Grassland
Grassland
I pulled out a box buried in the corner of my closet.
My leather armor.
Though calling it a partner after three years together would be generous—it was already half-rags by now...
Spread out on the floor, it was a pitiful sight.
Not a single spot remained undamaged.
The worst was the abdominal section.
The area around the gaping holes front and back was charred black, having long lost its function as armor.
"Guess I'll have to wear this anyway?"
I tried slipping my arms in first.
Or at least attempted to.
But they just wouldn't fit.
When I forced both arms through, the chest leather stretched to its limit.
Riiip.
"Ah, damn it."
The shoulder section finally tore apart in tatters.
"...How much was leather armor again?"
I picked up my phone to check the market price.
"1 million won?! You've got to be kidding... How much do I even have right now?
But if I don't buy at least this... Huh?"
Wait, do they even have my size?
I clicked into the product details.
"...Custom orders required for sizes outside those listed below.
Additional fees will apply—please understand."
...Only one answer then.
I grabbed scissors and tape from the drawer.
Cut and extended the chest plate, then hacked off the shoulder sections.
After roughly draping the cut pieces over my abdomen and thighs, I wrapped them tightly with tape.
Stood before the mirror.
Tattered leather scraps hung awkwardly over my bronze muscles.
"...Might as well not wear anything at all."
But going without could mean getting taken out by a stray hit.
Finally, I gripped the chipped dagger I'd set aside.
The sensation from swinging it through empty air in my room yesterday seemed to revive in my palm.
"Let's go."
My voice was calm, but my hands still trembled.
***
Gate entrance.
Even at dawn, the dungeon's threshold buzzed with hunters coming and going.
"Just some light farming on the second floor today.
Not feeling my best."
"Did you drink last night? I told you no alcohol before dungeon runs."
The same scene I'd witnessed for three years.
"Party needed for First Layer boss hunt! Adjustable profit split for experienced participants!"
Some faces were new.
Her gear looked decent, but the lack of a party leader suggested her trait wasn't anything special.
"Hey! No worries for us rookies! Just follow my lead!"
Like that group over there.
Pushing through the noisy crowd, I swallowed hard and approached the gatekeeper.
"Hello."
"Hunter license, please."
"Here... Ah."
The ID still showed my old face.
The guard gave me a puzzled look at my groan,
alternating between the photo and my current appearance.
Claiming we're the same person... might be a stretch?
"...Is this really you? The photo looks nothing alike.
Using another hunter's license for dungeon entry is prohibited."
"No, it's just—"
"No exceptions."
My rusty brain couldn't form coherent words, despite wanting to hurry inside.
"My trait... changed my appearance drastically... Ah, damn it."
"Hey! Renting out the entrance now? Hurry up, there's a line!"
Hunters waiting behind started voicing their annoyance.
My face burned.
Shit, what now?
Should I run to the Management Bureau for a reissued license?
Then a certain face surfaced in my mind.
"Just—just one moment."
Fumbling for my phone, I dialed the Bureau's main line.
"Compensation Processing Department... Could I speak to Kim Ha-yeon, please?"
Soon, a familiar dry voice came through the receiver.
"Kim Ha-yeon speaking."
"It's Kang Yunha."
"...Hunter Kang Yunha?"
A brief silence passed.
"What's the matter?"
"I'm at the gate, but they won't let me in because my face doesn't match my license photo."
"...You didn't get your license reissued yesterday?"
"Nope."
For some reason, I felt myself shrinking.
"I'll verify your identity. Please hand me to the guard.
Her calm voice eased some tension from my body.
I passed the phone over.
The guard gave me a skeptical look before exchanging words.
His expression shifted from confusion to resignation.
He stepped aside, returning my phone.
Kim Ha-yeon's voice came through again.
"Temporary access granted.
License renewal forms have been sent to your hunter email."
"...Thank you."
"Submit them to me at the Bureau by tomorrow."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
"Repay that gratitude by settling your debt. Return safely."
Click.
She hung up before hearing my reply.
"...Cold as steel."
Staring at the darkened screen, I stepped through the gate into the dungeon.
---
[Dungeon Gallery]
Title: Saw a monster at the gate today
Anon: There was this Geum Tae-yang-looking dude who looked 190cm+.
Anon: Same entrance as me lol. Dude wasn't just tall—his muscles were insane.
Anon: But wtf was up with his gear? Like some caveman shit.
Anon: Probably has a trash trait. Guilds would've scouted him with full support if it was good.
Anon: Well, good build ≠ good trait anyway.
Anon: Fucking trait RNG sucks... T_T
---
***
The light before my eyes twisted, revealing sprawling plains.
The same grassy fields I'd roamed for three years came into view.
"...?"
But something felt different.
No—the plains hadn't changed.
I had.
The elevated vantage point let me hear monsters hiding beyond thickets,
and fellow bottom-tier hunters trampling grass nearby.
Took my first step.
My body felt feather-light.
Because my armor was half-rags?
No—as if this beast-like physique had finally found its place,
power surged from within.
When I crouched per routine to enter the brush,
my body melted soundlessly into the foliage.
How am I moving like this?
But further thoughts became impossible.
The wind shifted, carrying a pungent beastly stench through the grassy scent.
Turning, I spotted a wolf crouched in distant thickets.
Then.
Fire.
My vision darkened.
The lush greens vanished, replaced by crimson flames.
Between them gleamed two pupils.
I smelled burning flesh.
"...Ghk!"
My stomach burned.
Pain radiated from where its fangs had pierced me before.
Legs frozen—I couldn't take a single step.
So hot.
Though the scar was gone, my skull remembered.
Vision tunneling, heart pounding madly.
Run.
Get out.
Don't want to die ag—
Yet.
My body moved on its own.
Legs already coiled to pounce toward the wolf,
hand gripping the dagger in perfect combat stance.
But abdominal pain and terror restrained this beast.
My trembling body locked up.
Wh-what do I...?
Then.
"You can definitely stand back up."
Kim Ha-yeon's voice seemed to whisper in my ear.
I gritted my teeth.
Still scared. Still hurting.
Let's go.
Swish—!
A gray back appeared beyond the grass.
The wolf bared its fangs upon spotting me.
An opponent I'd barely caught after wrestling before.
But unlike then, before the wolf could even brace itself,
I was already at its snout.
Reflexively stabbed the dagger toward its throat.
The blade that had failed to pierce its hide on my near-death day,
now sank deep like cutting tofu.
No time to celebrate.
The mortally wounded wolf thrashed wildly.
That's when it happened.
Snaaap!
The blade shattered under my brute strength and the wolf's convulsions.
I leaped back instinctively.
My 200,000 won dagger...
Well, it was already half-broken anyway.
But how do I kill it now?
My thoughts ended there.
The wolf staggered back.
Still alive despite gushing neck blood.
A chill ran down my spine.
A second wolf lunged from behind, maw gaping.
My body twisted aside faster than thought.
Its fangs snapped empty air.
Now the first wolf with the embedded blade
and the newly arrived second wolf flanked me.
The first attacked.
Rather than rolling away, I simply leaned back.
Claws whisked past my nose.
The second charged from the opposite side.
A slight duck let its body sail over my back.
Dodged.
Dodged again.
Kept dodging.
Not a single graze.
Not one hit landed.
This trait-forged body saw through every wolf movement.
But each evasion only excited them further.
Their encirclement tightened—escape routes dwindling.
No weapon to counterattack.
All I held was half a dagger hilt with a metal shard.
Doubtful it could pierce their tough hides.
For now, I could keep dodging,
but my stamina would give out first.
What now?
Frowning mid-dodge, my eyes caught
the first wolf—still staggering with the broken blade deep in its throat,
blood pouring out.
My grip tightened on the shattered dagger.
Even my rusty brain saw the obvious solution.
No weapon?
I leaped toward it.
Then make one.