoon's face went pale with panic.
—Author's Note—