【Quest Complete!】
【You have successfully eliminated an enemy that threatened your life through a stamina-depletion strategy + decapitation.】
【You are awarded 3 Level-Up Points.】
【Each time your Level-Up Points reach 10, your Awakening Rank will rise by one level.】
【Current Accumulated Points: 3】
As the Giant Golem finally died, Quest notifications flooded the space before Siul.
'I really defeated a B-Rank Dungeon boss all by myself.'
Siul let out a disbelieving chuckle at an achievement that still did not feel real.
Until recently, he had been nothing more than a lowly D-Rank Hunter.
But what about now?
Siul looked around the boss room.
The Giant Golem's corpse lay sprawled in the middle of the stone chamber.
The red core that had been embedded in its chest had shattered into pieces, leaving only a faint residual glow.
The same was true of the second-floor balcony.
Having lost their boss, the golems slumped where they stood, utterly defeated.
Even those that had tumbled over the railing hung their heads with their limbs limp.
'I defeated this many monsters….'
After marveling at himself for a moment, Siul awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.
'It was not exactly an impressive victory… I only won by exhausting them.'
That distinction was rather important.
He had lost count of how many times his body had been destroyed during the battle.
His head had been blown off, his chest had caved in, and his arms and legs had been broken and even torn to pieces.
And yet Siul had kept getting back up.
'There was no pain, and the regeneration was instantaneous. If I had to, I could have kept fighting all day.'
The golems, on the other hand, had grown exhausted until they were completely spent.
Thanks to his immortality, the longer the battle continued, the further victory tilted in Siul's favor.
'It is a rather brute-force method, but it certainly works.'
Siul turned his attention back to the Quest reward.
'Three Level-Up Points for one Giant Golem….'
The A-Rank Wyvern Goblin had possessed an Obstacle Danger Level of 30 and awarded 10 points.
The C+-Rank Golems had an Obstacle Danger Level of 7, which fell short of the Quest requirement.
Those were the facts he had personally confirmed so far.
However, one question continued to bother him.
'Are these values really fixed?'
The Giant Golem and the Wyvern Goblin were unquestionably powerful enemies.
But what if Siul's Awakening Rank rose to A-Rank or higher?
Would those monsters still display the same danger levels then?
Siul narrowed his eyes.
'If they do, that would be ideal for me. I could kill them easily and still earn plenty of Level-Up Points.'
For some reason, however, he had a feeling things would not be that convenient.
'Forget it. I can think about that later.'
Siul quickly turned away.
'This was more than enough testing.'
The information and financial gains he had obtained from this raid had exceeded his expectations.
For Siul, to whom every single day was precious, it felt as though this would be one of the rare days he had spent to the fullest without regret.
* * *
The middle section of the Dungeon.
A long silence had settled over the clearing where Mini Gate Disc No. 1 had been placed.
“Hmm.”
Min Hyung-sik stared toward the boss room without saying a word.
'He is taking too long.'
He had no idea how much time had passed since they had left Siul behind in the boss room.
But one thing was certain.
It had already gone far beyond the amount of time a human being could normally endure in continuous combat.
“Team Leader, do you think….”
Park Do-hyun bit his lip and let his words trail off.
It was not only Park Do-hyun. None of the team members could bring themselves to say, ‘He'll come back safely.’
“……?”
Then it happened.
Footsteps came from the darkness in the direction of the boss room.
“Oh!”
Min Hyung-sik was the first to rush forward.
The person who emerged from the darkness was none other than Siul.
There was not a single visible injury on him, nor did he show any sign of exhaustion.
With Disc No. 2 tucked beneath one arm, he returned looking as lively as ever.
“You were all here? It was so dark that I had some trouble finding you.”
When Siul spotted the team members, he casually waved at them from nearby.
His greeting was so nonchalant that the others could only stare blankly.
“He really came back alive….”
Someone unconsciously voiced what everyone was thinking before hurriedly correcting himself.
“No! That is not what I meant… How are you so completely fine?!”
“You are not hurt anywhere?”
“Did you escape from the boss room? Did you find an exit?”
With questions pouring in from all sides, Siul was unsure which one to answer first.
In the end, he simply opened his Inventory instead.
“This is surprisingly easy to see even in the dark.”
What Siul proudly took out was a palm-sized crystal glowing red.
“Gasp!”
Everyone recognized the stone immediately.
“That is….”
A Red Mana Stone.
It was the core crystal that had been embedded in the Giant Golem's heart.
A symbol of victory that could only be obtained by defeating the boss.
It was a rare resource that traded for approximately 50 million won at market price.
“You really defeated the boss all by yourself? Without a single injury?!”
Park Do-hyun's voice trembled as he asked.
Most of the team members reacted with disbelief rather than admiration.
Siul leisurely waved the Red Mana Stone and gave them a clear answer.
“It took some time, but I kept my promise.”
That brief statement answered every question.
While the team members stood there stunned, Min Hyung-sik approached Siul and bowed deeply.
“Thank you very much. You saved our lives.”
After thanking him, Min Hyung-sik immediately shot the others an urging look.
“If it were not for him, all of us could have ended up having funerals after entering that boss room. What are you standing around for?”
Only then did everyone snap back to their senses. They hurried forward and bowed just as Min Hyung-sik had.
“Thank you!”
“We will never forget what you did for us!”
“We are sorry we doubted you!”
Embarrassed, Siul could only give an awkward laugh.
At that moment, Min Hyung-sik quietly made him an offer.
“I do not know whether this will be enough to express our gratitude, but as for the reward from the Red Mana Stone, which we originally planned to split evenly after deducting the Great Tiger Guild's commission… please take all of it, Mr. Siul.”
Siul's ears perked up.
“And we will also give you the largest share of the profits from the Mana Stones we mined in this Dungeon.”
Only then did Min Hyung-sik turn to ask the rest of the team.
“That is all right with everyone, yes?”
Everyone nodded vigorously as though it were only natural.
“Of course! Mr. Siul should get the biggest share!”
“That much is cheap compared to the price of our lives.”
“I certainly could not have done what you did.”
Min Hyung-sik lowered his posture once more and offered Siul a handshake.
“We owe you a tremendous debt.”
It was more than enough gratitude. If anything, it was excessive.
No matter how true it was that Siul had defeated the boss alone, if Min Hyung-sik gave him that much of the reward, there would be nothing left for himself.
Dungeon raids fundamentally required a significant investment just to secure the rights to a Gate.
If the settlement proceeded according to Min Hyung-sik's proposal, he would finish the job at a loss.
'There is no way he does not know that.'
Siul could clearly tell just how sincerely Min Hyung-sik regarded him as their savior.
“Thank you, but I would rather receive my compensation in a different way.”
“…Pardon?”
Min Hyung-sik looked taken aback by the unexpected answer.
The other team members tilted their heads as well.
“I'll only take the Red Mana Stone. You can all keep the profits from the Mana Stones mined in the Dungeon.”
For a moment, everyone stared at him in confusion.
“Why?”
“With your contribution, Mr. Siul, you could simply take all of it….”
Siul raised his index finger and continued.
“In exchange, I have one condition. From now on, whenever you enter a B-Rank Dungeon, I want you to keep hiring me as a Mercenary.”
The team members all flinched at once.
'He wants us to keep hiring him as a Mercenary?'
'Does he mean he wants to join the team?'
'That would be good for us, but….'
Min Hyung-sik spoke on behalf of the confused team.
“Is that really your condition?”
“There is one more detail. Just like today, I would like to handle the boss entirely on my own.”
“Ah, that is…….”
“Do not worry. Today is the only time I will keep the boss-hunting reward for myself. From now on, just give me twice my normal share.”
A brief silence followed.
During that short interval, it was almost possible to hear the calculations running through everyone's heads.
'If we double his share….'
'Our profits will decrease somewhat, but….'
'He will take care of the boss for us….'
'And we can clear the Dungeon safely.'
The conclusion was unanimous.
'Is this still not a better deal for us?'
Compared to losing a little immediate profit, the ability to clear Dungeons without worrying about losing their lives was far more valuable.
“Are you really all right with that? I feel as though these terms benefit us far too much.”
Min Hyung-sik voiced his thoughts frankly instead of testing Siul or trying to negotiate for more.
That attitude only made Siul want to continue working with this team even more.
“To be completely frank, we have no reason to refuse. If someone as strong as you joins us, Mr. Siul, the burden of raiding itself will practically disappear.”
The other team members chimed in from behind, saying they agreed.
Only after seeing their reactions did Siul extend his hand toward Min Hyung-sik.
He was once again offering the handshake they had not exchanged earlier.
Min Hyung-sik stood there in a daze for a moment before finally smiling and taking Siul's hand.
“Then we have a deal.”
* * *
By the time they finished clearing the Dungeon and came outside, the sun was already setting.
Siul walked down the street with a satisfied smile.
'Now I can enter B-Rank Dungeons regularly. They are an outside contractor team, so they should not have to worry about the Great Tiger Guild interfering.'
Resolving the inconvenience caused by his official D-Rank Hunter status was the greatest gain Siul had made that day.
'If I keep completing Quests like this, I might become a high-rank Hunter before long. And if that happens…….'
The image of the Judgment Dragon flashed through Siul's mind.
'I might be able to meet that bastard again.'
His hand tightened into a fist.
It was a strength he could never have mustered back when all he could do was wait for the day he died.
'Ah, but I need to buy more equipment. If I keep relying on my body like I did today, the battles will take far too long. I still get mentally exhausted.'
Siul headed home while making plans for the future.
Meanwhile, there were people watching him from nearby.
“Is that him? The man who came out of that strange Gate?”
A bald man in his forties wearing a black suit whispered.
A woman in her late twenties with long, straight hair, dressed in a suit of the same design, nodded.
“Those fox-like eyes are exactly the same as in the photograph.”
“You always identify people by their eyes, do you not?”
“That is the most accurate way.”
“If you say so, I cannot argue. Even among Special Hunters, no one is better than you at seeing what is inside another person.”
At a glance, the suits they wore might have looked like expensive formalwear, but in reality, they were protective suits capable of stopping even the claws of an A-Rank Monster.
They were uniforms issued exclusively to Special Hunters.
The bald man, Kang Ho-cheol, and the long-haired woman, Baek Ga-hyeon, were Special Hunters employed by the government.
“This is irritating. Why do we have to do the Hunter Association's work for them?”
“It cannot be helped. If the incident is connected to a Black Gate, then it is extremely important to the government as well.”
Kang Ho-cheol and Baek Ga-hyeon concealed their presence as they followed behind Siul.
Maintaining a suitable distance, they watched his every movement.
“You know, do you not? Black Gates are said to bring disasters.”
“Is that not just a superstition? No matter how I look at him, that man does not exactly seem like a disaster.”
With eyes as black as her hair, Baek Ga-hyeon carefully studied Siul's face.
“I do not know about the disaster… but there is definitely something unusual about him.”
When Baek Ga-hyeon stated it with certainty, Kang Ho-cheol looked intrigued.
“What should we do? Grab him now and interrogate him?”
“What are you talking about? He is not some criminal. Both the government and the Association told us to approach him carefully.”
“We cannot keep watching him forever.”
“Give me a moment. I will investigate him.”
“Oh, you are going to use that?”
At Kang Ho-cheol's reaction, Baek Ga-hyeon took off her suit jacket.
“Hold this for a moment.”
After handing the jacket to Kang Ho-cheol, she began undoing the buttons at the cuffs of her dress shirt one by one.
“About two weeks' worth of memories should be enough, right?”