Windfall at the Hunter Market

Thanks to Yoon Ji-young's carry, Taemin hit level 8 and finally made it out of the dungeon.

"You worked hard out there, Taemin. I'm sorry I couldn't help more—time just got away from me."

Those were Yoon Ji-young's first words once they stepped outside.

"No, what you did today was huge. I'll never forget this favor. When I make it big, I'll pay you back. Promise."

"I'm glad to hear you say that. Shall we head back now?"

Yoon Ji-young and Taemin moved to the spot where they'd first arrived, to open the multi-portal. They had to return there because portals could only generate at saved coordinates.

Upon reaching the initial entry point, they vanished into the multi-portal Yoon Ji-young summoned.

Just like that, they reappeared near Myeongdong Station.

"I'll head out first. Get home safe."

"Ji-young, thanks again. Really."

They exchanged brief goodbyes and parted ways.

While buying a ticket for the subway home, Taemin noticed the weird stares from passersby. Wondering what was up, he checked his reflection in a large wall mirror.

The sight shocked him. He was covered head to toe in monster fluids, blood, and gore—a total mess.

No way he could board the subway like this; it'd be a nuisance. He ducked into the bathroom, stowed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his filthy gear in his inventory, and scrubbed off what he could with some hasty soap and water. Only then could he ride.

Back home, he fired up the boiler and headed straight for the shower. The hot water washed away the day's exhaustion in a blissful rush.

After drying off, he cracked open a cold beer from the fridge and reviewed his hunting haul one item at a time.

He'd been too focused on the kills to allocate any stats or skills, so aside from level and EXP, his abilities were unchanged from before the hunt.

"Skill data."

A new skill called Hydeger had unlocked in his skill window.

"Hydeger?"

Curious about the newcomer, Taemin activated it right away. A status message popped up.

"Huh? Needs a weapon to trigger?"

Muttering to himself, Taemin drew his dagger.

Hydeger.

Activating it again, a faint white glow emanated from the blade.

"Whoa..."

With a small gasp of admiration, he scanned for something to test it on.

"Something I don't mind wrecking..."

Glancing around, his eyes landed on a delivery box. It was a thick one from months ago, when he'd ordered a clothes rack.

Taemin swung the dagger lightly. With a shrrk, the box split clean in two.

Way more power than expected.

"This thing's good."

It was just a box, but slicing it like tofu with minimal effort was the point. Full power? He bet it could fell a tree.

Now that he knew its punch, time to assign points.

Yoon Ji-young had stressed movement speed's importance, so he dumped 3 points into Arrainba, maxing it out.

Three points left. Taemin pondered briefly, then closed the skill window without spending them.

He held off on Hydeger for two reasons: prep for potentially better skills later, and his current MP pool couldn't handle chaining it with Arrainba comfortably.

Next, he opened his status window.

Taemin frowned at the screen. His MP was pathetically low.

After some thought, he reluctantly put 3 points into Mentality—for Arrainba. A life-or-death mobility skill demanded at least one use per hunt.

With the remaining 27, he went all-in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on his main stat, Agility.

"Stats and skills are shaping up nicely. Now for the loot..."

Muttering to himself, Taemin summoned his inventory.

"Picked up a ton. Eight fangs and two wings... Wonder how much that'll fetch?"

Normally, with the carry, his inventory would've been empty save for that one line. But thanks to Yoon Ji-young's kindness, he'd looted everything except specific drops—hence this haul.

"Man, these clothes are filthy."

He pulled out the gore-stained gear. The stench hit hard now that he was indoors, wrinkling his nose.

"Can I toss this in the wash? Looks like fabric..."

After inspecting it, he chucked it in the machine and flopped onto the bed. Then he opened the Beginner Monster Guide from the tutorial quest.

Taemin lost track of time poring over it. Solo hunting meant memorizing the basics.

Suddenly, he yawned wide.

"Yawn. What time is it? Midnight already? Ugh! Bedtime. Tomorrow, time to sell this gear at the Hunter Market."

The next morning, Taemin woke early, scarfed two fried ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eggs, and geared up to leave.

"Hope this nets a decent chunk of change..."

Buzzing with excitement, he hopped the subway to Yongsan’s Hunter Market.

The nation’s official item exchange had over 30 branches where hunters traded gear and materials.

Standing before the eight-story marble-clad building, Taemin gazed at the engraved “Hunter Market” sign, a wave of emotion washing over him.

He'd passed it job-hunting before, always dreaming of this world—unattainable back then.

To think I'm a hunter stepping inside now.

After a lingering look, he squared his shoulders and strode in confidently.

Directed by the first-floor desk, he headed to the third floor, packed with material shops.

The elevator opened to shops lining both sides of the walkway.

One sign caught his eye amid the crowd.

This one.

First time around, no overthinking—he went in.

A friendly-looking middle-aged man in his forties greeted him warmly.

"Welcome! What can I do for you?"

"Uh, yeah. Got some monster drops to sell."

"Ah, got it. Have a seat here. One moment."

The shopkeeper—clearly the owner—seated Taemin at a customer table and vanished through a back door, saying to wait.

Taemin eyed the shop's interior curiously.

Moments later, the man returned with two coffees, handing one over before sitting across with his own.

"Alright, down to business. Here to sell materials? What kind?"

"Uh... Wild Dog Fangs and Tinkerbell Wings."

The man's expectant face fell at Taemin's words.

No surprise—Beginner Dungeon drops like these had razor-thin margins, bottom-tier stuff. Processed goods barely outpriced raw mats, a merchant's nightmare.

But the savvy shopkeeper masked his disappointment with a smile. Low-grade today, who knows tomorrow? A potential repeat customer.

"Sure, we can take 'em. Wild Dog Fangs have no demand right now—maybe 300,000 won each. Tinkerbell Wings still see fiber use, so up to 1 million each."

"What?"

Taemin yelped, stunned. Way beyond expectations.

A month's grinding at the restaurant barely hit 2 million ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠won. One hunt doubled that.

Hunting for cash is easy.

As Taemin reeled, the owner misread it and pressed on.

"As you know, these are top prices in the biz. Check any shop here—no one beats us. My 13 years vouch for it. Not satisfied? Shop around and come back. We're that confident."

Taemin shook his head.

"I'll sell to you, boss. Wasn't the price—just zoning out. Dump 'em here?"

He opened his inventory, placing eight Wild Dog Fangs and two Tinkerbell Wings on the table.

The owner inspected them thoroughly, then counted out eighty-eight 50,000-won bills from a small safe.

"Bring any future loot here. We'll always pay more than the rest."

"Got it, boss. Take care."

Exiting, Taemin stared at the thick wad in his hand, still dazed.

Is this for real?

Laughter bubbled up unbidden.

4.4 million won from a single day in the Beginner Dungeon.

Higher dungeons? The mind boggled.

Imagining his hunter earnings ahead, Taemin couldn't wipe the grin off his face.