Chapter 15
Chapter 15
User Joo Do-gyeom has displayed an unprecedented playstyle in the Broken Arms Factory dungeon.
Successfully hunted all monsters without destroying the core.
Party play in progress. Contribution rate measured: 100%.
Overwhelming performance.
Magic Rank increased: E → E+
Clear reward: Magic Stones significantly increased.
Return to Earth? Y/N
The moment Do-gyeom struck the fatal fissure on the boss monster, these messages appeared before him.
Frankly, even he was surprised.
'I didn't expect there to be a hidden piece like this.'
A "hidden piece" wasn't something the system explicitly labeled—it was any undiscovered strategy that yielded extra rewards.
Among modern hunters, that was the accepted definition.
And because of that, Do-gyeom's mood improved considerably.
He hadn't even used future knowledge—he'd just been too lazy to hunt down each core one by one, so he'd wiped them all out with Mandatory Death Eye. Yet, the system recognized it as an unconventional playstyle and rewarded him accordingly.
Compared to his previous achievements, the rewards were modest(?), but they still far surpassed a normal clear.
Most importantly, he had initially thought the only gain from this dungeon would be Kim Han-yul as an ally. So the extra rewards were a welcome bonus.
A New Teammate
Either way, from that day onward, Kim Han-yul officially became part of Do-gyeom's team.
They exchanged numbers and finally learned each other's ages.
Do-gyeom: 26.
Han-yul: 27.
She was a year older, but they agreed to drop formalities. It was more comfortable that way, and their roles as leader and subordinate made it natural.
While braising magic stones at home, Do-gyeom checked his email.
'Still unread.'
Should he call that typical of Vivien?
He had expected as much, so he closed his phone without lingering disappointment.
'She'll read it eventually.'
Meeting Han-yul at this point had been unexpected.
But in terms of results? Not bad.
No—actually, it was great.
With Han-yul as an ally, his immediate options had expanded.
Now, what should he prioritize?
What would be the most efficient path?
'Which road should I take...?'
Would history repeat itself like before?
As Do-gyeom sank into deep thought, his eyes cold and calculating, a message arrived from Han-yul.
[Han-yul] - By the way, Team Leader. What's our party composition?
To reiterate, standard dungeon parties maxed out at three members, each with distinct roles.
First, the Head Hunter—the primary damage dealer specializing in boss fights. Strong in one-on-one combat but weak against hordes.
Next, the Cleaner—the opposite. Strong against large groups but weaker in solo engagements.
Most hunter abilities leaned heavily toward one or the other, making this division necessary.
Finally, the Housekeeper—the support role, handling healing and utility.
But Do-gyeom's party didn't need to strictly adhere to these roles.
Why?
Because he could handle both Head Hunter and Cleaner duties alone.
Sure, if they faced a truly powerful boss later, things might change—but for now, it wasn't an issue.
Han-yul was similar.
She excelled as both a Cleaner and a Housekeeper.
But they still needed to decide where to focus her abilities.
Her Implementation Art had limited slots, and what she filled them with would shape their strategy.
After some thought, the answer was simple.
[Do-gyeom] - You'll be the Housekeeper.
[Han-yul] - So you're the Head Hunter? Wait, you can do Cleaner too, right?
[Do-gyeom] - Correct.
[Han-yul] - Then I should fill most of my slots with support items.
[Do-gyeom] - Good idea. But keep the boss monster summon. It'll be useful for a while.
[Han-yul] - Was planning to anyway. Oh, but there's a problem—the boss takes up two slots.
[Do-gyeom] - Didn't know that. Is that an issue?
[Han-yul] - Not necessarily. Just means I'll have less room if we need other things.
[Do-gyeom] - How many slots do you have left?
[Han-yul] - Five, excluding the MK-II. Thanks to you, I jumped two ranks.
Do-gyeom paused, thinking.
'Five slots.'
The immediate necessities were transportation and non-combat protection.
[Do-gyeom] - If you made a temporary steel bunker, would it take up a lot?
[Han-yul] - Dunno? Never tried. Hold on.
Fifteen minutes later, as Do-gyeom finished braising magic stones and was about to taste them, another message arrived.
[Han-yul] - That's two more slots. Now I've got three left.
It was like an inventory—larger items took more space, and higher-grade summons did the same.
'Come to think of it, the future Han-yul used ten implementations, but she must've had way more slots.'
He took a bite.
Delicious.
His magic surged.
His cooking skills had clearly improved.
His Universal Chef skills—knife mastery, ingredient handling, magic stone braising—had all reached Level 3.
'Tomorrow, I should try braising the Corpse Giant's magic stone.'
He also wondered if other recipes would unlock.
Eating nothing but braised dishes was getting monotonous.
A problem he'd never imagined having.
'Ah, right. Not the time.'
He sent another message.
[Do-gyeom] - For the last three slots: lethal poison, a water purifier, and... chains.
[Han-yul] - Poison? Never made that before.
[Do-gyeom] - You can do it. Oh, the purifier isn't a normal one. I'll send specs—it's a magitech model. High difficulty.
[Han-yul] - Unbelievable. At this point, do you think I'm Do*raemon or something?
[Do-gyeom] - Hmm. Similar vibe, I guess.
[Han-yul] - You know you're seriously annoying, right?
Do-gyeom didn't reply.
While eating and checking messages—
[Magic Rank increased: E+ → D-]
A system alert chimed.
He'd felt his power steadily rising, but this time, his rank actually changed.
And this was right after his promotion in the Broken Arms Factory.
"...Too good."
Universal Chef.
The best profession.
Just as Do-gyeom thought that, his phone buzzed again.
[Han-yul] - Made the poison.
[Do-gyeom] - Well done. Knew you could.
[Han-yul] - But what's it for?
[Do-gyeom] - We're entering a B- dungeon.
Silence.
No reply for a long time.
Do-gyeom finished eating and got up to wash dishes—
Then his phone rang.
Not a message. A call.
Naturally, from Han-yul.
He answered.
"What's—"
Before he could finish—
"Team Leader, let me get this straight. You're saying we're going into a B- dungeon. Just the two of us?"
"If that's what I said, then yes."
"ARE YOU INSANE!?"
Han-yul's voice exploded.
Do-gyeom pulled the phone away from his ear and switched to speaker.
"My ears hurt. Stop shouting."
"HOW CAN I NOT SHOUT!? A B-RANK DUNGEON WITH JUST US!?"
Just as hunters had ranks, so did dungeons.
For example:
Zombie Burst was D-.
Broken Arms Factory was D+.
Both were considered higher difficulty than their rank suggested.
Especially Zombie Burst—with the Corpse Giant, it could arguably be considered C-.
Given that Do-gyeom had cleared it, his confidence wasn't unfounded.
Han-yul knew that.
But a B- dungeon?
That wasn't just one rank higher.
It was an entirely different dimension.
"At the very least, we'd need one more teammate of similar strength—"
"Two is enough."
"No, I— Team Leader, I know you're confident, but... Haah... What are you even basing this on?"
"What else? I trust my team."
Silence.
Then, after a pause—
The sound of Han-yul aggressively ruffling her hair.
A muffled scream, like she'd buried her face in something.
(Do-gyeom's hearing was sharp. Or maybe she was just being excessively dramatic.)
"...Haaah. Team Leader."
"Calmed down?"
"I'm seriously putting my life in your hands here. Got it? If I die, it's on you."
The absurdity made Do-gyeom chuckle.
"If there's a way to take responsibility for the dead, I will."
"Promise me."
"I promise."
"...God. Why did I even accept your offer? Ugh..."
She sighed deeply, then—
"...Fine. Let's do it."
"Good. I'll send the purifier specs now. Check and call me back."
"Hey, Team Leader."
The call ended.
Standing at the sink, Do-gyeom laughed again.
"Haha..."
'Take responsibility for the dead?'
'What, should I learn necromancy or something?'
Han-yul's Dilemma
In her bed, Han-yul let out a hollow laugh after hanging up.
"Hah... B-rank. Yeah. B-rank."
She was about to enter a dungeon she'd never even dreamed of stepping into.
With just two people.
And from what she'd heard, most of Do-gyeom's stats were still D-rank or lower.
One thing was certain.
'He's insane.'
Fighting far above his weight class? Challenging a B- dungeon?
Nothing about him was normal.
At first, she had been determined to stop him.
She'd even considered threatening to quit the team.
'We barely signed a contract anyway. Better than dying.'
She firmly believed that even the worst life was better than death.
But.
Once again, she'd been swayed.
A few words from Do-gyeom had shaken her.
'You can do it.'
'I trust my team.'
'I'll take responsibility even if you die.'
'...Is that last one even possible? Is he planning to learn necromancy?'
It was ridiculous. Absurd.
Yet, she'd nodded.
As if enchanted.
The real Han-yul wasn't like this.
She valued her life above all else.
She was pragmatic to a fault.
"Then why?"
Why did Do-gyeom's calm, almost emotionless reassurances sway her so easily?
A ridiculous thought crossed her mind, but she shook her head violently.
"Okay, he's good-looking, but not my type."
And more importantly—
"His personality is the worst."**
She was certain.
"This will NEVER turn into anything romantic."
Absolutely not!
Preparations
The magitech purifier was indeed high-difficulty.
Han-yul requested a full week to make it.
(Though that included gathering materials and other preparations.)
'Still within expected time. No issues.'
Do-gyeom braised the Corpse Giant's magic stone and ate it.
He didn't expect much.
Given his recent explosive growth, being greedy for more would be excessive.
But.
'...This is unexpected.'