Dungeon Exploration

"Alright, get yourselves ready. We'll be heading in shortly."

After Min-seo left, I joined the group of hunters I'd arranged to meet beforehand. Four men and two women, myself included — the full raid party assembled to clear this Gate.

"We're just going to see each other once and go our separate ways anyway. No need for introductions, right?"

"Come on, man. You at least need to know people's names if you want any kind of coordination."

"Haha, fair enough. I'll go first, then. Park Hyun-woo, E-rank hunter. I'll be taking the vanguard for the party today."

Two hunters who looked well into middle age tossed a few words back and forth, and then everyone started introducing themselves. Then it was my turn.

"Choi Un-ho. F-rank hunter. And... this is my first Gate. I'll be in your care."

The moment the words left my mouth, the air went ice-cold.

"You, uh... you did take the basic safety course, right...?"

"I didn't."

"..."

Damn it. I shouldn't have said that.

Accidents were so common in this line of work that basic practical training was treated as all but mandatory — a process of touring Gates under a higher-ranked hunter and learning everything you needed to survive. It wasn't required, though, so people hungry to jump straight into the field and start making money sometimes skipped it entirely.

Inside a Gate, however, coordination with your teammates was everything. One person's mistake could get the entire party killed. And unfortunately, my rank was currently F. To them, I probably looked like some reckless kid who'd just Awakened and didn't even understand that his own life was on the line.

But I didn't have the time. And I didn't have the money to drop 1.5 million won on a course fee, either. What the hell even counted as "basic"?

"Hey, go easy on the young guy. We all had a first time, you know..."

The older hunter's belated attempt to salvage the mood didn't accomplish much. One by one, people started disappearing through the Gate.

"Hah..."

I tried to settle my nerves as I approached it myself. Every so often a ridiculous thought flickered through my mind — that I should turn around right now, grab Min-seo by the wrist, and beg her not to go through with it. But I knew it was already too late. I crushed those pathetic fantasies and surrendered myself to the Gate.

"Urgh..."

The instant it swallowed me, my stomach lurched. A natural reaction. Whether you were Awakened or not, anyone using a Gate for the first time felt that visceral rejection. According to Min-seo, you'd gradually get used to it after crossing a few times.

When I finally managed to pry my eyes open, a vast forest stretched out in every direction. In a single breath, we had gone from the city to the woods.

"Nngh..."

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠headache was still lingering.

"You alright? Yeah, this is definitely your first time through a Gate. That's why you should've taken the course..."

Some middle-aged guy was fussing over me, but I could do without that kind of attention.

"I'm fine."

It felt like being labeled what they used to call a watch-list soldier back in the military — the one everyone had to keep an eye on. The truth was, I was no different from an ordinary person who'd simply happened to Awaken. All I'd done was look up a few hunter tips on YouTube. But paying 1.5 million won for some basic course? I'd rather skip it. I didn't think the content was all that useful anyway.

"Hey, miss, you almost done?"

"Would you quit rushing her?"

Everyone's attention turned to a woman dripping with cold sweat. She had a detection-type trait.

"Got it. Boss location confirmed."

She pointed in a direction. A typical dungeon raid ended the moment you killed the boss monster, which made detection-types an essential role for any exploration.

"Alright, let's hurry up and wrap this so we can get home!"

We were cutting through the dense undergrowth, heading toward the boss, when it happened.

"Huh?"

My mind went blank. It didn't take long to figure out what had happened.

...So it's started. The Netorase.

The emotion that followed was rage.

Goddamn it. Why the hell is it throwing this in my face?

It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠felt filthy. Wrong.

But.

"..."

She'd already let him touch her?

My brain, true to form, started spinning its dark little fantasies. No — I mean, they're going to have sex anyway, so why am I getting hung up on something like this...

Sex.

Min-seo having sex. With a man who wasn't me.

"Hah... hah..."

My small cock began to harden. This was dangerous. If someone hadn't called my name, I would have dropped my pants and started jerking off right then and there.

"Un-ho? You okay?"

"Huh? Ah. Yeah..."

"Are you sure you're alright? You've been standing there zoning out this whole time... What on earth are you thinking about?"

This time, I had no excuse.

"I'm... sorry..."

I forced myself to hold it together and resolved to concentrate solely on clearing the dungeon. That resolution lasted less than ten minutes.

Fuck. Fuck...

"Goblin pack! Everyone, combat ready!"

It was my first time fighting an actual ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enemy, and yet every last shred of my attention was locked on Min-seo. My sword, having lost its purpose, carved through empty air instead of the goblin's throat it was meant to cut.

"Kerrrk!"

The price of losing focus in combat was taking a goblin's counterattack with my entire body.

"Guh!"

The wooden club in the goblin's grip smashed into my leg, and I heard the sound of bone cracking. I collapsed to the ground. Another party member finished off the goblin coming for me, and I barely escaped a critical situation.

"Hah... hah..."

"Hey, Un-ho. Look at me for a second."

The man who'd saved me spoke with his face twisted in fury.

"Are you kidding me right now? You think this is some playground?!"

"I-I'm sor...ry."

Even in that moment, my mind was so consumed by Min-seo that I couldn't even apologize properly. I was, in every sense of the word, a hopeless, bottom-tier hunter. A complete waste of a party slot.

"Let me ask you something. Why do you keep doing this?"

"My... girlfriend."

I figured I was about to get punched. But contrary to my fears, one of the older hunters stepped in and defused the situation.

"Alright, that's enough. The kid's young — it happens. But don't zone out. You might never see that girlfriend's face again."

The man who'd saved me was still scowling, but after getting chewed out by the older hunter, he didn't press the issue any further.

"You hurt your leg, right?"

"Thank you..."

The healer approached and started treating my wound.

"Save the thanks for the guy who pulled you out. Hmm... luckily, it's not as bad as it looks."

She kept talking to me the entire time she worked.

"I was wondering what you'd been thinking about this whole time. So you were worrying about your girlfriend... Well, with a face that handsome, of course you'd have a girl. I'm jealous of her, honestly."

"Ah, yeah..."

Why is she so talkative?

"I'm serious, though. What about me? I like to think I'm pretty cute, you know."

...What is this person doing? She's just openly flirting with me out of nowhere.

But I was devoted to Min-seo. Completely...

"..."

Calm down. Calm down.

You knew this was going to happen. This is the Netorase you chose. You have to be able to handle this much, right?

"Are you okay, Un-ho? Did I really disgust you that much?"

"No, it's not that..."

My heart was pounding like it was about to burst. The cool sensation of my leg being healed was nothing compared to the burning arousal rising from below. My pants were painfully tight. My small cock was fully erect, standing stiff. I pressed my legs together tighter so the healer wouldn't notice.

"What's wrong? Does it hurt somewhere?"

"N-no. Haha... I think I'm all better. We should get moving, right? We can't keep holding everyone up because of me."

I forced a smile and got to my feet. My leg still tingled a little, but I could walk.

"Boss mob, 150 meters ahead! Stay alert!"

At the detection-type woman's shout, the entire party tensed and started moving. I gripped my sword hilt tight and followed behind them.

What we finally came face to face with was a massive orc commanding the goblins. I could vaguely guess that if that huge club it was holding connected, I'd be saying goodbye to this world.

Before long, the battle began. I charged in as well, cutting down the goblins providing cover around it. We were just about to seize a clean victory when—

Wait.

He was supposed to use a condom...

My brain stopped. My hand slipped from the sword's hilt.

"Un-ho! Dodge!"

A heavy wooden club carved through my field of vision. I twisted my body to evade, but it was already too late.

A dull impact, and the world tilted.