Into the Dungeon, Part 1

A month had passed since I joined Dio Guild.

Because I had to go through the internship process as a rookie hunter, the days I spent at the factory had grown fewer. People said there was no such thing as a proper workplace when the boss was away, but my absence had been covered beautifully by Karki and the foreman.

"Boss, don't worry. I'll keep a good eye on those foreign worker bastards so they don't slack off!"

"Yeah. Yongki. Leave the place to us."

Before I knew it, I had ended up living a three-job life as a factory boss, a hunter, and a hero. Still, with reliable people beside me, I felt strangely reassured.

The Dio Guild internship was mainly about information and training.

"From the moment a Gate Break begins, a hunter's job is rapid deployment. And then, closing it."

Six men and women sat in front of the instructor. They were the rookie hunters newly recruited this time around.

"During the closing process, you have to make sure no other monsters burst out of the Gate and into the outside world…"

The instructor, pointing at the screen with a laser pointer, went by the name of Nike. Dio Guild took its name from the Greek language, and so every hunter on staff had a call sign of their own. For the record, Seo Gwang-pal's was Dionysus, the god of wine.

"There are thousands of dungeon types, as we learned last time. But they're usually divided into five broad categories."

Everyone reacted differently to the lecture. I was the only one taking notes in earnest. Bang Su-hwan had apparently hit that post-lunch sleepiness and was nodding off. Lee Ji-jun yawned, his mouth hanging open. Ha Se-na, the only female hunter, sat with her arms crossed, saying nothing. The remaining two only nodded along to the instructor's words out of obligation.

Nike continued, "Has anyone here actually been inside a dungeon?"

Two people raised their hands: Lee Ji-jun and Ha Se-na.

Nike's rank was A-class. At a glance, he seemed comparable to Lee Ji-jun, whose expected rank had also reached A-class, but in reality the two were nothing alike. Lee Ji-jun merely had the potential to become A-class, while Nike already possessed A-class strength. Add real combat experience into the mix, and the difference between them was as vast as heaven and earth.

An expected rank was only a regressor's first report card. After that came the long, grueling road of refinement.

"Good. Lee Ji-jun Hunter, that makes sense since you worked at another guild. And you, Ha Se-na Hunter?"

"I worked as a free hunter. Mostly as a healer."

"I see. Then what's the most important thing to keep in mind inside a dungeon? Bang Su-hwan Hunter?"

Bang Su-hwan, who had just woken up, startled and wiped the drool from his mouth.

"Uh, well… I mean… killing the boss monster?"

"Hmm. Not wrong. You do have to kill the boss monster before the Gate closes. But there's something even more important. Lee Ji-jun Hunter?"

Lee Ji-jun swept back his silver hair and gave a faint smirk. "You have to secure the loot. If we're risking our lives fighting, we can't come back empty-handed."

"That's true as well. But it still isn't the answer I'm looking for."

The instructor looked around at everyone, then fixed his gaze on me. "Choi Yongki Hunter?"

I set my pen down. The answer didn't take long.

"Survival."

I had never once entered a dungeon in my previous life, but I knew well ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enough how dangerous they were. Monsters could burst from every direction, toxic gas could spew out, and all sorts of strange races could be encountered. It was a place where all manner of unpredictable things happened. Hunter deaths inside dungeons were common enough to be routine.

"Survival, huh…"

Nike stroked his chin. He still didn't agree with me. Instead, he raised a counterargument.

"What if, in your panic to protect your own life, you run out of the Gate—only for a swarm of monsters to spill out right behind you?"

That was exactly what the Big Lava incident in Eunpyeong District had been like. If the Gate failed to close properly, monsters would burst into the world and run wild. In that case, innocent civilians would end up paying the price.

It was a difficult problem. Should you protect the many at the expense of the few? Or sacrifice the few for the many?

But I didn't waver before the dilemma Nike had thrown at me. I had my own convictions. I knew the path a hero was supposed to take.

"I'll stay behind."

That was, by hunter rules, the wrong answer. According to the instructor's orders, a team had to move together no matter what, and cooperation had to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠come first. Acting alone only harmed the group.

And yet, ironically enough, the answer I gave was the one that could save the team.

"I'll fight to the very end by myself and let the others get out."

Bang Su-hwan, who had been wiping his mouth, and Lee Ji-jun, who had worn that lazy expression a moment ago, both turned to look at me. Even Ha Se-na, who had been standing guard defensively, uncrossed her arms and turned her head my way.

Nike let out a faint smile. "Choi Yongki Hunter. I'm curious whether you'd really be able to act that way if the situation actually came."

The air in the classroom tightened, filling with an invisible tension.

I lifted my head and looked at Nike. "I have a question. What answer were you hoping for, Instructor?"

"The most important thing is trust. From my experience, believing in your team and staying with them in a crisis is the best response."

I wrote the word trust in my notebook and circled it. Then I added a question mark. Trust, huh.

Somewhere, a stomach growled. Bang Su-hwan clutched his empty belly and gave an awkward laugh.

Nike checked the time. "That's all for today. Eat lunch well, and this afternoon go to the training room for physical conditioning. Ah, right—"

He went on, "Two weeks from now, all of you will be deployed into the field."

By field deployment, he meant real combat.

In other words, entering a dungeon.

* * *

I woke to the sound of my alarm clock.

It was 3:55 a.m. I had to be at Dio Guild by 9:00. If I subtracted the hour it would take to wash up, get dressed, and arrive, I still had about four hours left.

What was I going to do with that time?

Move.

I washed my face, got dressed, and headed out of the house. The cold wind grazing my cheeks blew away the last traces of sleep. A garbage truck rumbled past the road, which was glittering with garish neon signs. Empty soju bottles rolled around beside the homeless people sleeping face-down at the curb.

"Hey there, handsome!"

In the alley, prostitutes in revealing clothes beckoned to me with seductive waves, trying to catch one last customer for the night.

I ignored them and kept running.

With every step, I focused and poured mana into my feet. Mana running. It took about forty minutes to cover roughly ten kilometers.

I pulled off the hoodie I was wearing and entered the park. At the water fountain, I turned on the tap, bent over, and drank. Only when the cold liquid slid down my throat did I finally feel alive again.

Once my stamina had returned, I stood in the open field and did a mid-run checkup.

"Let's see."

I clicked on the empty air and summoned the system window.

Those were the abilities I'd acquired so far. I muttered at the numbers.

"Nine hundred seventy-four million..."

The amount that had once been well over a billion won had already shrunk quite a bit. What would happen when I spent it all? It was a question I'd been turning over for a long time, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I still had no clear answer. The one conclusion I'd reached was simple: become stronger until the day I ran out of money.

My goal was to become a hero who could stand on his own without leaning on the balance. Even while I ran the factory and came and went from Dio Guild, there was one thing I never skipped for a single day. Training.

After mana running, the next thing I did was...

"Huff. Hah!"

I drove my fist into the empty air using Judgment of the Superhuman.

Compress mana into my fist and release it in a violent burst. This skill didn't cost me a single won unless it actually landed a hit. To be able to use a technique comparable to an S-class hunter's at will, and for free at that, was nothing short of the most efficient high-end training method imaginable.

By the time my whole body was soaked through with sweat...

"Good. A thousand reps. Okay."

Hurling Judgment of the Superhuman a thousand times had become familiar now. At first it had taken all day, but these days I could manage it in about three hours. To become the strongest hero, I trained myself every day without wasting a single hour, like a monk on a vow of discipline.

It should be about time for it to show up.

My talent was Purchase. As long as there was balance left, new products would eventually appear. After Super Kid and Speeder, I wanted another hero.

And as if the heavens had heard me, ding.

I quickly grasped the meaning of the short, one-line mission. Direct. I like it.

I had to clash with a strong person. There was no need for a life-and-death fight like the one I had with Go Ju-hun. Sparring should be enough if we exchanged a few blows within a fixed space.

The only question was the standard.

Who exactly counts as a strong opponent?

Just then, a phone call came in. When I answered, a familiar voice rang out on the other end.

My close friend Karki.

Every day I was born anew. Thanks to Karki, even Purple Devil kept getting upgraded day by day.

"I'll come by on the weekend."

After ending the call, I dashed back into the city.

* * *

"We'll be doing sparring."

As soon as Nike spoke, I snapped fully awake.

Did he know about the hero mission?

No way.

It had to be a coincidence. Sparring was a common training method.

"Pair up in twos and practice taking your opponent down. No striking, though."

I hurriedly looked for a partner. Who would be best? If I wanted someone who qualified as a strong opponent, then the answer was obvious.

"Lee Ji-jun. Come on, spar with me."

"Oh? A challenge? I like it. Bring it on."

For a while, Lee Ji-jun and I kept wrestling.

Bang!

The one who kept going down over and over ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠again was me.

Lee Ji-jun tilted his head. "Huh? Why are you so weak?"

Of course. If I didn't use Judgment of the Superhuman, I was nothing more than an F-class hunter.

Lee Ji-jun frowned. "Wait. Are you going easy on me?"

I didn't feel like explaining it all in detail, so I kept my mouth shut. What held my attention was the blue window.

Failure.

Lee Ji-jun didn't qualify as a strong opponent.

Why? Because his expected rank was only B-class?

"All right, switch partners."

Following Nike's instructions, I changed partners. Bang Su-hwan, Ha Se-na, every other hunter here, even Nike himself when I asked him to demonstrate—none of it worked.

Each time I checked, the mission still sat there at 0/1.

By then I was grinding my teeth. Damn it. Had I misunderstood the mission? Was a strong opponent not necessarily human? Or did it mean power in terms of authority rather than physical strength?

Who the hell am I supposed to fight…

While I was thinking that over, someone came clattering into the training room.

Nike snapped to attention. "Good day, sir!"

"Yeah, sure. Hey, do you have a mana grip tester around here? The information team says they need to update my personal records, so they told me to come and get measured. What a pain in the ass."

He pouted and complained. Then, as his gaze wandered, it landed on me.

"Hm?"

The strongest hunter in Dio Guild. S-class hunter Na Sang-min.

"Hey, Choi Yongki. What the hell are you staring at?"

Maybe he still held a grudge against me, because Na Sang-min sent me a threatening look. The rookie hunters all shrank back from him. Only I was smiling inside.

This is my chance.

I lowered my head and spoke. "Na Hunter, if you don't mind, could you spare us a little guidance?"

He let out a dry laugh. "What the hell are you talking about? You think I've got time to babysit scraps like you?"

Nike looked uneasy and bowed his head in apology. "I'm sorry, Na Hunter. They're still new, so they don't know any better…"

"Choi Yongki's got a hell of a big mouth, that's what. Hey, Nike. Teach him properly, got it? Tch."

"Yes, sir. Understood."

Na Sang-min turned away.

Before we stepped into that dangerous dungeon, I needed to secure a new hero. No choice. If begging didn't work, then...

I spoke to the back of Na Sang-min's head. "Are you trying to run away?"

At once, the whole room went still, as if everyone had swallowed at once. Mana flared from Na Sang-min's turned back like wildfire.

"You little bastard. You really want to die?"

No, I didn't want to die. But if the alternative was living out the rest of my life as some half-baked nobody, or dying a coward...

"Come at me, senior."

I spread my hand and threw down a challenge to the champion.