Bottom-Feeder Hunter
One year ago.
The blade wouldn't penetrate.
I stabbed the wolf's flank, but the edge just slid off its hide, only scratching the surface and further enraging it.
"...Fuck."
I stabbed again.
This time it went in, but only shallowly.
The wolf whimpered and disappeared from view.
At that moment, I heard footsteps behind me.
Without time to turn, I rolled sideways.
Teeth grazed past my head.
A second one.
It must have been waiting in ambush this whole time.
Gritting my teeth, I scrambled to my feet.
Gripping the dagger with both hands, I steadied my stance.
The first wolf glared at me from behind while the newcomer faced me head-on.
The one in front charged first.
A split second later, the one behind moved.
In that instant, I twisted my body and thrust with all my might at the charging wolf's throat.
This time it went deep.
Blood gushed out.
I could feel the blade tearing through flesh beneath the hide.
Twisting the blade free, I dodged the attack from behind.
Three years.
Three years was long enough.
Long enough to develop the skill to survive these desperate situations.
...Though of course, only trash like me would end up in such situations.
It took four minutes to finish off the remaining wolf.
The damaged blade from earlier made it take even longer.
Sighing, I extracted the core from the wolf carcass.
A thumb-sized glowing orb - my daily bread and butter.
I shoved it roughly into my pocket.
Only my third one since entering the dungeon.
5,000 won each.
Not even enough to buy a single chicken with all of them.
At this rate, five at most if I'm lucky.
...Two if I'm not.
Repairing this chipped blade would cost 100,000 won - already putting me in the red.
That's not even counting the patched-up leather armor I'm wearing.
The 4,000 won round-trip transportation fare was practically negligible.
"...Should I move to a goshiwon?"
500,000 won monthly rent - I need to cut costs somewhere...
But I need to keep streaming too, so that's not feasible.
"...Maybe it's time to give up?"
A sigh escaped me.
The First Layer.
The shallowest level of the dungeon.
Just wolves and wild boars roaming bright grasslands.
A place competent hunters clear in a single day.
...Where E-grade trash like me scrape by with pocket change.
The chipped blade caught on the scabbard when I tried to sheathe it.
"..."
I just carried it in hand as I walked.
I should replace this soon, but even the cheapest dagger costs 200,000 won.
Can I even save up that much?
Forcing down another sigh, I scanned my surroundings.
Fortunately, I spotted a boar in the distance.
But its thick hide would be tough to pierce with this damaged blade.
The only silver lining was that boars paid slightly better.
...A whole 2,000 won more.
Frankly, wolves were more efficient considering time and effort.
But wasting time searching for wolves would be counterproductive.
Doing mental calculations, I moved toward the boar's thicket.
This wasn't why I became a hunter...
Until receiving my Trait at adulthood, I thought I was set for success.
The Yin-Yang Person Trait.
Grand name, utterly useless ability.
What does it do?
Exactly what it says - gender transformation.
And the benefits?
Minor strength boost as male, slight skin refinement as female.
That's it.
Had I become a beauty, maybe I could've found another path.
But my female form was utterly plain.
Unable to accept this, I became an E-grade hunter to pursue the urban legend of Trait enhancement.
Did it work?
Like hell it did.
Three years. Three years wasted grinding this garbage ability in the First Layer.
All for nothing.
"..."
Biting my bitter lips, I slowly approached the boar.
***
After barely processing the boar and extracting its core, I skinned it.
Too much time wasted - I had to take whatever I could get.
As I stood with the hide and meat, laughter sounded behind me.
A four-person party.
No one forms parties in the First Layer - must be at least D-grade.
Unlike me in patched leather armor with a dagger,
Their vanguard wore silver light armor and carried a proper longsword.
That sword alone cost half my yearly income - an entry-level weapon from Sign Co.
His youthful face suggested he'd just received his Trait, yet already had such gear...
Must've been scouted by a guild for some decent Trait.
Our eyes met.
He glanced between my chipped blade and the boar meat, then said something to his companions.
They laughed at me.
Couldn't hear them, but I knew the gist.
"Why bother hunting that worthless game?"
"Don't mind losers like that. They'll disappear soon anyway."
I averted my gaze.
Their footsteps faded into the distance.
They'd probably cleared the First Layer boss and were heading out after breaking through to the Second Layer entrance.
...I felt like hunting a bit more today.
***
Was today my lucky day?
After that party left, I managed two more wolves.
Finally met my daily quota.
But that was my limit.
My right arm started trembling.
Nearly dropped my dagger from weakened grip at the end - scared me shitless.
Should rest before leaving...
Getting ambushed while exhausted would be disastrous.
I moved toward the edge of the grassland, near the thicket.
This area near the dungeon's edge rarely had wolves.
My secret spot after three years in the First Layer.
Useless to anyone but trash like me.
I headed for my usual stump.
Behind the oak at 2 o'clock - my personal rest area.
As I went to sit—
I froze.
Light seeped from beneath the stump.
"...?"
Never seen this in hundreds of visits.
Carefully, I dug at the dirt with my dagger.
A hole.
Just big enough to squeeze through.
Light emanated from within.
My heart raced.
A hidden passage.
The legendary dungeon Hidden Piece - extremely rare.
Rumors said they contained upper-layer cores, premium gear, or with luck, scrolls.
And it's true.
My last lifeline came from such a place.
Checking my surroundings, I opened my pouch.
Today's haul: six cores. 32,000 won.
Forget equipment repairs.
That'd just put me deeper in the red.
"......"
Peering inside, the entrance was narrow but seemed to widen further in.
"Going in."
If I waited, someone else might find it.
I squeezed through.
Shoulders scraped both sides as my chipped dagger clanked against the walls.
The sound echoed through the narrow passage.
"...Fuck."
Ten meters in with no end in sight.
Might spend the whole day stuck here.
Gritting my teeth, I wormed forward.
Eventually, light appeared ahead.
I kicked off the ground.
My upper body emerged into open space.
Then scalding air flooded my lungs.
"Ghk!"
Burning pain seared my chest.
I quickly covered my mouth with cloth from my pouch
And gulped down my emergency cheap healing potion.
Felt like ants crawling in my lungs.
Looking down, the stone floor had no grass.
No - not ordinary stone.
Flames spouted between the cracks.
This isn't the First Layer.
Need to go back.
Now!
Then two red eyes glowed in the darkness.
"...Ah."
A dog.
But no ordinary dog.
Flames leaked from its eyes and mouth.
I'd read about this.
Up to the Second Layer, monsters resemble normal animals.
But from the Third Layer onward - a different world.
Where mythical creatures roam freely.
Its body was blackened, perhaps by its own flames, with heat haze rising around it.
It approached slowly.
Flames flickered with each step.
I instinctively knew - I couldn't win.
Those red eyes glowed in the dark.
Then— its lips curled up.
Haha, even dogs mock me now.
But no time for self-pity.
Need to escape immediately.
Back through the hole?
NO.
It'd chew my legs off first.
Find another exit?
NO.
Don't even know where this is.
Couldn't survive long in this environment anyway.
Then?
My treasure.
My last lifeline.
I reached into my pouch.
Need to use it now—
"Ghk!"
Thoughts cut short.
I was airborne.
Slammed into a wall before tumbling to the ground.
Too hurt to move.
Crunch.
"GAAAAAH!!!!!"
My stomach was pierced.
The stench of burning flesh filled the air.
Pain paradoxically sharpened my mind.
"Kh...!"
I pressed the parchment in my hand against the creature's flaming maw.
Escape Scroll.
Never thought I'd actually use it.
Light erupted.
Enveloped in radiance, space distorted around me.
***
Face met concrete.
Where am I?
The Gate entrance...
So this is where escape scrolls take you.
Even as I thought this, my blood spread across the pavement.
At least the cauterized wound bled less - small mercy.
Absurd thoughts surfaced.
Tried to rise, but my arms wouldn't respond.
Felt something slipping out from my stomach.
My intestines?
Don't want to check.
Voices sounded in the distance.
"Hey what's that—"
"A corpse?"
"Looks alive still..."
"Call the management office quick!"
Someone knelt beside me.
Blurry vision obscured their face.
"Stay with us!
Don't pass out here!
Uh, what do you say in these situations?
Ah! Your name, what's your name?"
Kang Yunha. E-grade Hunter.
But I couldn't answer.
Vision grew hazier.
Ah, hospital bills will be insane.
Ten million? Surely not a hundred million?
Only 340,000 won in my account.
Funny how my mind still calculated amidst this.
Facing death yet worrying about medical fees.
Now this is true poverty.
With that thought, consciousness faded.
***
Ding.
A sound in my mind.
---
[Dungeon Gallery]
Title: Bloody Hunter Appears Before Gate
ㅇㅇ: Was there - stomach hole with burns
ㅇㅇ: No burn monsters in Layer 1?
DungeonExpert: Unless camping alone, flame attacks appear from Layer 3+
ㅇㅇ: Wow elite hunter going to afterlife, RIP
ㅇㅇ: But gear was trash
ㅇㅇ: ???
ㅇㅇ: Looked like Layer 1 crap
ㅇㅇ: So idiot got burned camping alone?
ㅇㅇ: Thread over!
HangInThere: But Layer 1 gear with those burns is suspicious