Mole Tunnel Stroll and the JNC Clan Temptation

The Mole Tunnel lived up to its reputation as a straightforward dungeon. The monsters that popped out were striped moles—pathetic 9-rank weaklings. They'd hide in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the burrows and then burst through the ground like drills when someone passed by, lunging to attack.

They had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sharp claws and teeth, and their raw combat power was probably on par with a tiger. To a dungeon hunter, that was a joke. Aside from their ability to burrow freely through the earth, they were barely worth 10-rank status.

I sniped every striped mole I spotted with what looked like holy missiles. With the portable lantern I'd brought lighting up the tunnel, their ambushes meant nothing. They got turned into bloody pulp by a holy missile before they could even close in, making the run a breeze.

I didn't bother recovering the corpses. Dissecting them one by one just to hunt for the rare magic stones that might drop was more hassle than it was worth. Sure, finding one would've been a windfall, but I'd rather buy a lottery ticket than bank on those odds.

"I haven't even had a chance to step in. You're incredible, as expected. No wonder the news is buzzing about you."

"The news only ever shows that Han Seungjin hunter, though."

"True enough. But I doubt it's his skills—they're probably just dazzled by his star power."

Han Seungjin was fucking handsome. Jeonghun here had a face that wouldn't lose out anywhere, but he'd have to yield a step to Han Seungjin. If that guy debuted as a looks-based idol, he'd dominate the industry. No surprise all the attention went his way, especially as a dungeon hunter.

"Anyway, standing around doing nothing feels lame, so let me show you my ability. Like this."

He said that and stretched his hand toward a striped mole leaping at us from ahead. The mole charging with claws bared suddenly wobbled like it'd eaten something bad, then flopped over dead. A red line of blood appeared on its body. What the hell?

"Remote attack? That's a new ability to me."

"It's a bit unusual, yeah. Didn't Sujin mention it?"

"Nope. She doesn't talk much about family stuff."

"Haha, got it."

He laughed and extended his hand toward me next. Then something wild happened. The surroundings started changing right before my eyes.

Red thread-like lines slashed across the plain tunnel walls, and grotesque mold-like things sprouted up. No, not mold—more like some living creature's internal organs. They pulsed with a steady thump-thump, like a heartbeat. It felt like we'd stepped inside a living body.

The ground under my feet turned into a sticky, red-mottled sludge, dotted here and there with eyeballs that blinked just like real human eyes. It was like we'd dropped into hell. I turned to Jeonghun for an explanation.

"It's called Backworld. Exactly what it sounds like—I can turn the world around me into another one. And I can invite other beings into this world. Anything not invited can't be harmed here."

"Oh ho, that's a new one."

"It's classified as a special-type ability. Took me a lot of effort to get used to it. Watch this."

Suddenly, a striped mole appeared right in front of me. Jeonghun had "invited" a real one from outside into this world.

"I can control various entities in this world. Like so."

A thin tentacle extended from one of those red clumps on the wall—mold, slime, organ, who knows. It stabbed into the mole's side. Red lines spiderwebbed across the mole's body. It deflated and dropped dead, then vanished from this world.

"That's the gist of it."

The bizarre world snapped back to normal. In front of me lay the dead striped mole, covered in those red lines.

It's not just teleporting to another world. He called it 'inviting,' but the mole still existed in reality even while in the Backworld. More like an illusion that can affect the real world?

Jeonghun's ability was close to illusion magic that could interfere with reality. It was so unique it defied simple categorization, but definitely intriguing. Endless potential depending on how you used it.

"What's your position in a party, Jeonghun?"

"Dealer. This ability shines in mob fights. Downside is it's weaker against bosses."

"Fascinating. The world's full of weird abilities."

"The uniqueness draws attention everywhere. But I'm jealous of your Light Control. That's super rare and powerful. Mine's rare but lacks punch."

We chatted as we pushed forward. Less than 30 minutes later, we hit the end of the tunnel. Total pushover dungeon, as expected.

"Already done. Feels like a quick smoke break. Let's head back."

I turned around. Honestly, it hadn't even been a proper warm-up. Made me realize just how much stronger I'd gotten.

"Watching up close drives it home. You're the real deal. No wonder the girls flock to you. Sujin’s got good taste."

Jeonghun was nothing like I'd expected—way more flighty, free-spirited, and fun.

From what he said, Sujin's dad sounded like a typical old-school stiff, just like mine. How'd he end up with a son like this? Personality must not be genetic.

"Haha, thanks. Appreciate it."

"Heard you don't have a clan yet. That right?"

Hm? Sounded suspiciously like a sales pitch. Did I bite off more than I bargained for?

"Yeah. I'm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠leading a party, so no real need for a clan."

"Ahaha, makes it awkward to recruit you. Truth is, my clan asked me to scout you and my little bro's friend. Seeing your skills firsthand, you could join on my recommendation alone—no test needed. I know it's a hassle, but think it over?"

"Which clan?"

"Oh, right, forgot to say. JNC Clan."

I'd heard of them. Top 9 or 10 in the rankings, I think.

"Embarrassing to admit, but we're Korea's 9th-ranked clan. Aiming for 8th, and I figure we'll snag it by year's end."

Korea has tons of clans, but the top 10 are on another level—each one represents the country. JNC was right on the edge of that elite group.

Top 10 means chaebol-level funding and government-level influence, right? Not sure how true that is, but...

These clans all had at least 2-rank dungeon hunters. From what I recalled, JNC's two clan masters were both 2-rankers.

"I've got a party I'm managing, so jumping into a clan feels premature."

"If you want, we can take your whole party. They're leveling up soon anyway—more than qualified. HR's been begging me to bring good news. Total pain. Haha."

Now it clicked—why he'd invited me to run the dungeon. Nothing tests skill like fighting monsters side-by-side.

And I'd apparently passed with flying colors. Striped moles weren't the best exam dummies, though.

"Contract details would be with our HR rep. But from what I hear... they're thinking at least 10 billion won signing bonus minimum."

"For my whole party?"

"Nah, just you. 30 billion total package for the group. Numbers flexible, of course. Oh, if you sign later, don't tell HR I spilled—I'll catch hell. Haha!"

30 billion to acquire a whole party. Like buying a small company. And JNC probably saw us that way.

In the dungeon hunter world, promising talents fetched insane prices. Ranking up meant generating exponentially more value—tackling deadlier dungeons for rarer items, whose utility skyrocketed with difficulty.

Seen that way, 30 billion isn't crazy. They must figure I'm at least 3-rank material.

Sure, there'd be a long-term contract buried in there. Locking down a future 3-ranker for 30 bil? Steal of a deal.

Money's tempting, but no rush. Think it over slow.

I made up my mind.

"Appreciate the offer, but it's a big decision. Can't answer right now."

"Fair enough. No pressure."

"Thanks for understanding."

We exited the dungeon. Just a bit of dirt on our clothes—no issues. Walked 10 minutes away from the entrance and called a cab.

"Oh, yeah. Sujin mentioned you got hit by Demonic attackers once?"

Exter Clan Demonics had jumped me before. Same at Level House, but that got buried quietly.

I didn't want the hassle of investigations, so I never told the Association. They all died there anyway.

"Yeah, old news though."

"Join a clan, and you'd get protection from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that crap. Even crazy Demonics think twice about clan members."

Jeonghun wasn't giving up. I nodded vaguely. We headed back to the party house.

Jeonghun took one look at Jisu and Jueun's faces and bailed. On his way out, he whispered for tips on picking up girls—in detail.

Can't change your natural equipment (surgery's too risky), so teach him some techniques. Said I'd fill him in next time. Clan pitch was a drag, but he was easy to talk to.

His dad's a real buzzkill, though. Hope I don't slip up.

I shook my head. Future me can deal with future problems. Right now, it was time for sex with Jisu and Jueun.

After the intense romp, I checked my smartphone. A few missed calls. Phone must've been on silent during the fun. Foreign number.

"What the? Voice phishing?"

If it was scammers, I'd curse them out. Overseas charges? My wallet laughs at that.

I called back.

A bubbly voice rang out. Familiar. Took 2.3 seconds to place it in my mental database. Reina Everett.

The woman I'd hooked up with at the Hunter Association workshop. American, probably back stateside now. She'd said she'd wrap up work there and come to Korea.

"Reina~! Long time no talk."

"Not a single call all this time~! I'm sulking."

I could picture her puffing out her cheeks, and a grin spread across my face.

"Sorry, sorry. Been swamped. Wait, this is your first call too, right?"

"Eep~! True. Sorry, darling~! Work here's been insane... Oh god, same excuse as you."

"Haha, forgiven. Just calling to say hi?"

"Yep! But also other stuff! That Level House thing? Huge news over here too."

She had to mean the Level House incident.