The Rookie Training Department at the Great Tiger Guild’s main headquarters.
When Siul entered the conference room, a middle-aged woman who had introduced herself as Do I-hyeon’s supervisor was waiting for him.
“Please, have a seat over here.”
Siul sat across from Do I-hyeon’s supervisor with a long oval table between them.
The supervisor swiped through her tablet as she reviewed Siul’s records.
Gradually, her expression grew more and more intrigued.
“Oh my.”
Her eyes swept over Siul’s face with interest.
“Your recent activity record is incredible. I’m honestly surprised.”
It was only natural that she would be surprised.
According to his official records, Siul was merely a rookie D-Rank Hunter, yet his achievements were on the level of a prodigious S-Rank Hunter.
“You’re remarkable. At this rate, I think you might hear some good news at the end of the year.”
Siul immediately understood what she meant.
The Rookie Hunter Award.
It was an award given to the rookie Hunter who had shown the most outstanding performance that year.
Raid records, clear evaluations, and even social impact were all taken into consideration.
It was, quite literally, an award for the ‘face of the year.’
“There are plenty of rookie Hunters who are much better than me, so I haven’t even thought about that.”
Siul spoke calmly.
It was neither an exaggeration nor false modesty disguised as boasting.
‘I won’t even be alive by the time they hand out the Rookie Hunter Award anyway.’
There was no way he could say that aloud.
Meanwhile, perhaps even more impressed by what appeared to be Siul’s humility, the supervisor smiled.
“These days, there are plenty of people with skill but careless attitudes. I imagine even your reputation is spotless, Mr. Siul.”
The supervisor set down her tablet and smiled with satisfaction.
“It seems someone perfectly suited to look after one of our rookies has come to us. Thank you for reaching out first.”
In truth, Siul had expected this outcome.
Looking at his records from the past few months, it was difficult to find another Hunter whose achievements stood out more than his.
‘Still, it feels nice to have it officially acknowledged like this.’
Siul decided he could afford to feel a little proud.
“Let’s proceed with the contract immediately.”
The supervisor promptly handed him a stack of documents.
“This is the Accompanying Hunter Contract. You only need to review the basic precautions and the scope of responsibility for safety.”
Remaining in his seat, Siul read through the documents one by one.
The contents were concise, and the terms were excellent.
Just as Do I-hyeon had said, the accompanying Hunter received most of the profits earned from the Dungeon where they supervised the rookie.
“I’ve signed everything.”
Once Siul finished the final signature, the supervisor took out a small case.
Inside was a green badge.
“This is the Accompanying Hunter insignia.”
She slid the badge toward Siul and continued explaining.
“Show this badge to the Gate management personnel at the site, and they’ll guide you from there.”
“Understood.”
“And one more thing. For safety reasons, the boss room in any Dungeon entered by a prospect is sealed behind a barrier. You can only pass through that barrier while wearing this badge, so please keep that in mind.”
A system that legally allowed him to monopolize the boss.
For Siul, it was the perfect environment.
‘Things are working out surprisingly well.’
Siul picked up the badge.
It was heavier than he had expected, and the weight felt rather satisfying in his hand.
“I’ll forward the schedule to the Gate personnel as soon as everything is ready.”
* * *
In the heart of Gangnam.
A stabilized blue A-Rank Gate hovered in front of a building covered in glass exterior walls.
There were restricted-access lines, management personnel, and even ordinary civilians watching from a distance.
By now, it was a familiar sight to Siul.
“Hunter Siul!”
Do I-hyeon came running from a distance, waving his hand.
His outfit, however, was rather bizarre.
“Don’t tell me you came all the way from home dressed like that?”
Siul looked Do I-hyeon up and down.
Do I-hyeon had strapped on so much armor that his body looked twice its normal size.
Thick plate armor covered his shoulders, medium armor protected his arms and legs, a reinforced impact-absorbing plate covered his chest, and spare protective equipment hung from his waist.
He was even carrying a large helmet in one hand.
“I was taught that defense is the best offense! So I came prepared!”
Do I-hyeon shouted enthusiastically.
Siul silently stared at him for a moment before letting out a quiet laugh.
‘He’s cute.’
It was the kind of excessive preparation common among promising rookies without much real combat experience.
He understood in his head that survival was important, but his body had yet to learn what that actually meant in practice.
“I-hyeon.”
“Yes?”
“When it comes to armor…”
Siul lightly tapped Do I-hyeon’s shoulder plate.
“You should only wear as much as you can without restricting your movement. Otherwise, it’ll interfere with your combat instead. Isn’t it better to keep yourself light enough to dodge than to stand there taking hits?”
“Ah….”
Do I-hyeon’s face reddened as though he had never considered it.
“The Hunters who accompanied you before probably praised you for wearing this much equipment because they didn’t want you getting hurt. But I’m different.”
Siul added a few more words of advice.
“I don’t believe defense is the best offense. If anything, I think it’s the other way around.”
That was certainly true according to Siul’s own experience.
His immortal Trait kept him from dying, but every time his body was torn apart, it felt absolutely miserable.
That was why he remembered exactly how many times he had nearly died in every battle.
‘When I ran away or focused only on defending myself, I ended up in situations where I would’ve died more than a dozen times. But when I threw myself at the enemy with everything I had, there were times I won even without relying on my Trait.’
Siul wanted to pass that realization on to Do I-hyeon.
“I see…. Now that I think about it, all the other accompanying Hunters really did tell me to just focus on defending myself.”
They had essentially told him, I’ll do the hunting, so just stay out of the way and don’t get hurt.
After all, as long as they finished the Dungeon, they would still receive everything they were entitled to.
‘Has he seriously never met a single decent accompanying Hunter?’
It was a truly unfortunate situation.
“Then I’ll do as you say, Hunter Siul, and only wear enough equipment that it doesn’t interfere with my movement.”
Do I-hyeon smiled awkwardly and began removing his gear one piece at a time.
He stored the armor, reinforcement plate, and helmet in his Inventory.
Meanwhile, Siul headed toward the Gate management personnel.
‘Time for paperwork hell.’
The pre-entry procedures were mandatory for the party leader.
The participant list, liability waiver, security verification, Dungeon danger assessment signatures….
Filling out all the paperwork usually took at least ten minutes.
“We’re ready to enter.”
As he said that, Siul naturally reached for his Hunter ID.
However, the management officer looked at the left side of Siul’s chest, then stepped aside to clear the path toward the Gate.
“Confirmed. You may enter immediately.”
“…?”
The officer did not ask him to complete any additional procedures.
‘What?’
The reason became obvious when Siul followed the officer’s gaze.
The green badge pinned to the left side of Siul’s chest.
His Accompanying Hunter insignia.
“For Rookie Training Gates approved by the Association, the assigned supervisor completes the procedures in advance.”
The officer added that obtaining approval for a rookie to enter a Dungeon already required an entire day of administrative procedures.
Do I-hyeon’s supervisor may have suffered through the paperwork, but for Siul, the situation was the complete opposite.
‘This is unbelievably convenient.’
He could enter immediately without filling out a single document.
No wasted time and no unnecessary drain on his energy.
‘And on top of that, the Dungeon is top-tier.’
While Siul celebrated inwardly, Do I-hyeon finished simplifying his equipment and approached.
“I’m ready!”
The two stood side by side in front of the Gate.
Blue light rippled as space opened before them.
“You remember all three promises you made with me, right?”
“Of course.”
“Make sure you keep them. That’s how you—no, how we both stay safe.”
“Yes, sir! Don’t worry!”
Only after hearing Do I-hyeon’s booming answer did Siul step forward.
Their bodies sank into the blue light of the Gate and vanished from sight.
* * *
『 You have entered the A-Rank Dungeon ‘Petrification Watchtower.’ 』
〈A-Rank Gate ― Gangnam Sector 5〉
Dungeon Name: Petrification Watchtower
Monsters: Gargoyles
Estimated Clear Time: Approximately 5 hours
The moment Siul passed through the Gate, the sound of wind and the eerie scraping of stone against stone grated against his ears.
Once his vision cleared, an enormous structure came into view.
A watchtower that seemed to pierce the sky.
Outer walls and corridors stretched out like a fortress, while dozens of stone statues encircled the structure above them.
It was truly an overwhelming sight.
“Wow….”
A gasp of admiration escaped Do I-hyeon.
He tilted his head all the way back to stare at the top of the watchtower and unconsciously swallowed.
“This is an A-Rank Dungeon?”
His voice carried a mixture of tension and excitement.
Siul glanced at Do I-hyeon before asking him a question.
“You said this is your first A-Rank Dungeon, right?”
“That’s right. This place is incredible….”
“That’s why your supervisor repeatedly warned me to be especially careful. If you get hurt, I’m the one who’ll get scolded, so make sure you follow my instructions.”
Do I-hyeon immediately straightened his back.
“Yes! I’ll remember that!”
At the overly energetic response, Siul smiled bitterly to himself.
‘I told him to be careful, but if I want to bring him through this Dungeon safely, I’m the one who needs to do well.’
Determined to fulfill his responsibility, Siul opened his Inventory.
『 Strength Enhancer 』 ― A-Rank
Increases Strength by 40% for 20 minutes.
『 Speed Booster 』 ― A-Rank
Increases Speed by 50% for 20 minutes.
They were potions from the Potion Pack Park Jung-gi had given him as a gift.
They were expensive enough that Siul had intended to save them, but with a promising youngster ten years younger than himself beside him, he took them out without hesitation.
Gulp.
Siul opened the bottles and drank both potions in one go.
As the two stimulants seeped into his body at the same time, heat surged throughout him.
His muscles tightened, and his senses sharpened.
Even the faint vibrations beneath his feet and the flow of the air became vividly clear.
“Wow….”
Do I-hyeon noticed the change in Siul as well.
He could feel an invisible pressure radiating from Siul’s body.
“Why are you standing there spacing out?”
Siul urged the stiffened Do I-hyeon onward.
“We didn’t come here just to admire the Dungeon entrance, did we?”
“N-No!”
Do I-hyeon snapped back to his senses and shook his head.
Only then did his gaze turn toward the darkness inside the watchtower.
“Let’s go. Time for an actual raid.”
Do I-hyeon followed behind Siul as they entered the watchtower.
The path running along the corridor was wider than expected, with aged stone walls and railings lining both sides.
Statues depicting knights, sacred beasts, and animals stood at regular intervals along them.
“You read the Dungeon manual, right?”
“Yes! I memorized it perfectly!”
“Good. Gathering information beforehand is fundamental in a raid. Once you actually enter a Dungeon, all kinds of variables that aren’t in the manual can occur.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the surrounding atmosphere subtly changed.
Both of them sensed it and stopped walking.
SCRAPE!
The sound of stone grinding against stone echoed nearby.
Without saying anything, Siul looked toward Do I-hyeon.
Do I-hyeon instinctively spoke.
“M-Manual, page fifteen, item two! Once you reach a certain point, the surrounding statues will react…!”
His voice trembled, but the information was accurate.
The corner of Siul’s mouth rose slightly.
“You memorized it well.”
At the same moment, the statues lined along the walls began vibrating all at once.
Even the sculptures hanging from the ceiling and the figures perched on the railings started shaking in unison.
“Ugh….”
Do I-hyeon stepped back to avoid the shower of stone dust.
Even so, he recalled the next part of the manual and recited it aloud.
“The statues are actually… Gargoyles that were disguising themselves…!”
CRACK!
The stone around the statues’ eyes split apart, and red light seeped through the cracks.
Wings that had been hardened into stone unfurled, while their joints twisted and regained the movements of living creatures.
Just as Do I-hyeon had said, the Gargoyles that had been disguising themselves as statues revealed their true forms.
“This is where the real combat begins. Stay focused.”
Siul tightened his grip on his dagger and stepped in front of Do I-hyeon.