Challenge Dungeon TOP 10
“This is the one you want?”
Miel stared at the request form on the counter in disbelief. No matter how broad the difficulty range, this wasn't something a rookie adventurer should touch.
“Why? Can't I?”
“Of course not. If a newbie dies, I'll feel bad about it. Just start with something like this.”
She rummaged through the papers and pulled out one request. It was the simplest herb-gathering job.
Kang Hanbit shook the firefly flower in his hand and asked, “This isn't wilted, right?”
“Be careful! The petals are about to fall off!”
Miel, who clearly wanted it badly, raised her voice in a panic and reached out to grab it. Kang Hanbit pulled his hand back and tossed out another question.
“Think a rookie adventurer could get this flower?”
“Obviously not on their own. Did you buy it somewhere?”
“If I had that kind of money, I'd have hired a mercenary for even a short while.”
“……”
Miel pouted at his irrefutable logic. She knew the firefly flower’s ecology well enough that no comeback came to mind. But for a newbie in such shabby gear to pull this off? It was absurd.
“Haa.”
Miel let out a deep sigh and glanced back and forth between the flower, the papers, and Kang Hanbit. Even with lingering doubts, the adventurer before her was clearly no ordinary rookie. In other words, there was no reason to deny him the dungeon request.
It absolutely wasn't just because she wanted the firefly flower.
“Fine, I'll give you the request. But gauge your own level properly. If anything feels off, run away immediately.”
“Got it. Here, take it.”
Kang Hanbit handed over the request form and passed her the firefly flower. Miel carefully transferred it to an empty flower vase.
“I never thought I'd get one of these... Thank you!”
-Whoa, Miel saying that.
-Told her not to come lol
-Frustrating af for real.
The viewers plunged into confusion as she broke into a genuinely happy smile.
“I'll come back after the request.”
“Yes! Be careful!”
After a quick farewell, Kang Hanbit left the guild. Juyeonu, following behind, asked curiously,
“Hyung, you know the story, right?”
“Yeah. Exposing the mayor of Edlen's crimes.”
“You need the guild master's trust first. Wasting time on a dungeon could mess things up.”
Once the main quest kicked off, time flowed relentlessly. There was some leeway, but miss the timing and the whole story collapsed. No do-overs meant sticking to the guidebook was the proven meta.
“That's why we're doing it this way.”
There were two reasons for picking the dungeon request. First, prove his skills to earn the guild master's trust as a potential ally. Second, steer the story in a direction totally off the guidebook. It was a branching point that considered both while diving straight into the plot.
Still a lot of them.
Numerous players stared at Kang Hanbit as he stepped out of the guild. No one like Rainzer approached to talk.
“What episode are the frontrunners on right now?”
“Why frontrunners all of a sudden?”
“Just curious.”
“Hmm... Public info says Episode 8. Top frontrunners might be further along.”
“I see.”
Most RP episodes spanned a city or small nation scale. Hitting Episode 8 in just two years was impressive—by newbie standards, anyway.
“That means I can catch up quick.”
“...The frontrunners?”
-Declaring war on frontrunners whoa
-Black Dragon's serious lol
-Do it.
-Physically possible?
-Dunno. Hop on first.
[Julio has sponsored 1,000 won.]
[Hmm... that much?]
-This guy's still around;
-Prison too comfy? Lol
-Die.
A regular player declaring they'd catch frontrunners would just get laughed off. But Kang Hanbit's actions so far had built enough hype.
“Episode 8 is where?”
“Pheria Island, west central continent. Frontrunners are competing among themselves, so info's scarce.”
“Ah, that place.”
He nodded at the familiar name. He had a rough idea where they were stuck, but no need to worry now. Priority was clearing Episode 1 as fast as possible.
“Hyung, I'll find the easiest dungeon for now. I organized some last time... Huh?”
Suddenly, Juyeonu's face twisted in confusion mid-sentence.
“What's up?”
“Hold on. It's Dad calling; I'll take it real quick.”
He vanished from view after that. Must've been important enough to step away mid-stream.
-Dad this time?
-Roper's cool with it.
-Dungeon go anyway
-Ditch Roper?
-That's Roper's style.
Viewers started urging regardless of Juyeonu's situation. Walking slowly should let him catch up fine.
“Got it. Heading out now.”
Kang Hanbit stepped toward the city outskirts. Distant followers were no issue.
Ding-
[Anon has sponsored 1,000 won.]
[But which dungeon?]
As he entered the forest, a donation popped up. Before Kang Hanbit could reply, chat exploded.
-Spider one's the safest, right?
-Yeah, total tutorial level.
-Still tough for newbies.
-Forget his stats?
-Spider go
Consensus leaned toward the spider dungeon. Then another donation.
[Lucifer has sponsored 10,000 won.]
[Challenge Dungeon TOP10 mission?]
“Challenge Dungeon?”
The unfamiliar name piqued his interest. And a mission meant prizes already.
-Challenge Dungeon?
-Top10 wtf lmao
-Living up to the nick.
-FallenAngelGOAT nick lol
-We'll set missions, but no payout.
-Peak entertainment.
-Streamer's gotta go lol
Seemed popular; viewers lit up.
“What's a Challenge Dungeon?”
-Clear time competition dungeon.
-Edlen: Lv.30 or under entry.
-10th place cutoff around 20 mins?
-Possible?
-You demons.
Kang Hanbit nodded at the explanations. Simple: clear fast. No reason to refuse.
“Where is it?”
-Straight 12 o'clock direction.
-Almost to the cliffs.
-Check map.
Answers came quick.
12 o'clock?
He checked one chat and opened his map. Viewers' tips pinpointed it fast.
This overlaps perfectly.
Kang Hanbit chuckled wryly. The dungeon he'd planned for story reasons matched the Challenge Dungeon spot exactly. No way to pass up the mission now.
“Alright. Top 10, right?”
-Lol possible?
-Speedrun freaks everywhere.
-He can do it.
-Ban everyone saying he can.
-Watch first;
Sharper reactions than when he got skills. But his track record had plenty of defenders.
Ding-
[Lucifer has sponsored 10,000 won.]
[What if you fail?]
“If I fail?”
The usual failure penalty with challenges. Scanning chat, inspiration hit.
“Oh, should I do one more guide from yesterday? More detailed this time.”
-Nooooo
-Professor pls no
-Can't even understand the current one.
-It's a thesis lol
-We'll try our best.
Mentioning guides sparked fierce backlash. He thought the first was lacking, but if they hated it...
After a moment's thought, he offered another idea. “Hmm, how about a raffle? Pick one viewer for a full day of personal review? Is there a raffle function?”
-Huh?
-?
-For real?
-Sponsor raffle available.
-Doing this?
The casual toss flipped reactions completely—into a frenzy.
“If the function's there, yeah. This as the penalty?”
Ding-
[Lucifer has registered a 1,000,000 won challenge mission.]
[Success: Challenge Dungeon TOP 10.]
[SwordGod has sponsored 1,000,000 won to the challenge mission.]
[Exclude me from raffle.]
[Avant-garde has sponsored 2,000,000 won to the challenge mission.]
[Pls pick me.]
-Bangga back lol
-Never getting picked dog.
Failure penalty hype flooded donations, not just from players.
[Hanazaki Production has sponsored 5,000,000 won.]
[Golden Shark has sponsored 5,000,000 won.]
[Yeonhwa Gaming has sponsored 7,000,000 won.]
Corporates flashing names in general donations. Amounts dwarfed previous ones. Maybe his hidden skill value-up, as Juyeonu said.
How much is this?
Kang Hanbit snapped out of staring at the piling messages. Time to move.
“Heading to the dungeon then.”
He veered from the entrance into the forest path. The route to the target wasn't rough; arrival was smooth.
Why so many?
The dungeon entrance: stone walls crawling with players. All eyes on him—they'd been watching the stream.
“Hyung!”
A urgent voice from behind. Turning, he saw Juyeonu sprinting over.
“Found it quick?”
“Finding it isn't the issue...!”
He rushed up close and whispered low. “Why come here? And taking that insane mission!”
“Why? Just clear it fast.”
“That's why it's impossible! How much time to hit rankings! Consumables alone are insane!”
Juyeonu grabbed and shook his shoulders, spilling words. An early dungeon, fully researched from A to Z. To outpace rivals meant endless trials and effort. Every second-shaving move came from trial-and-error experience. Market consumables were mandatory, tons of prep.
“And that failure penalty? One-on-one feedback with you—even big corps can't buy that!”
“Just basic guide-level review. And no need if I win the mission.”
“That's the hard part! You need to show smooth sailing now!”
-We hear everything lmao
-ASMR gold.
-Already promised, can't back out.
-Black Dragon to 500th.
-500 my ass lol aiming 1000th.
His rising voice drew viewer teasing. Impossible mission consensus made it natural.
Kang Hanbit turned Juyeonu from arguing at chat.
“Why worry so much? Haven't even tried yet.”
“Top record holders all did it at max Lv.30. Most poured weeks, months into speedruns!”
Juyeonu's worry made sense now. 14 levels above his 16. Plus insane time sunk. Ordinary folks couldn't bridge that gap.
Ordinary, that is.
“Rewards? Tiered by clear time?”
“Tiered for first-clear boss loot and stat points. Big reason for 1st is the challenge reward.”
“Challenge reward?”
“Entry fee to enter. Weekly 1st sweeps them all. Must-clear before Lv.30, so pots are huge.”
“Oh?”
Weird system: 1st monopolizes fees. No clue on amount, but more in-game cash meant options. Another reason to gun for top.
Bonus for a must-do dungeon anyway.
“So, negotiate with viewers? Skip ranking, set a clear time instead.”
Juyeonu whispered again. Ranking battle felt like an insurmountable wall.
But with clear goal, Kang Hanbit strode toward the entrance.
“Wait and see. I'll show you 1st place.”