My mind went blank.
It was because of what Martial God Jin Cheon-woo had said after I arrived near the Gate to enter the Dungeon.
“Is that…… really true? Can my parents truly…… become healthy again?”
It was a shocking revelation.
If I became stronger, I could restore my parents’ health!
The notion was so unrealistic that I found it difficult to accept.
Modern medicine had been unable to cure them, leaving me with no choice but to pray for a miracle.
It was even widely accepted that not even renowned healing-type Hunters could restore someone who had fallen into a vegetative state.
And yet—
I…… could do it?
- Yes. It is impossible for you at present, but once your Martial Arts reach a sufficiently high level, it will be entirely possible.
I still did not understand.
“Can Martial Arts normally accomplish something like that?”
- Of course not. Ordinarily, it would be difficult. However, think again about whose Martial Arts you have learned.
Jin Cheon-woo spoke calmly.
That was right. The Martial Arts I had learned…… belonged to the Martial God.
He had been the strongest martial artist, a man hailed as the Martial God.
If they were the Martial Arts of such a being…… perhaps I truly could restore my parents’ health.
- I will say it again. Your Martial Arts must reach a higher level. Even I cannot say how long that will take.
“Whether I can heal my parents depends on me, then?”
- Now you finally understand.
“Thank you.”
- It remains a distant possibility.
“Even so, thank you. Thank you so much!”
I was sincerely grateful to Martial God Jin Cheon-woo.
He had given me hope that I could restore my parents’ health.
He had given me an overwhelmingly powerful reason to become stronger.
‘I can do it! No, I have to do it!’
I walked forward.
An oval-shaped Gate stood before me.
As I drew closer, the Hunter Association employees guarding the area approached.
“We will check your Hunter License.”
They were stationed there to prevent people without the power to fight Monsters from accidentally entering the Gate.
They worked hard to keep everyone safe, so I politely held out my Hunter License.
“Here it is.”
The Hunter Association employees carefully examined the Hunter License I had handed them.
A moment later, they nodded and returned it to me.
“Verification complete! We wish you a safe Dungeon expedition!”
The Hunter Association employees gave me an energetic send-off.
I bowed my head to them before walking through the space they had cleared.
‘This is my first time entering a Gate alone.’
I had passed through Gates many times as a Dungeon Porter, but this felt different.
It was probably because I was not entering to carry the Hunters’ equipment or collect Monster Byproducts.
- Are you nervous?
“Yes. A little.”
- Do not worry. A reasonable amount of tension will have a beneficial effect in battle.
Martial God Jin Cheon-woo’s words sounded like encouragement.
Strangely enough, some of my tension seemed to ease.
Just then—
SWISH!
My body touched the Gate.
The damp sensation filled me with foreboding.
FLASH!
The scenery before my eyes changed.
‘……A cave.’
It was an enormous cave.
Stalactites hung from the ceiling, and water dripped steadily from them.
The walls were rough. Colliding with them would probably hurt quite a bit.
However, the cave was not dark.
Various lamps were operating throughout the area, illuminating the surroundings.
‘They’re battery-powered lamps.’
The Hunters had left the lamps on to keep the area brightly lit.
“We need a Tank! One of our friends suddenly dropped out, so our Tank position is empty!”
“Four-person party almost complete! We need one more member! Any combat role is fine, but a Healer would be especially welcome!”
“I’m a beginner Hunter looking for a party!”
There were more than thirty Hunters in the area.
I had heard that this Dungeon was popular among beginner Hunters, and that certainly appeared to be true.
‘Its low danger level probably makes it even more popular.’
The Dungeon I had entered was classified as F-Rank.
It was the type of Dungeon in which Hunters were least likely to die.
In other words, it was the ideal place for beginner Hunters to gain experience.
‘My stats might be high, but I’m still effectively a beginner Hunter. Starting somewhere safe like this is the right decision.’
Seeing so many people gathered nearby eased my tension.
- It appears they are recruiting companions. Will you not join them?
“No. I’m going to fight alone.”
It was not that I particularly preferred traveling alone.
I was choosing to do so for the sake of efficiency.
‘Finding a team will take time. Even if I somehow manage to join one, I’ll have to search again if we don’t work well together. I would rather spend that time killing even one more Monster.’
Of course, the greatest reason was my confidence.
I had defeated E-Rank Monsters with a single strike, so I was confident that I could hunt the weaker F-Rank Monsters more easily and safely.
Just then—
I heard a familiar voice.
“Bwahahaha! I might have just awakened, but I’m a C-Rank Trait holder! Anyone who wants the honor of recruiting me had better hurry!”
The voice itself was familiar, but its sheer volume made it immediately recognizable.
‘It’s the man I met in the Hunter Association’s waiting room.’
He was the C-Rank Awakened who had picked a fight with me.
He had made a spectacle of himself there, and now he was doing the same thing here.
“Oh! Good! It seems plenty of people recognize my worth!”
His behavior was obnoxious, but he appeared popular because he was a C-Rank Awakened.
Several Hunters had already gathered around him.
- They intend to accompany a man like that? Tsk! Those children have poor judgment.
Martial God Jin Cheon-woo clicked his tongue in disbelief.
He had disliked the C-Rank Awakened before, and it seemed his opinion had not changed.
I had no desire to become involved with the man, so I tried to hurry deeper into the Dungeon.
“Hey! You’re that bastard from earlier, aren’t you?”
Unfortunately, he spotted me.
***
The C-Rank Awakened called out to me.
“Do you know him?”
“Who is he?”
The Hunters who had joined his party looked at me curiously.
The C-Rank Awakened twisted his face before answering.
“He’s a bastard who doesn’t know his place.”
He already had a vicious-looking face, and scowling only made him look even more menacing.
At that point, I might have believed him if someone told me he was a Monster.
- Do you intend to deal with him?
“No. It would be a waste of time.”
- A wise decision. I would have been disappointed if you allowed yourself to be swayed by a man of his caliber.
The C-Rank Awakened approached while calling to me in a hostile tone.
I began running deeper into the Dungeon.
THUD THUD THUD!
“H-Hey! Get back here, you hear me?”
The C-Rank Awakened shouted at the top of his lungs and ran after me.
However, he could not keep up with my speed at all.
It was probably because the difference between our stats was so great.
“You! Stay out of my sight! The next time I see you, I’ll beat you half to death! Do you understand? Remember, there’s no one here to protect you!”
The C-Rank Awakened shouted furiously.
He was even threatening me, but I did not find him frightening in the slightest.
In fact, I hoped we would meet again.
Preferably somewhere deep within the Dungeon, where no one would know even if a person died.
“It’s finally quiet.”
- His voice, at least, was remarkably powerful. What a peculiar fellow.
“I agree. I think my ears are still ringing.”
As the distance between us and the C-Rank Awakened grew, his noisy voice finally faded away.
- In any case, this is quite an expansive place.
“Yes. It’s enormous.”
As Jin Cheon-woo had said, this Dungeon was vast.
It was grotesquely large for a mere cave, and it contained numerous branching paths.
Perhaps because of that, I quickly found an area where no other Hunters were visible.
‘Having no one nearby can be dangerous, but having too many people around is inconvenient.’
When numerous Hunters were present, they ended up competing to hunt Monsters.
That could lead to disputes, and I might waste time searching for Monsters.
Since I needed to become strong enough to heal my parents as quickly as possible, I had to avoid such situations.
That was why I had sought out an empty area.
“SKREEE!”
“SQUEAK! SQUEAK-SQUEAK!”
Monsters with short statures, green skin, and crude swords and shields surrounded me.
They were ‘Goblins,’ Monsters classified as F-Rank.
‘Five of them. That isn’t many.’
I immediately entered combat.
I applied an appropriate amount of strength to the hand holding my sword and moved.
SWISH!
I shifted my lower body smoothly and swung my sword.
It was a movement that utilized both Limitless Footwork and the Limitless Sword Method.
I did not attempt to swing the sword more times than necessary.
Nor did I try to use excessive force.
I simply focused on executing the Limitless Sword Method with the precise form I had practiced at the Private Training Center.
SLAAASH!
The result followed naturally.
“SQUEAK!”
The five Goblins died with brief screams.
I was not satisfied.
I had made mistakes in several of my movements.
Martial God Jin Cheon-woo noticed them as well and immediately pointed them out.
- Your footwork was rushed. The angle of your ankle also deviated considerably from what you practiced. If you move like that, it will be difficult to put your weight behind your attacks.
“I’ll pay closer attention.”
It seemed I had made the right decision by leaving the training center and coming to a Dungeon.
I had expected as much, but swinging a sword alone was entirely different from swinging it at a Monster.
‘Let’s keep going.’
Perhaps it was because there were no other Hunters nearby, but there were a considerable number of Goblins.
“SQUEAK! SQUEAK-SQUEAK!”
“SKREE! SKREEE!”
They were aggressive.
The instant they saw me, they raised their weapons and charged.
‘Let’s make fewer mistakes this time.’
I moved while recalling the points Martial God Jin Cheon-woo had advised me to correct.
The Limitless Sword Method and Limitless Footwork.
Once again, I executed the movements I had trained so diligently.
SLASH! SLAAASH!
The Goblins were cleaved in half.
The weapons they swung and thrust did not even graze my body.
- That was somewhat better, but you are still rushing. Pay closer attention to the angle of your ankle as well.
“Yes!”
I answered loudly, stepped forward, and swung my sword.
More Goblins had appeared and were already charging toward me.
SLAAAASH!
Once again, the Goblins could not withstand my attack.
The sword I swung cleaved them in two.
The result might have been due to the excellence of the swordsmanship I had learned.
However, I suspected it had more to do with the quality of the sword itself.
【Limitless Sword】
[Rank] SSSSS
[Description] Martial God Jin Cheon-woo’s sword. The First Seal has been released.
[Effect] Attack Power increased by 30%, Evasion increased by 30%, Ego
‘This sword is insane. Honestly, it’s carrying me right now. My Proficiency with the Limitless Sword Method is still low.’
Whatever the reason, I was pleased.
I had become stronger, and I was continuing to grow stronger.
How many Goblins had I hunted?
At some point, words began appearing in my field of vision.
‘Huh?’
Words had suddenly appeared.
That meant a message was being generated.
SLAAASH!
I swung my sword and finished off the remaining Goblin.
Then I checked the completed messages before my eyes.
[Evasion has increased. +1]
[You killed 40 Goblins within 10 minutes.]
[Achievement added - Goblin Hunter]
“Oh!”
A message announcing an increase in my stats and another announcing that an Achievement had been added!
I was overjoyed.
Both messages meant that I had grown stronger.
With a sense of satisfaction, I was about to inspect the Achievement’s information and my improved Combat Stats.
“That’s……!”
At that moment, something else entered my field of vision.
A faintly gleaming object lay where one of the Goblins had died.
According to the eye for valuables I had developed over two years of working as a Dungeon Porter…… that was an Item!
And a rather expensive one at that!