The Unclaimed Dungeon
There are many kinds of uncleared dungeons.
Most are simply too difficult to conquer, but the most troublesome are the ones with strict qualification restrictions.
These restrictions usually involve level limits and party size. Exceeding the conditions means you cannot enter at all.
An uncleared dungeon in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.
Behind a densely packed apartment complex, dozens of soldiers waited on the mountainside, staring at the shimmering gate before them.
“Hey, how much time is left?”
“Private First Class Hwang Junwoo! Thirty-two hours and forty-five minutes remaining, sir!”
Exactly thirty days had passed since the gate formed. If it wasn’t cleared by then, a dungeon break would occur without fail.
A dungeon break was when the gate exploded and every monster inside poured out into the real world. A low-grade dungeon might only cause damage on the level of a few missiles, but when the location sat in the middle of a populated city, the casualties would be catastrophic.
Sergeant Kim, who was due to be discharged in a month, found the entire situation incredibly irritating. If the break happened even a little early, he was as good as dead.
“Ugh… Fuck. Why the hell aren’t those hunter bastards showing up?”
“Well, the usual rule is they arrive a day beforehand, so they should be here around this time tomorrow.”
“Goddamn it. We’ll keep watch until then and pull out the second the hunters arrive.”
He just wanted to go home. But at that moment—
Ding.
An alarm sounded from the dungeon management program on his device.
Sergeant Kim’s eyes widened.
“…Huh?”
Someone had just submitted an application to clear the dungeon.
The very same uncleared dungeon set to explode in thirty-two hours.
“Platoon leader!”
Sergeant Kim sprinted toward his commanding officer.
“Someone applied to clear the dungeon!”
“What? Who?”
“The name is… Kim Cheolsu.”
“How many people?”
“One.”
“…?”
The platoon leader’s face twisted in disbelief.
What kind of lunatic would apply to solo a level-restricted dungeon?
He snatched the tablet from the soldier’s hands. The name sat there in plain text.
Applicant: Kim Cheolsu (Application Complete)
“…Is this guy insane?”
But then—
“Excuse me.”
A man approached them calmly.
It was Dojin.
The platoon leader stared at the lone arrival, visibly flustered. Sunglasses and a mask. The intent to conceal his identity was obvious.
“…Are you Kim Cheolsu?”
“Yes.”
Dojin gave a small nod.
The platoon leader scanned him from head to toe. No hunter equipment. Just ordinary clothes, like he was heading out for a casual stroll.
“Are you a hunter?” the platoon leader asked, suspicion thick in his voice.
“Yes.”
“…We’ll need to verify that.”
He brought over a mana meter. Dojin placed his hand on it.
Vrrrr.
A normal mana response appeared. He was indeed a hunter.
Still, the platoon leader pressed, “You do realize that’s a Level 10 or lower dungeon, right?”
“Yes.”
It also had a strict six-person maximum. Even hunters from major guilds, fully geared with top-tier items, had failed to clear it. And now this man with nothing but the clothes on his back wanted to try it alone?
Fuck… If you’re going to kill yourself, do it somewhere else. What rotten luck.
He had heard stories. People who had given up on life and entered dungeons just to die.
The platoon leader scratched his head roughly.
“Look, you’re an awakened. You’ve got a bright future ahead of you. Why throw it away like this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Sigh… I’m saying it’s impossible alone. Even the Legend Guild failed here.”
Legend was one of South Korea’s top guilds. Their failure essentially meant the dungeon was unconquerable.
Yet Dojin simply shook his head.
“It’s fine.”
“Haa…”
The platoon leader’s face grew increasingly anxious. But there was an unwritten rule: never interfere with a hunter’s decision.
Since the verification had passed, he could say nothing more.
I give up.
The platoon leader resigned himself. These people lived in a world normal humans like him could never understand.
He finally nodded.
“Understood. You may enter. But if it gets too dangerous, run immediately. Escaping is far braver than dying a meaningless death.”
“Thank you for the advice.”
Dojin turned and walked toward the dungeon without hesitation.
Once he had disappeared inside, the platoon leader let out a long sigh.
“…Just come back alive, at least.”
His expression remained troubled as he stared at the gate.
About ten minutes later—
“P-Pl-Pl-Platoon leader! The d-dungeon! The dungeon…!”
“…No way.”
The dungeon had been cleared.
The slightly dizzying sensation of transition.
It hadn’t been long, yet the feeling of entering a dungeon again felt strangely nostalgic.
Dojin looked around the interior.
Black Grolling's Nest
Level 10 / Max 6 People
Clear Condition: Eliminate Black Grolling (0/300)
It was just as the information described—an eerie, damp place. The forest reeked of a strange stench, and the ground was a wet marshland.
Black Grollings were small monsters that stood about waist-high with gray skin, fat bodies, and slow movements. Individually they were among the weakest creatures imaginable.
But three hundred of them…
“So that’s why clearing it was considered impossible.”
Level 10 with a six-person limit. Once the number exceeded two hundred, the difficulty skyrocketed beyond reason.
Dojin scanned his surroundings.
“Grrk, grrk!”
“Grrrrk!”
From beyond the darkened bushes came the sound of phlegmy wheezing. A swarm of Black Grollings appeared—easily over a hundred.
Their movements were sluggish, but the poison they used was extremely dangerous to low-level hunters. Most hunters at Level 10 were still inexperienced rookies.
Even with item support, you can’t share experience.
Unexpected variables always appeared inside real dungeons. Leading a team through them flexibly was no easy task, even for high-level hunters.
Srrrng.
Dojin drew his dagger. He had no intention of staying long in this foul-smelling place. Besides…
This is the perfect spot to test my skills.
The soggy ground was annoying, but it would have to do.
Swish!
Dojin launched himself toward the Black Grollings.
“Time Distortion.”
Time Distortion
All living beings within a 5-meter radius are slowed by 1.5x to 1.6x.
The moment the skill activated—
“…Huh?”
It felt as if the entire world had slowed down.
Yet while the Black Grollings appeared sluggish, the wind brushing his cheek remained normal.
So only ‘living beings’ inside the area are affected…?
That meant anything that wasn’t alive would move at regular speed.
I’ll have to test that later.
Dojin looked at the nearest Black Grolling. At his current level, he could only maintain the skill for three seconds.
The Reset trait activates on critical hits.
The first thing to confirm was his unique trait, Reset.
He swiftly moved behind the creature and drove his dagger into the back of its neck.
Thud!
It was a perfect strike—more of an instant kill than a critical hit.
Acquired 128 experience.
Level increased.
Reset condition met. Time Distortion cooldown has been reset.
“…!”
It had really reset.
The three seconds that had run out reversed, and time slowed once again.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Acquired 128 experience.
Acquired 128 experience.
Acquired 128 experience.
From the Black Grollings’ perspective, Dojin must have looked like he was vanishing.
They flailed wildly, trying to attack him, but—
Whoosh!
Their strikes never came close.
Thud! Thud!
One strike, one kill.
The experience messages kept appearing in the air.
Acquired 128 experience.
Acquired 128 experience.
Acquired 128 experience.
It took just over ten minutes to slaughter more than five hundred Black Grollings.
“…Is it over?”
Even for Black Grollings, that was an absurd number.
Dojin looked down at the corpses littering the ground. He always kept his composure, yet even he found the result hard to believe.
Vrrrr!
An exit began to form—the portal that appeared only after a dungeon was cleared.
Dojin immediately opened his status window.
“Level 12…”
An excessive gain for only ten minutes of hunting. Of course, leveling would slow down from here on.
Dojin allocated his bonus stats primarily into agility, then examined his unique trait and skill once more.
“Better than I expected.”
To think he had cleared a dungeon no one had ever conquered, and this quickly.
“It’ll be easier to draw attention now.”
Dojin glanced at his smartphone screen.
[List of Southern Gyeonggi Hunter Guilds.]
Once he left the dungeon and news of the clear spread, people would start following him.
I hope the ones who come are useful.
He slipped the phone back into his bag and stepped through the newly formed exit without hesitation.
The moment Dojin emerged from the dungeon—
“H-Hiiiiik!”
The soldiers stared at him as if they had seen a ghost.
“M-Master!”
Hyejin was the master of the Firebird Guild.
While not one of the absolute top guilds in Korea, Firebird still held enough fame that people recognized its name.
Hyejin tilted her head as Seonggwang came running in a panic. He was usually excitable, but today he seemed especially worked up.
“What is it?”
“The Black Grolling’s Nest in Hwaseong has been cleared!”
“The Black Grolling’s Nest?”
Hyejin’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“You mean the one scheduled for a dungeon break tomorrow?”
“Yes!”
“Hmm… A dungeon that stayed uncleared all this time was suddenly cleared… Which team took it on?”
Had one of the major guilds formed a new rookie team? Clearing the Black Grolling’s Nest would mean they had quite talented newcomers.
But Seonggwang shook his head.
“It wasn’t a team. They say one person cleared it.”
“…?”
What kind of nonsense was that?
“Level 10, six-person limit. Correct?”
“Yes.”
“And one person cleared it?”
“Yes! I confirmed it multiple times with the soldiers guarding the gate!”
Hyejin shot up from her seat. If what he said was true, Seonggwang’s hysteria made perfect sense.
“What about the hunter? What’s his name? Which guild is he with?”
“J-Just a moment.”
Seonggwang hurriedly checked the documents.
“He isn’t even registered with the Hunter Association. No affiliation either…”
“His name?”
“It’s… Kim Cheolsu.”
“…Kim Cheolsu?”
“Yes, Kim Cheolsu.”
Obviously a fake name. Anyone could see that.
Hyejin let out a soft sound.
“…Ah.”
“Sorry?”
Seonggwang tilted his head. Her voice had been too quiet for him to catch.
But then—
“Find him! Find him right now and bring him to me!”
“Whoa!”
Hyejin roared. Seonggwang fell backward in shock. She pointed at him.
“Find him no matter what and bring him to our Firebird Guild! No matter whaaaat!”
He absolutely had to be found.