Chapter 20
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: A Reason to Live (4)
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Kim Ji-hoon’s mouth hung open.
“Please wait just a moment!”
Kim Ji-hoon went back outside.
I could hear Kim Ji-hoon's phone call clearly through the door.
After finishing his call, he sat down in the chair.
“We'll do as you've requested.”
Kim Ji-hoon asked for my understanding and said he would bring a revised contract.
I rested my chin on my hand, my elbow on the desk.
‘This is easier than I thought.’
Park Si-woo. Co-leader of the Aria Guild and former leader of the Saetbyeol Guild.
Of course, it was a lie that I was Park Si-woo's friend.
And there was no way Park Si-woo wouldn't know that.
I signed the new contract Kim Ji-hoon had prepared.
Seemingly believing I was an acquaintance of Park Si-woo, one of the guild leaders, his tone had become much more polite than before.
“Here is our community address and your ID. The activity guidelines are all explained on the bulletin board. The signing bonus will be deposited into your account in a week. Is there anything else you need?”
“You said you could connect me with a dealer if I needed one, right?”
“Ah, yes. Do you need one?”
“Connect me. Instead of depositing the one billion won signing bonus, let's just go straight for a one-billion-won sword.”
What I needed wasn't a signing bonus, but a weapon I could use right away.
* * *
Madu Station.
I took nearly the first train and got off the subway.
“Sigh, maybe I should have just bought a car with that billion won. Ah, right, this guy doesn't have a license.”
Once I save up some money, I should get a license first.
After that, I immediately met with the guild's dedicated dealer through Kim Ji-hoon.
Looking at the catalog the dealer brought, I realized I couldn't get a decent weapon for a billion won.
Having grumbled about a ten-billion-won weapon in Choi Soo-hyun's collection before calling it merely passable, there was no way I would be satisfied with a weapon worth only one billion.
I didn't even know if I could find a weapon that would satisfy me.
Maybe because it was morning, the fog was thick.
When I arrived at the meeting spot, there were Hunters who had arrived earlier and Association employees in suits.
I showed my guild ID and naturally approached the Hunters.
Guild dungeon expeditions were usually conducted by forming small teams with like-minded people or by creating temporary teams through the community.
The guild would post information about dungeons secured from the Association on the appropriate rank-based bulletin board, and Hunters who met the time and criteria would leave comments on a first-come, first-served basis.
Usually, after gaining some experience, they would work in teams, but it wasn't common to start out in a team from the beginning.
It felt a bit like playing a game, which was somewhat fascinating.
“Hello.”
“Ah, you're the kid I saw last time.”
A man in his thirties who recognized me responded first.
Hunters who had just joined often ran into each other because they operated individually.
They say that's how like-minded Hunters sometimes form teams.
It makes sense, since there's nothing more comfortable than being with people you started with.
He was a Hunter who had joined the Aria Guild around the same time as me, and his name was Kang Hyun-seung.
Another man standing next to Kang Hyun-seung looked at me and spoke.
“He looks young.”
“But his skills are solid. I heard he's about to become a C-rank.”
“Probably by next month.”
Hearing their conversation, I gave a slight shrug.
The man extended his hand.
“Min Sung-taek.”
“Kang Han-gyeol.”
I shook hands lightly with Min Sung-taek.
After the brief introductions, I checked my status window.
[Kang Han-gyeol (Soter)]
-You are the master of the dimension 'Tower of Trials'.
Rank: Proxy (5%)
Strength: C+ (71%)
Stamina: C+ (21%)
Mana: C (10%)
Healing Power: D+ (5%)
Contribution Points: 13,250
Skills <Line> [Moonlight Slash] [Mana Detection]
Talent [Blessing of the God Soter]
Thankfully, my overall stats had increased.
After becoming the ruler of the 1st and 2nd floors, I had challenged the 2nd floor several times.
Not just normally, but with the difficulty raised as high as it could go.
‘To be honest, it's a bit unsettling.’
I never expected to pass out right after clearing the 2nd floor.
The moment I admitted I had overdone it, it was much better to promise myself next time, even if it took a while.
In the Tower, you couldn't get the contribution points you'd normally earn from clearing dungeons.
‘Still, I should probably try entering the 3rd floor soon.’
I'm worried about that guy, too.
It would be pretty anticlimactic if he died after I gave him a ten-billion-won weapon.
“Is everyone here?”
The Association employees approached us.
“No, one person hasn't arrived yet.”
The scheduled meeting time was 7:00 AM.
The current time was 6:59 AM.
Exactly one minute later, a man came running from the park entrance in the distance.
“There he is.”
“Sorry, I'm late.”
Seeing him, the other Hunters and I stared with our mouths open.
“What's your name, sir?”
“Kim Yoo-han.”
Regardless, the Association employee did his job.
Min Sung-taek, the tanker, finally spoke up.
“Can this guy even carry his own gear properly?”
While Min Sung-taek and the other members were doubting Kim Yoo-han's qualifications, I was looking at him with a completely different thought.
‘Wow, isn't he hot?’
The weather had been getting chilly lately, but his outfit was over the top.
Thick pants, a padded jacket, a strange trapper hat, Kim Gu glasses, and even a black mask made his face unrecognizable.
And where did he even get that hat?
Kim Yoo-han's attire was so peculiar he wouldn't look out of place on a ski slope.
To put it bluntly, Kim Yoo-han was a fashion terrorist.
If he took public transportation dressed like that, he's the real deal.
The nape of his neck visible through his hair and his overall pale complexion made me wonder if this guy could really fight.
I could understand why Min Sung-taek said what he did.
At Min Sung-taek's questioning, Kim Yoo-han glanced around.
With one hand, Kim Yoo-han slung a large backpack that was on the ground near the dungeon entrance over his shoulder.
‘He's strong. You really can't judge a book by its cover.’
Seeing Kim Yoo-han effortlessly shoulder two backpacks, the group no longer doubted him.
We each introduced ourselves.
There was me, the frontline attacker, and Min Sung-taek, the tanker and leader of this expedition.
Kang Hyun-seung, the scout.
Ahn Joo-hye, the support.
And Kim Yoo-han, the porter and backup for the rear, making five of us.
“We'll depart in ten minutes. I'm going to talk with the Association staff, so please rest easy.”
Min Sung-taek took out his smartphone and walked over to the waiting Association official.
In the meantime, my eyes met Kim Yoo-han's.
“If you have something to say, don't just stare. Say it.”
It was obvious you were sneaking glances while pretending to look at the ground.
Kim Yoo-han was a master at subtly sizing people up while looking elsewhere.
Ahn Joo-hye and Kang Hyun-seung were minding their own business.
At my challenge, Kim Yoo-han lifted his head.
“You just look like someone I know.”
It was an unexpected answer.
“A celebrity, perhaps? I've never heard that before. For the record, I don't know who you're talking about, but it's not that I look like them—they must look like me.”
Kim Yoo-han's face scrunched up at my outrageous remark.
To be honest, the moment I heard Kim Yoo-han's voice, I couldn't say I didn't feel a sense of unease myself.
“Forget it.”
Kim Yoo-han quickly gave up on the conversation and turned his back.
A moment later, Min Sung-taek, having finished his talk with the Association employee, gestured towards the gate.
“Looks like we can head out.”
We entered the dungeon.
[Entering the Dungeon.]
[Giant Ant Nest]
Grade: C-
Terrain: Cave
Recommended Party Size: 5-6 people
Objective: Kill the Queen Ant and retrieve her eggs.
Rewards
1) Clear Bonus: [400 Contribution Points] for all members
2) All Ants Killed: [100 Contribution Points] for all members
3) Queen Ant Slayer: [600 Contribution Points]
4) Possessor of the Queen Ant's Eggs: [300 Contribution Points]
5) Queen Ant's Eggs Destroyed: [-1,000 Contribution Points] for all members
Now that we were in a C-rank dungeon, the reward missions included negative points.
I heard that for S-rank dungeons, the list of rewards can fill three or four A4 pages.
The inside of the cave was ordinary.
The only drawback was that it was a bit narrow.
The five Hunters entered the cave in a single file line.
Not long after entering the cave, Min Sung-taek, who was in the lead, stopped walking.
The sound of insects crawling could be heard from deeper inside the cave.
“They're coming.”
Min Sung-taek raised his shield and sword.
Ahn Joo-hye took something out of her pocket.
It was a disposable glow stick.
Using it was simple.
Just bend it slightly and throw it on the ground.
They said that in cave dungeons or dark places, these glow sticks served as guides.
It was also possible to temporarily blind monsters.
It wouldn't work on boss-level monsters, but it was effective enough on the Soldier Fire Ants in front of us.
The area where the glow stick landed lit up.
Startled by the sudden light, the ants, over a meter tall, flinched for a moment before charging.
The Soldier Fire Ants' legs were hot enough to cause a second-degree burn in an instant if they touched bare skin.
“Prepare for battle!”
At the command of Min Sung-taek, the team's leader, everyone drew their weapons and began to fight the soldier ants.
I too drew my sword and sliced off the legs of an approaching Soldier Fire Ant.
The Soldier Fire Ant was divided into its hot legs and torso, which was covered in a hard shell.
The shell was surprisingly sturdy. Therefore, the usual method was to stab the unprotected chest area.
That was the Soldier Fire Ant's weak spot.
Slicing off all of a Soldier Fire Ant's legs and then stabbing its chest was the most standard method.
The problem was that this was a time-consuming and tedious process, and there wasn't just one or two ants crawling in.
‘And it's so narrow.’
A Soldier Fire Ant descended from the ceiling.
The Soldier Fire Ant's leg passed precariously close to my cheek.
I felt a scorching heat, as if a branding iron had passed by.
I spun around and brought my sword down on the Soldier Fire Ant's body.
With a clear sound like metal striking metal, a scratch appeared on the Soldier Fire Ant's shell.
“Hey! What are you doing!”
Min Sung-taek, who had just stabbed his knife into the chest of a legless Soldier Fire Ant, snapped in annoyance, apparently judging my actions as pointless.
But I didn't stop.
After dodging another attack, I infused my sword with mana.
The blade of the sword turned black.
In that state, I spun my body around and swung the sword.
The approaching Soldier Fire Ant's legs and body were cleanly sliced through.
Its body split in two, and dark red blood splattered everywhere.
*Thud.* A dead Soldier Fire Ant's leg lightly touched my shoe.
“Ah, hot!”
Startled, I kicked the leg away and stepped back.
At the same time, the gazes of the Hunters behind me turned to me.
I regained my stance and smiled.
“I just can't stand tedious work.”