Into the Goblin Den
"I'm off."
Choi Hyun-ji, dressed for work, stepped out of the house. It was only natural that she shot a displeased glance at Choi Hyun-seong, who was lounging on the sofa scratching his belly. With the sound of the door lock clicking behind her, the apartment fell silent. Their mother had prepared breakfast and left even earlier than Hyun-ji, leaving Hyun-seong alone. He recalled the events of the previous night.
'The status window was still there.'
His level had reset to the beginning, so it wasn't exactly the same, but levels meant nothing to him anyway.
'Level bonuses are whatever.'
The reason Hyun-seong had absurd stats despite being level 1 lay in his classes. Each class provided a fixed stat bonus, granted automatically upon acquisition. For someone like Hyun-seong, who possessed over a hundred classes simultaneously, stats had long since become mere numbers he barely paid attention to.
'What matters are the skills.'
Classes didn't just offer stat corrections—they came with skills too. The class he'd gained upon transferring to that other world was Puppeteer. In simple terms, a puppeteer. It allowed him to cast puppeteering on targets, turning them into puppets under his control. Rather than fighting on the front lines, it was a rear-guard style that orchestrated from afar, which was why he'd ended up as the party's supporter.
'Puppeteering plus buffs worked wonders.'
That was how, early in his time in that world, he'd acquired his first sub-class: Shaman. It hadn't been easy to learn, but through relentless effort to defeat the Demon King, he'd finally mastered it. Combining shamanic buffs that benefited the party with puppeteering had greatly amplified their power.
'All for nothing in the end.'
In any case, classes granted both stat bonuses and skills. To use a class's skills, however, one had to slot it as a sub-class—and the maximum was three at once. Hyun-seong had returned to Earth only after countless loops, endlessly acquiring classes, combining them, experimenting with skills, and uncovering synergies.
The Earth he'd come back to had changed dramatically. He'd even lost his twenties, waking up as a thirty-year-old who hadn't learned a thing. But if the grueling efforts from that world hadn't gone to waste, it was all worth it. Dungeons, monsters, hunters—everything.
"This is my expertise."
With that, Hyun-seong sprang up from the sofa and headed out.
"This the place?"
Hyun-seong stood in front of a phone shop near his apartment. His mother had told him to come here, as she'd arranged it with an acquaintance before leaving. He double-checked the sign to confirm he'd found the right spot, then stepped inside.
*Jingle!*
The chime of an old door bell greeted him, followed by rows of displayed smartphones catching his eye. The interior was neat and tidy, with a middle-aged woman behind the counter who looked about his mother's age.
"Welcome."
Hyun-seong returned the greeting and browsed the phones on display. Devices that would have been unimaginable ten years ago lined the shelves. Then his gaze landed on an ad banner on the wall featuring a bizarre phone.
'Foldable smartphones? That big? What's ultra-wide angle?'
As he marveled at tech that sounded like powerful skill names, the owner approached.
"Looking for something specific?"
"Ah, yeah. My mom said she set up a line for me and to pick it up."
"Your name?"
"Choi Hyun-seong."
"Oh, Kim Yun-suk's son?"
Yun-suk was his mother's name. She must have been close with the owner, not just a casual acquaintance.
"Yes. Is the phone ready?"
"Yep, came in. Congrats on getting out of the hospital."
She even knew about his hospitalization, confirming they were on intimate terms.
"Thank you."
The owner told him to wait a moment, ducked behind the counter, and returned with a phone.
"Here. Ready to use right away, no issues."
It wasn't the latest model on display, but it looked better than anything from ten years ago, so no complaints.
'I'll earn my own and upgrade soon enough.'
Thinking the day wasn't far off, Hyun-seong thanked her and left the shop. As soon as he was out, he dialed his mother's number. A cheesy trot ringtone blared, followed by her familiar voice.
"Hello?"
"Mom, it's me. Got the phone."
"Oh, good. You okay? Don't stay out too long—head home."
"Yeah. Oh, by the way..."
That was when a sharp woman's voice cut in from the other end.
"Ms. Yun-suk, didn't I tell you not to take calls during work? ...Sorry. Mom's busy—gotta hang up."
*Beep.*
Hyun-seong stared at the disconnected phone, scowled, and pocketed it.
'Gotta get her to quit that job soon.'
It wasn't right to take personal calls at work, sure—but being treated like that rubbed him the wrong way. Ignoring her order to head straight home, he set off somewhere else.
"Ms. Hyun-ji, early again today?"
It was Baek Seong-cheol, boss of the Hwarang Porter Office. No one welcomed Hyun-ji more enthusiastically than him.
"Yeah, gotta hustle to make money."
"Kuh, that's the spirit—clear goals! That's why I prefer you."
"Thanks for thinking highly of me."
Hyun-ji had left neatly dressed, but her outfit had already shifted to something comfortable and disposable. Despite claiming she had an office job, she showed up at the porter office every morning like clockwork, waiting for hunters to hire her.
"Perfect timing—a party heading into the Sinlim Station D-rank dungeon at 10 needs porters, so I slotted you right in."
"D-rank?"
"What's wrong? You're D-rank too, right? No more sticking to E-ranks forever. Time for some real experience. Leave the E-ranks to unawakened folks, yeah?"
Hyun-ji's expression hardened. She had two goals: earn steadily and...
'Don't overdo it.'
A grudge etched into her heart since her father's death five years ago.
"Honestly, you're good enough for C-rank, but I'm looking out for you—starting with D..."
"I'm fine. Stick me with E-ranks."
"Huh?"
Seong-cheol's face stiffened. He tilted his head as if asking what nonsense this was.
"This ain't it, Hyun-ji. You really gonna pass? Triple the usual pay. You've got debts to pay, right?"
"I'm good. Cancel it. And don't book me without asking from now on."
Seong-cheol's lip twitched violently, his eyes screaming displeasure. Then—
"Otherwise, I won't come back starting tomorrow. You know how awakened porters are treated."
Hyun-ji knew the reality all too well. Seong-cheol had no choice but to take a deep breath and compose himself.
"Fine, fine. Should've known better. Alright, Hapjeong Station E-rank at 11."
"Got it. Gotta prep, so heading out now."
"Uh, yeah. Here's the certificate."
Seong-cheol handed over the certificate, his hand still trembling. His anger wasn't subsiding easily. Once Hyun-ji left, he glared after her.
"Ha~ that bitch, so prickly."
Stronger curses nearly spilled out, but he had work to do: inform the D-rank party their porter had bailed.
"So, you need a hunter registration or porter certificate to enter dungeons, huh."
Hyun-seong sat in a cafe with striking yellow decor, sipping coffee while browsing the internet. He'd luckily found his old bank account from ten years ago and gotten a temporary card. It held 3 million won in living expenses saved for college.
Thanks to that, he could freely explore the changed world.
'Even check out a dungeon up close.'
A quick search revealed the "Hunters" app was essential, so he'd downloaded it and used its map to head to the nearest dungeon.
'World's come a long way.'
Unimaginable back then, he slurped his coffee while peering at the dungeon area through the cafe window. Dungeons resembled movie portals: a central colored zone fading outward. The one ahead was red.
Red meant E-rank, the lowest level among existing dungeons.
'Makes sense the security's lax.'
No heavy guards—just police tape around it.
'That's why dungeon accidents never stop.'
Anyone could enter a dungeon. Registration cards and certificates were just human-checked. Disappearances happened often as a result. Was it carelessness, or...?
'Just too normalized now.'
Ten years had passed, after all.
*Slurp!*
Hyun-seong drained his coffee and left the cafe, approaching the dungeon. A guard blocked him.
"Be careful."
"Ah, yeah."
Stepping back, he observed the eerie red glow.
'Monsters come out from here, their byproducts sell for big money. Need hunter registration to enter.'
He couldn't go in yet. No rush, though—no debts due today.
"Dungeons aren't tourist spots. Move along."
It was the guard. Hyun-seong eyed his suit—not police, but Hunter Association staff.
"You guard it every day like this?"
"Obviously?"
The guard's expression said it was a dumb question. Hyun-seong just nodded. As he turned to leave—
The other Association staff welcomed a group.
"Welcome. The party scheduled for 11, right?"
"Yes."
Hunters, with porters trailing. And among them, a familiar face caught Hyun-seong's eye.
'Choi Hyun-ji?'
His little sister. He quickly pulled up his hood to hide his face and slipped away, just in case.
'A porter, not a hunter? Awakened and still portering...'
His mind grew complicated. Worry crept in unbidden. She must be handling it fine—she had all these years—but seeing it firsthand hit different. The awkward sister who'd grown distant, yet she'd been doing this for the family.
'Can't let this slide.'
Hyun-seong ducked into a quiet alley.
'Sub-class selection.'
Which class would you like to select?
'Slot 1: Assassin. Slot 2: Illusion Sorcerer.'
A sensation of expanded usable skills washed over him. He'd chosen those two for a reason.
Class Synergy: Skill Absolute Stealth created.
Basic Assassin stealth could be detected by sharp senses or perception skills, but Absolute Stealth from synergy evaded all detection.
'Breaks on attack, same as always. Not an issue now.'
With Absolute Stealth active, Hyun-seong vanished and returned to the dungeon entrance. The clueless Association staff stared blankly at empty air. Testing by waving his hand, Hyun-seong confirmed its perfection and crept right up to the dungeon mouth.
The hunter party and Hyun-ji had already entered. Hyun-seong followed swiftly.
You have entered the E-rank dungeon, Goblin Den (Hapjeong E-rank).