The road had been left in ruins by the Wyvern Goblin’s appearance.
Standing in the middle of it all, Siul was completely lost in thought.
‘Who was that voice just now?’
He had heard someone speaking.
He could feel instinctively that it had been a message sent from somewhere unimaginably far away.
And the silhouette that naturally formed in his mind belonged to…….
‘The Judgment Dragon?’
There was no one else it could have been.
‘It told me to come kill it?’
That was unmistakably what the voice had said.
“Hey.”
While Siul remained deep in thought, a long shadow approached him.
When he looked up, he saw Jang Jin-young staring at him with a grave expression.
The sight of Jang Jin-young’s face reminded Siul of what had happened a few minutes earlier.
He had accidentally splashed alcohol on the man and irritated him.
And to make matters worse, the person he had offended happened to be a notoriously ill-tempered A-rank hunter.
“I’m sorry. There were circumstances…….”
“You’re a hunter, right?”
Jang Jin-young cut Siul off and immediately asked what he wanted to know.
“How did you do that just now?”
Siul’s eyes trembled.
‘Did he see it?’
A person’s body had exploded in the middle of the street, only to regenerate immediately afterward.
Anyone who witnessed such a thing would never forget it.
The problem was that this was not a good situation for Siul.
【※Warning※ If you disclose any information related to the Judgment Dragon, the date of your death will be brought forward significantly.】
‘Does my lifespan get shortened even if the information is leaked unintentionally?’
There was obviously no way to know unless it actually happened.
Cold sweat formed on Siul’s skin as he glanced nervously at Jang Jin-young.
“I didn’t realize you were a Special Hunter. Your skills are impressive.”
“……?”
“I couldn’t see properly because the Wyvern Goblin was blocking my view, but I know you erased your presence for an instant.”
Siul thought, ‘What the hell is this guy talking about?’
“You concealed your presence, disappeared, and then targeted the Wyvern Goblin’s eye, didn’t you? Striking an enemy’s vital point from somewhere they cannot see you is basic combat doctrine for a trained Special Hunter.”
From Jang Jin-young’s perspective, this was how the incident had unfolded.
The Wyvern Goblin had been sent flying toward Siul after taking his attack.
Until then, Jang Jin-young had been worried that Siul would collide with the Wyvern Goblin and suffer serious injuries.
But in that split second, he had sensed Siul’s presence vanish completely from the world.
By the time that presence returned, the Wyvern Goblin was already dead.
Faced with this astonishing situation, Jang Jin-young reached a conclusion.
‘If even I couldn’t sense his presence, he must be at least as skilled as an S-rank hunter. But this guy….’
Jang Jin-young’s gaze swept over the left side of Siul’s T-shirt.
There was no badge.
That meant he was not an officially registered high-ranking hunter.
‘There’s only one kind of person who doesn’t publicly reveal that they’re a high-ranking hunter.’
Special Hunters belonging to the South Korean government who operated in secrecy.
Jang Jin-young mistakenly assumed that Siul was one of them.
“You were so good at pretending to be drunk that I didn’t notice. You must have been in the middle of a mission. Sorry for interfering.”
“What interference?”
“Right, right. I won’t ask anything else. I wouldn’t want to put you in a difficult position.”
Jang Jin-young took out his wallet from the inside pocket of his suit, pulled out a business card, and handed it to Siul.
“If you ever need help, contact me. Our guild welcomes retired Special Hunters. People like you come with guaranteed skills.”
Great Tiger Guild Executive Director
A-Rank Hunter Jang Jin-young
☎ 010―XXXX―XXXX
‘The Great Tiger Guild?’
Siul’s eyes widened as he looked at the business card.
The Great Tiger Guild was the strongest private hunter guild in South Korea.
Had Siul not tried to hire them to kill the Judgment Dragon for him?
And this man was actually a member of the guild’s executive management.
‘Wait, but what the hell is he talking about with this Special Hunter stuff?’
As Siul stared blankly at him, Jang Jin-young hurriedly turned away.
“I should get going. I was on my way to an important meeting.”
Jang Jin-young checked his schedule on his phone as he spoke.
“If fate allows it, we’ll meet again.”
With only that brief farewell, Jang Jin-young disappeared into the crowd.
Siul stood there dumbfounded for quite some time.
“……What was that guy’s deal?”
* * *
Inside a tiny studio apartment measuring barely sixteen square meters.
Siul sat at the old desk in one corner of the room and stared into the air.
【Time Remaining: 173 days, 21 hours, 30 minutes】
Ten days had passed since he received the curse.
‘A hell of a lot has happened in ten days.’
He had returned alive from an SSS-rank dungeon.
He had been cursed and given only a limited time to live.
His body had been crushed twice, only to regenerate perfectly afterward.
And….
【Awakening Rank Increased: D-Rank → C-Rank】
Those words were still burned into his mind.
‘If I clear more quests like that one, I can become stronger. Thanks to my trait, you could even say my body is already invincible.’
Until the date stated in his death notice, he would live with an immortal body.
If he used that power, completing quests should not be particularly difficult.
And if he continued clearing quests, his Awakening Rank would continue to rise.
‘Things are different now compared to when I couldn’t do anything.’
Siul pushed his chair back and stood.
He walked over to the mirror on one side of the room and stared at his reflection.
‘So… what are you going to do?’
Siul asked himself the question.
He had two choices.
He could spend the rest of his time as best he could and die on the date specified in his death notice.
Or he could use the power he had been given to challenge the Judgment Dragon.
‘Don’t think too far ahead yet.’
Siul shook his head.
‘Killing the boss of an SSS-rank dungeon? It’s too early to talk about something like that. First, I need to test this power.’
How far did this power extend?
What standards determined an enemy’s Danger Level and the number of reward points?
And could he truly handle all of this?
‘I’ll find out everything.’
Siul immediately turned on the laptop sitting on his desk.
He opened the mercenary recruitment board on a hunter website.
It was the only avenue through which freelance hunters could participate in dungeon raids.
Siul applied several filters.
Rank: B-Rank
Region: Seoul Metropolitan Area
Duration: Short-Term
There was a reason Siul had chosen those settings.
It had to do with the conditions required for the quest to activate.
【A Continuous Quest will be generated whenever an enemy with a Danger Level of 10 or higher appears.】
A quest did not simply appear whenever an enemy threatened his life.
He had to encounter a powerful enemy whose Danger Level exceeded the threshold of 10.
‘The Wyvern Goblin had a Danger Level of 30, so I’ll probably need to enter at least a B-rank dungeon if I want meaningful results from testing the quest.’
Siul finished applying the filters and pressed the search button.
A long list of posts appeared.
But no matter how much he searched, he could not find anything that suited his circumstances.
[Recruitment Requirement: C-Rank Hunter or Higher]
[Proof of Rank Required]
‘They’re strict….’
Siul was currently C-rank, but his official record still listed him as D-rank, which made him ineligible to apply.
And the higher the dungeon’s rank, the less likely teams were to accept inexperienced hunters like Siul.
“Hmm.”
Siul leaned back in his chair and sighed.
He wanted to test his strength, yet there was nowhere for him to do so.
It was an incredibly frustrating situation.
“Hm?”
Just then, Siul’s gaze stopped on something.
At one side of the desk, something among the messy pile of papers caught his eye.
A white business card.
Siul reached out and picked it up.
Great Tiger Guild Executive Director
A-Rank Hunter Jang Jin-young
☎ 010―XXXX―XXXX
The words Jang Jin-young had spoken when handing him the card suddenly echoed in Siul’s ears.
‘If you ever need help, contact me.’
Siul read the business card again.
In the hunter industry, this man held an extraordinarily influential position.
There could hardly be anyone better to ask for help.
Siul was reluctant to contact him considering how their first encounter had begun, but….
‘There’s no one else.’
After some hesitation, Siul picked up his phone.
The line rang several times before a familiar voice answered.
― Yes, this is Jang Jin-young.
“Um… hello. I’m not sure if you remember me.”
Siul identified himself, then immediately got to the point.
“I was wondering if any raid teams handling B-rank dungeons owned by the Great Tiger Guild happen to need a mercenary.”
The other end of the line fell silent for a moment.
― Is there any reason someone like you needs to participate in a raid? It’s also a little strange that you’d be looking for a B-rank dungeon with your skills.
Siul opened his mouth, then stopped.
He had no idea how to answer.
The curse, the quests, the test.
He could not mention any of them.
“Well….”
― Ah, sorry.
Jang Jin-young interrupted him first.
― I was being insensitive again. You’re not someone who can casually disclose information.
“……?”
― I suppose there are times when the nature of a mission requires a lower-ranked raid. That was an unnecessary question. As it happens, there’s a B-rank dungeon raid team that’s short on personnel. I’ll introduce you.
Siul immediately perked up at the good news.
― Their schedule is tight, so they were looking for mercenaries. If someone as skilled as you join them, they’ll be the ones thanking us.
“Really?”
― They’re not directly affiliated with the Great Tiger Guild. It’s more of a subcontracting arrangement. The conditions are straightforward as well.
Siul clenched his fist.
‘Yes!’
― I’ll send you the details by email.
CLICK.
The call ended.
Siul stared at his phone for a while.
“What kind of guardian angel is this guy….”
The words slipped from his mouth.
It had not been intentional, but Jang Jin-young’s misunderstanding had opened a path for him.
A moment later, a new email notification appeared on his laptop screen.
[B-Rank Dungeon Raid Information]
* * *
A gate stood open in the middle of a vacant lot surrounded by temporary barricades.
It was an oval-shaped rift filled with rippling blue light.
An ominous aura seeped from within.
“This is the place.”
Siul checked his smartphone one last time before walking toward the gate.
The hunters participating in the raid had already gathered.
Some were inspecting their equipment, some were smoking, and others stood quietly with their eyes closed, regulating the mana within their bodies.
Even at a glance, they all looked considerably experienced.
‘It’s a B-rank dungeon, so they must all be mid- to high-ranking hunters.’
Siul was the only beginner.
He quietly blended into the group.
“You’re the mercenary joining us today, right?”
A man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties approached Siul.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Park Do-hyun, the Supporter.”
“I’m Kim Siul. I was also assigned as a Supporter.”
They exchanged somewhat awkward greetings.
This was only Siul’s second raid, so he was still unfamiliar with this sort of environment.
“I’m C-rank. This will be exactly my tenth raid. What rank are you, Siul? And how much experience do you have?”
Park Do-hyun’s question only lasted a moment, but it instantly chilled the atmosphere.
“I’m….”
“Hey.”
A sharp voice cut in.
It belonged to the team leader, Min Hyung-sik.
He was a B-rank hunter in his mid-thirties.
A large man with a long horizontal scar across his cheek.
One look into his eyes was enough to tell that he was a hardened veteran.
“Don’t ask questions like that.”
“Pardon?”
Park Do-hyun looked at the team leader in confusion.
“He’s a mercenary. What does his rank matter? As long as he does his job in the dungeon, that’s enough. Don’t ask pointless questions about his personal information.”
“Ah, yes…. Sorry.”
Park Do-hyun awkwardly scratched the back of his neck before turning away.
Then Team Leader Min discreetly approached Siul.
“I heard about you from Executive Director Jang.”
“……?”
Team Leader Min leaned toward Siul and whispered before giving him a firm thumbs-up.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure the team members know better than to ask about your personal information.”
Siul was momentarily speechless.
‘Does this guy think I’m a government Special Hunter too?’
He wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but he had no idea where he should even begin.
So in the end….
“…Thank you.”
He decided to simply let it go.
Team Leader Min smiled with satisfaction and gave him a respectful bow.
“It’s an honor to have you with us.”
After leaving Siul with that uncomfortable remark, Team Leader Min walked back toward the gate.
“All right, if everyone’s ready, let’s head in!”
At Team Leader Min’s order, everyone moved toward the gate.
The blue light emanating from it grew increasingly vivid.
‘It really is a B-rank dungeon. You can tell how dense the mana is just from what’s leaking out of the gate.’
Siul swallowed nervously.
“The terrain inside is dark and visibility is poor, so everyone stay alert.”
Team Leader Min gave them the warning before stepping into the gate first.
Siul and the other team members followed behind him.
Blue light swallowed his vision.
All noise from the real world disappeared at once.
『 You have entered the B-Rank Dungeon ‘Rock Canyon’. 』