Pathfinder Jang Lee-hyun (1)
Jang Lee-hyun thought his life resembled a pearl.
A pearl formed only after sifting through endless layers of mud.
Though he had grown up as an orphan without parents and endured every hardship imaginable, his life had always been a continuous streak of glory.
Top admission and early graduation from the Awakener Officer Academy’s 17th class.
Becoming the world’s youngest ranker and leading a special task force.
It was a life that shone as brilliantly as his dazzling career suggested.
But…….
Severe fatigue has set in.
Fatigue Level: 91
Current Condition: ‘Near Death’.
This descending curse, ‘Ring of Bitter Cold,’ is forcibly sealing your magic circuits.
Core has been damaged. You can no longer operate magic power.
In the dungeon of absolute zero, where even breath froze solid in an instant.
The 4-star dungeon that had appeared after twenty years—the Ice Palace—had been turned into utter chaos by countless fierce battles.
Gyeong-ryeol.
His classmate, who had always been quick to complain, had died protecting him with a hole punched through his heart.
Mi-ryeong.
The junior who respected him despite being only two years younger had half her upper body torn away and frozen to death.
They were not the only ones.
Everywhere, the unit members who had laughed and chatted with him lay dead or gravely wounded.
The 66th Special Task Force.
The elite unit known as the Awakener unit—or Cheongroe—which had performed with such brilliance, had suffered a blow close to total annihilation.
Vision damage is too severe.
The ‘Curse of Bitter Cold’ is paralyzing the optic nerve. ‘Blindness’ status has been added.
Jang Lee-hyun wanted to burn the sight of his comrades into his eyes, but ice crystals were already covering his vision, making it impossible to see properly.
The curse obtained from defeating the boss monster of the Ice Palace—the Snow Queen.
Even in death, she had refused to go down easily.
“……Why the hell did you do it?”
Jang Lee-hyun approached the person closest to him.
Mun Su-chan.
From the same orphanage, the man he had spent more than twenty years with all the way through the academy.
Like an older brother. No—like a parent.
“Heh…… You crying? ……Man, a grown-ass guy…… bawling like that……”
Yet a dagger was buried in his heart, and he was coughing out his final breaths.
His trembling lips were still smiling.
He had always been a man who smiled a lot.
“Why the hell did you do it?!”
“Because…… my stupid little brother…… was about to get himself killed…… so his big brother had to save him…… who else was gonna do it……?”
When Jang Lee-hyun had risked destroying his own magic core to land the final blow on the Snow Queen, he had never expected the betrayal that followed.
Four squad members who coveted the Snow Queen’s holy relic had ambushed him from behind.
The situation had been too urgent. He had barely killed two of them, but he couldn’t stop the other two.
In the end the relic was stolen, and he was left on the brink of death.
That was when Mun Su-chan stepped in.
He had taken the blade meant for Jang Lee-hyun.
The traitors fled before the surviving squad members could restrain them.
The shock to Jang Lee-hyun had been devastating. One of the traitors had been his own lover.
“Goddammit! After pulling shit like this, what—you think I’ll thank you?”
“Of course not…… you rude bastard……”
“Just wait here. There have to be healers outside the dungeon—I’ll bring them—!”
Mun Su-chan grabbed the wrist of Jang Lee-hyun, who was trying to rush outside.
“Don’t…… go. It’s already…… over for me……”
“What the hell do you mean it’s over! I’ll get you out of here somehow—!”
“You…… can’t see anymore, can you?”
Jang Lee-hyun’s body froze.
Mun Su-chan’s smile deepened.
Golden eyes.
The Golden Eyes that had also been his codename drew a gentle arc.
“Like always…… you can’t lie…… So don’t walk around with your guard down and get stabbed in the back like an idiot. That’s why I told you…… right? Not to trust people too much…… I said that guy wasn’t worth it……”
“I get it. I get it, so stop talking! I’m bringing a healer!”
“Take my eyes.”
Mun Su-chan struggled to lift his head.
In those transparent golden pupils, like mirrors, Jang Lee-hyun’s tear-streaked face was reflected.
“What are you—”
“You know what my eyes are…… right? This is the end for me here…… but for you…… it isn’t over yet.”
Unknown to the outside world, Mun Su-chan’s eyes were a holy relic.
Hwaan Geumjeong.
The eyes that revealed truth, said to contain the legend of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong.
Mun Su-chan had once said he obtained the ability from a cave he discovered while playing in the mountains as a child.
He had received it as a gift after playing with monkey immortals.
Ever since, Mun Su-chan had been Jang Lee-hyun’s most reliable ally.
He always took the lead to open the path, scouting ahead and checking for ambushes.
It was no exaggeration to say the fate of the entire unit rested in his hands.
Pathfinder.
Guide.
Mun Su-chan had always proudly declared that his two eyes—which could help Jang Lee-hyun—were his greatest pride.
“Don’t say crap like that! Even if you offered them I wouldn’t take them, so just get up already!”
“Live for my share too. Work hard.”
“Hyung!”
“Use it sparingly…… and live well……”
Slowly, Mun Su-chan’s eyes began to close.
“No! Open your eyes! Please!”
Jang Lee-hyun poured every potion he carried into Mun Su-chan. He shouted at the remaining squad members to bring reinforcements immediately.
“But…… our little brother…… I always thought you were handsome…… but up close like this, you’re actually kind of ugly……”
Thud.
But Mun Su-chan simply slumped forward, smile still on his face.
Jang Lee-hyun’s wail filled the dungeon.
Boss monster subjugation complete. Dungeon quest cleared successfully.
The dungeon is closing. All personnel, please retreat to the safe zone.
10
9
……
And then,
four years passed.
The Broken Ranker Chews Up Myths Chapter 1
Pathfinder Jang Lee-hyun (1)
It’s still chilly.
More than a week had passed since March began, yet the freezing wind that had lingered all winter refused to relent.
White Burn.
Even though it was called the best guild in South Korea, things were no different.
They didn’t walk around armed with items outside of dungeons.
That would just get you labeled an idiot.
While Deputy Min was lost in the pointless thought of why items looked so much like cosplay,
a voice from the side startled him.
“It’s freezing. Why aren’t they here yet?”
A tall woman who looked over 170 centimeters.
With her hair tied up roughly and sharp eyes, she had a cigarette between her lips.
Smoking in the park was strictly illegal.
Yet none of the thirty guild members pointed it out.
They simply glanced away and pretended not to notice.
That was because she was not only the leader of this raid team but also the granddaughter of the guild master.
Lim Won-young.
A skilled ranker who had reached that status at the young age of thirty-one.
Giving unsolicited advice to someone who might become the next guild leader?
Even if a hunter’s life is a reckless one where you never know when you’ll die, that’s pushing it.
As corporate workers steeped in Korean office culture, they lacked the courage.
They simply chose not to see it.
That’s probably why no one—not a single person—has pointed out that there’s still more than ten minutes until the actual meeting time.
While Deputy Min was glancing at his watch and thinking like any ordinary citizen, it happened.
Huh?
He was slightly surprised to see the man approaching the park.
The large bag on his back suggested it was the person they were supposed to meet, but the face was far too familiar.
“Wait, I thought it was just a coincidence with the name! It really is you?!”
“Min Gyeong-su?”
The man—Jang Lee-hyun—reacted as well.
“Yeah, dumbass! Wow, after I heard you suddenly discharged four years ago I kept wondering what you were up to……”
Deputy Min trailed off, looking Jang Lee-hyun up and down before smiling awkwardly.
Unlike their neat attire, Jang Lee-hyun was dressed in shabby clothes that looked like they had come straight from a donation bin.
“Yeah. Living well is what matters. Anyway, good to see you. For real.”
“Deputy Min, you know the pathfinder?”
At that moment Lim Won-young approached from behind, heels clicking. The cigarette between her lips had grown noticeably shorter.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Jang Lee-hyun.”
“I’m Lim Won-young. We saw each other at the preliminary meeting, didn’t we?”
Jang Lee-hyun shook her hand and nodded bluntly.
“Yes. I remember you were with Team Leader Cha.”
“That’s right. Team Leader Cha recommended you strongly, so there’s quite a bit of anticipation inside the guild.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“What we want isn’t your best. It’s results.”
“Yes. I’ll do my best.”
Even under Lim Won-young’s continued pressure, Jang Lee-hyun didn’t blink once.
Lim Won-young’s expression shifted to one that said, Oh? It looked amused.
“So you and Deputy Min are friends? Classmates? Elementary? Middle school?”
“We were classmates at the officer academy.”
“Classmates?”
Lim Won-young’s eyes widened slightly.
The other hunters listening to the conversation reacted the same way. They couldn’t hide the ‘This guy?’ look in their eyes.
It was understandable. The officer academy Deputy Min mentioned was the national specialized training school for awakeners—the Awakener Officer Academy.
Commonly shortened to Awakener Academy or simply the Academy.
A place known to accept only the elite among hunter hopefuls.
Even if they didn’t commission as officers, most graduates were scouted by famous guilds or overseas organizations.
Yet the person standing before them was a pathfinder.
Someone who mainly found paths inside dungeons, ran errands for the raid team during battle, or—in the worst cases—served as a meat shield.
In other words, the lowest rank in any raid team.
And that person was an Academy graduate?
“This friend was one of the greatest prides of our 17th class.”
When even Deputy Min chimed in, the suspicious stares finally eased.
But the hunters didn’t miss that he had used the past tense.
Nor the faint mockery mixed in.
A dropout, huh.
Mental contamination? Or just plain PTSD?
Whatever it is, I hope he doesn’t pull any villain crap inside the dungeon.
The dungeon they were responsible for this time was the Monkey’s Den.
It was only a 2-star dungeon, yet it was a labyrinth that had resisted clearing for over a year.
The damage so far had been considerable, so they could only hope Jang Lee-hyun wouldn’t become a burden.
Unlike the worried glances around him, however, Lim Won-young laughed brightly.
“I’m an academy graduate too. 15th class. Funny to meet an alumnus here.”
“Nice to meet you, senior.”
“No need for ‘senior’ now that we’re out in society. Still, school ties aren’t always a bad thing, so let’s work well together.”
Lim Won-young’s impression of Jang Lee-hyun was favorable.
He had arrived exactly on time despite her grumbling about the cold, and he showed no sign of fear even in the tense atmosphere of the raid team.
“Then let’s head in. We can talk details on the way.”
Following Lim Won-young’s lead, Jang Lee-hyun and White Burn’s raid team Great Tiger stepped through the gate.
* * *
Dungeon entry complete!
Dungeon: ‘Monkey’s Den’
You have stepped into a folk tale filled with all kinds of monkeys.
Monkeys are extremely cunning and sly. Overcome all their interference and clear the dungeon.
Success: Acquire ‘■■■■ of ■■’.
Failure: Degenerate into a ‘Zombie Monkey’.
Dungeons were usually based on stories well-known to the public.
The more one knew about those stories, the greater the advantage in clearing them.
But when you have no idea what the story is, it’s pretty damn frustrating.
This was exactly why White Burn had hired Jang Lee-hyun separately instead of using their own exploration team.
At first I wondered why we had to pay a pathfinder that much money…… but I see now.
Lim Won-young watched Jang Lee-hyun with a strange look as he cut through the knee-high undergrowth with a jungle knife and scanned the surroundings.
As expected, Jang Lee-hyun was clearly on another level compared to the clumsy pathfinders they had used before.
He was the real deal—so much so that even Lim Won-young, who strongly desired to fill the guild with her own people, felt tempted.
“This way.”
Even at confusing forks he never hesitated in his choice.
“Stop.”
When he gave the signal to halt, traps activated as if on cue, yet no one was injured by so much as a hair.
They had even safely passed the monkey swarm attack that had caused heavy losses in previous attempts.
“Whoa, the path isn’t looping at all and everything’s correct? Did he scout the dungeon beforehand?”
“That wouldn’t make sense. We would’ve cleared it already if he had.”
“I’m just saying. But seriously, the more I watch the more impressive it gets. Or maybe his trait is Prophet?”
“Would a Prophet work as a pathfinder? Must’ve learned some tricks at the Academy.”
The team members who had initially doubted Jang Lee-hyun’s skills now looked at him with open wonder.
A forest path that twisted like a maze.
Traps that triggered at any moment.
The sweet fruit scent that caused hallucinations.
And the zombie monkeys that constantly tried to kidnap hunters.
Zombie monkeys had the habit of turning kidnapped people into zombies to use as comrades.
It was utterly horrifying when zombies wearing the faces of former colleagues suddenly popped out from the trees.
Because of that, there had even been talk upstairs about raising the Monkey’s Den to 3-star difficulty, but for unknown reasons it was always rejected and a new raid team was sent in.
Yet this time……
We’ve reached the middle section with zero casualties. It’s all thanks to Hunter Jang.
It hadn’t even felt that difficult.
On the surface he just looks like a limp with terrible stamina.
Lim Won-young found it fascinating how Jang Lee-hyun avoided every trap despite his limping gait.
The occasional golden glow in his eyes is strange too. A skill? But I don’t sense any magic power…… If it’s an authority, a ranker wouldn’t be doing this kind of work.
While analyzing him, Lim Won-young suddenly tilted her head.
Jang Lee-hyun, Jang Lee-hyun…… I feel like I’ve heard that name before. Where did I hear it?
“Deputy Min.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
The tanker, Min Gyeong-su, hurried over.
Whoa, she really is stunning up close.
Min Gyeong-su flinched when Lim Won-young suddenly leaned in close.
Her striking features had apparently earned her several offers from the entertainment industry.
“What was your relationship with Hunter Jang back at the Academy?”
Min Gyeong-su forcibly suppressed the jealousy that surged up.
“Are you interested in him?”
“Talent is always welcome. You said he was the pride of the 17th class?”
Min Gyeong-su scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“Yes. If you asked anyone from the 17th class, there probably isn’t a single person who doesn’t know him.”
“Stop stalling and give me the details.”
“Ah, this is confidential……”
Confidential?
Lim Won-young’s eyes flashed.
“Don’t tell me he was in Cheongroe?”
Cheongroe was a unit that only the top graduates from the Awakener Officer Academy could apply to.
“This really can’t leave this conversation, Team Leader. You’re the only one who should know.”
Min Gyeong-su leaned close to her ear and whispered.
“Do you remember the Gangneung incident from four years ago?”
“He participated?”
“It’s more than that. That friend was the one in charge there.”
“……!?”
Lim Won-young’s eyes widened.
Only now did she remember why the name had sounded familiar.
“Then Jet……?”
“Yes. It’s him.”
In that instant, Lim Won-young’s eyes sparkled like someone who had discovered a hidden treasure.
* * *
Jet. It’s been a while since I heard that codename.
Jang Lee-hyun smiled bitterly as he cleared the path ahead.
Lim Won-young and Min Gyeong-su had probably thought they were whispering quietly, but thanks to old habits, he could hear every word perfectly.
In truth, Jet was the name Mun Su-chan had given him.
It meant to become the face of Cheongroe—Blue Jet.
Mun Su-chan’s shadow had remained in every corner of his life.
Hyung.
Jang Lee-hyun briefly stroked his eyes with his left hand.
The golden-glowing eyes.
Hwaan Geumjeong.
His brother’s warmth was still protecting him even years later.
Using that warmth as his foundation, Jang Lee-hyun had chased the traitors who killed his brother.
For four years. Not a single day skipped.
He had refused his mentor’s request to become an instructor or professor at the Awakener Officer Academy for that very reason.
At the same time, he had never stopped searching for a way to regain his power so he could personally execute the traitors when he finally met them.
Of course, it hadn’t been easy.
In modern medicine, a curse from a 4-star boss monster was practically an incurable disease.
But,
What if this lofty being could lift the curse or replace it with something else?
Jang Lee-hyun believed that Sun Wukong—the original master of the Hwaan Geumjeong—could help him.
There had been a few pieces of information from Mun Su-chan.
The owner of the Hwaan Geumjeong resides in a place connected to monkeys. Find him. With him, you…… will be able to do anything.
So he had poured in tremendous effort to locate Sun Wukong, and
finally,
The ‘Holy Relic: Hwaan Geumjeong’ is activating. Due to insufficient magic power, the authority’s effect is minimal.
Hwaan Geumjeong detects a familiar trace inside the ‘Monkey’s Den.’