The Briefing Before the First Dungeon
The pre-departure briefing for the first dungeon took place in the middle of Hunter Team 3’s office. Dungeon schematics and estimated monster distributions were spread across the desk, with an equipment checklist beside them. It felt different from what I was used to at the academy. The air in the office was the same. It wasn’t noisy, but it wasn’t light either. Conversations were short and precise. Even the jokes stayed on target.
“Alright, since we’re all here, let’s go over the basics.” Park Jae-min stood at the table, bow slung over his shoulder. He wasn’t putting any extra tension into his stance, yet his eyes kept moving. The kind of person who never let go of the “outside” feeling, even indoors.
“This dungeon is C-grade, bordering on early B-grade.”
“It’s a cave type. The layout isn’t complicated, but there’s elevation change and heavy visibility restriction. We’ve also got reports of traps.” His finger traced across the map. “This section has a possible rockfall trigger. Here, the floor can collapse. Even if it doesn’t go off immediately, stepping on it will likely send a signal.”
Yoon Se-a nodded from beside him, checking the tablet. “Mana density is slightly above average. Buffs should hold without issue… but because it’s a cave, sound carries. Keep communications short and calls loud.”
Choi Ha-rin stretched her arms with a grin. “One-day run. We finish in a day.” The words sounded casual, but they carried a clear standard. Don’t push it. Finish within a day. Corporate dungeons are about profit, but safety comes first.
Park Jae-min continued. “Main monsters are Cave Creepers.”
I rolled the name around in my head. I’d only encountered them in theory at school and seen a few combat footage clips.
“They’re ambush types. Expect at least five or more to come out at once.”
Choi Ha-rin added, “They react to the smell of blood. Wound one deeply and the others around it go into a frenzy.”
“There’s also a chance of variants,” Park Jae-min said. “Red-shelled individuals. Not common, but they’re a pain when they show up.”
Seo Yu-ri looked up. “The type that grows stronger the more wounded it gets.”
“Correct.” Park Jae-min nodded. That detail lingered in my ears. Stronger the more wounded it gets.
“Roles are the same as we decided earlier.” Park Jae-min pointed at each person in turn. “Choi Ha-rin, frontline maintenance. Tank role.”
“Yoon Se-a, buff maintenance. Support role.”
“I’ll handle scouting and orders.”
“Miss Seo Yu-ri, please take main ranged firepower.”
Seo Yu-ri gave a calm nod. Park Jae-min turned to me.
“Do-yoon, you’re melee DPS.”
For a moment, my shoulders tightened. I wasn’t going in as backup. At least for the first fight, I’d be engaging directly.
Choi Ha-rin must have noticed. She smiled and said, “Don’t overthink it.” Her tone was light, but her eyes weren’t. “We’ll treat the first engagement like a test. We need to see how you move too.”
Park Jae-min nodded as well. Choi Ha-rin kept going.
“Don’t go deep. Cut and pull back. Cut and pull back. Repeat that until it’s in your body.”
Yoon Se-a finished her checks and looked up. “Don’t worry. I’ll support you with buffs so you can do your best.”
I let out a breath. “…Understood.”
When the words left my mouth, the fact that this wasn’t school became even clearer.
Park Jae-min added one last thing. “And magic stones.”
The atmosphere shifted toward the corporate side again.
“As you know, killing a monster doesn’t guarantee a drop. It’s all probability.” He counted on his fingers. “Roughly: D-grade 20%. C-grade 30%. B-grade 40%. A-grade 50%. S-grade is 100%.”
It was information I’d learned at school, but hearing it in the field felt different.
“Today’s dungeon is early B-grade, so…” Park Jae-min continued, “Magic stones won’t pour out of every trash mob. If one drops, you’re lucky. If not, that’s normal.”
Choi Ha-rin grinned. “Then let’s hope today’s beginner’s luck kicks in.”
Yoon Se-a gave a small laugh. “Luck is a skill too.”
Seo Yu-ri added flatly, “Luck is also something you manage.”
The words felt strangely natural. She reduced everything to management.
The briefing ended there.
While we moved by car, I noticed more than I expected. Other hunter teams passed through the office corridors. Some carried equipment, others checked protective gear while arguing briefly with teammates. Somewhere, the smell of disinfectant lingered. Here, dungeons weren’t emergencies. They were work.
Once we got in the car, Choi Ha-rin naturally took the seat beside me. She fastened her seatbelt and spoke first.
“Nervous?”
“…A little.”
“That’s normal.” She looked out the window, then back at me. “But when you’re nervous, remember one thing.”
“Yes?”
“Breathe long and slow. If your breathing gets short, your vision narrows and your hands stiffen.”
I nodded.
“And your sword.” She pointed at my hand. I hadn’t realized I was gripping the hilt. “Loosen your grip. Your wrist isn’t for locking—it’s for flowing.”
“What happens if I lock it?”
“It breaks.” She smiled. “Creepers’ claws are heavier than you think. Don’t block—redirect.”
The advice felt like it came from real combat. In the training hall it would’ve just been knowledge. Coming from her, it sounded like genuine counsel.
From the front seat, Seo Yu-ri turned her head. “Do-yoon.”
“Yes, senior.”
Choi Ha-rin glanced at me when I used formal speech.
“Today’s your first dungeon,” Seo Yu-ri said. “Don’t push yourself.” It wasn’t an order. It was a confirmation.
“Understood.”
“Your skills too. Don’t use them until the situation calls for it.”
I nodded. “Understood.”
Seo Yu-ri didn’t say anything more. Yet that short exchange made me feel she didn’t see me as just a tool. That, ironically, made it heavier.
When we arrived at the dungeon entrance, the air was noticeably different. Moisture, the smell of stone, and the mana density pressing against my skin. A kind of pressure I hadn’t felt in practice dungeons. The space itself felt alive.
Park Jae-min raised a hand to stop us. “Focus from here on.”
He activated his skill immediately.
Scout Eye — Detects monster locations, movements, and traps within a set range
His expression changed instantly.
“Movement inside. Upper wall. Front. And… one on the right.”
Choi Ha-rin drew her sword and stepped forward. “Okay. Do-yoon, half a step to my right.”
“…Yes.”
Yoon Se-a quietly chanted.
Focus Up — Increases concentration and reaction speed
My head cleared. My vision didn’t widen, but I could see the start of movements more clearly.
This is a buff. Experiencing it in my body during real combat felt different.
Park Jae-min spoke quietly. “Let’s take the first fight slow. Do-yoon, you handle one first. Ha-rin, stay ready to cover from behind.”
Choi Ha-rin gave me a short instruction. “Don’t lower your sword tip. Eyes on the walls and ceiling. Feet planted.”
I drew a long breath.
And then—
“They’re coming.”
At Park Jae-min’s words, something moved along the cave wall. Things that had been clinging like stone burst out all at once.
Six Cave Creepers.
I understood what “ambush type” meant. They didn’t charge from the front. The space itself suddenly became the enemy.
“Two on the left!” Park Jae-min called. “Three in front! One on the right!”
Choi Ha-rin stepped forward. “I’ll pull aggro!”
She took the front not by blocking, but by receiving. I chose the rightmost of the three Park Jae-min had pointed out.
One.
Cut shallow. Don’t go deep.
The creeper leapt. Its claws came first. I didn’t block head-on. I raised my sword tip and redirected. Without putting strength into my wrist, I simply changed the direction. The claws missed and scraped the floor.
That moment—the leg joint. Short. Don’t go deep. Cut and pull back.
The creeper staggered.
“Good,” Choi Ha-rin’s voice. “Back!”
I took a step away. That single step mattered. If I stayed close, the next claw would drag me in.
A second creeper lunged from the side. Yoon Se-a called out immediately.
“Do-yoon, move aside!”
Haste — Temporarily increases movement speed
My body moved as if lightly bouncing. I didn’t just run—I changed my angle. While avoiding the creeper’s trajectory, I circled to its side.
This time, not the neck—the muscle connection at its flank. A deep cut would make blood burst, and blood would excite the others. So I cut shallow. Short, light, breaking the rhythm.
The creeper’s movements grew unstable.
Then Seo Yu-ri’s mana rose quietly.
“I’ll bind it.”
Ice Bind — Freezes the ground or feet to restrict movement
The floor froze in an instant. One creeper’s feet were trapped.
Choi Ha-rin moved in. Her sword swung wide.
Heavy Slash — A powerful strike carrying body weight and mana
The trapped creeper was sliced clean through.
Park Jae-min called from behind, one beat later. “One on the right—circling back!”
I turned. The flanking individual was aiming for Yoon Se-a.
Choi Ha-rin twisted first. “I’ll take it!”
She stepped forward. Claws raked across her torso.
Iron Guard — Distributes mana across the body to tank damage
Impact registered, but she didn’t budge.
“Do-yoon, now!” Park Jae-min.
I cut another one in response. This time the leg. Severing the leg kills its speed.
And in that moment—
Seo Yu-ri spoke as if finishing the job. “I’ll handle it.”
Frost Bolt — Fires an ice projectile that pierces or deals damage
A cold projectile flew in a straight line. Two creepers were pierced simultaneously. Their bodies stopped. Their breath cut off.
The last one tried to cling to the wall in retreat—
“I’ll finish it.”
Frozen Spike — Ice spikes erupt from the ground
With Seo Yu-ri’s final words, ice spikes surged from the earth and pierced the creeper’s torso.
Exactly. The finishing technique.
The battle ended.
Only breathing remained. I kept my sword tip raised and scanned the surroundings once more. Maybe because Focus Up was still active, I stayed wary of the moment I might mistakenly think it was over.
“Good,” Park Jae-min said. “First engagement, finished safely.”
Choi Ha-rin tapped my shoulder. “Well done. Really.”
“Your movements were good. You handled it safely.”
“…Thank you.”
Even as I said it, I kept sorting through everything inside.
Park Jae-min checked the corpses, then bent down. “Oh.” He pointed at the floor. One magic stone. Another a short distance away. Two in total.
“Two out of six,” Yoon Se-a calculated. “Luck’s on our side today.”
Choi Ha-rin dusted off her palms. “That’s beginner’s luck for you.”
“No accidents. Short. Clean.” Park Jae-min nodded and added, “Magic stones must be collected after every fight ends. Trying to grab them early can be dangerous. The field always throws out the next variable.”
Even after the fight, it wasn’t over. Clean up, collect, record, move on.
Seo Yu-ri approached me. “How was real combat?”
I answered honestly. “My head’s busier than I expected.”
Seo Yu-ri nodded. “That’s normal. Combat isn’t just done with the body—it’s done with the head too.”
Choi Ha-rin cut in. “Hey, Do-yoon. I saw you didn’t lower your sword tip just now.”
“Ah… yeah.”
“That’s good. Most kids drop it the second they think it’s over. But there could be monsters still hiding, so staying cautious is the right call.”
Park Jae-min agreed. “Exactly. In a dungeon, that ‘it’s over’ feeling can be the trap.”
I nodded. This was different from school. Evaluation dungeons had sections. Real dungeons might have sections too, but those sections didn’t care about people.
“Alright,” Park Jae-min said. “Let’s move to the next section. Ha-rin, frontline. Do-yoon, maintain the right angle. Se-a, watch the timing and apply buffs. Miss Yu-ri, support from the rear like before.”
We walked deeper into the cave again. It was still deep. But—at least now I understood.
What this dungeon was teaching me wasn’t just how to kill monsters. It was how to survive. And how a team functions.
The first engagement was over.
I gripped my sword hilt again.
This was the beginning.
Maybe this was the real start of summer break.