The Goblin Dungeon had been classified as F-Rank.
Then a sudden Rift transformed it into a D-Rank Dungeon.
To make matters worse, the Dungeon was well known as a popular destination for beginner Hunters.
When the users of the Hunter Community heard the news, they had been certain of one thing.
Tragically, most of the beginner Hunters inside the Dungeon would die.
And yet—
To everyone’s astonishment, those beginner Hunters were escaping.
A considerable number of them, no less.
- How in the world did they make it out alive……?
- Was that even possible……? Most of the people escaping should be F-Rank Hunters, shouldn’t they? They would be torn apart if D-Rank Monsters caught them, so how did they manage to escape?
I do not understand…… If the Monsters inhabiting that Dungeon really are D-Rank…… there is no possible way F-Rank Hunters could outrun them with their Movement Speed……?
The Hunter Community users watching the scene through a live broadcast could not help but wonder.
How had those Hunters escaped?
What had happened inside the Dungeon?
Then—
An interview began between the news reporters and the Hunters who had escaped from the Rift Dungeon.
『What is happening inside the Dungeon?』
The moment the first question was asked, one of the Hunters participating in the interview raised his hand.
“I’ll explain.”
『Please do.』
“A Rift suddenly occurred. The F-Rank Dungeon abruptly became a D-Rank Dungeon. My attacks stopped working against Goblins that I had previously been able to defeat without much difficulty, while their attacks began inflicting tremendous damage. We…… found ourselves on the verge of death.”
『How did you overcome that crisis?』
GULP!
The reporter who had asked the question swallowed.
It was an instinctive reaction born from his intense curiosity.
The Hunter Community users watching the interview in real time also stared wide-eyed at the Hunter’s mouth.
At that moment—
The Hunter took hold of the microphone.
His expression was filled with respect.
“We survived thanks to the Shabby Hunter!”
『……Pardon me? What did you just say?』
The reporter tilted his head.
He asked again to make certain he had heard correctly.
“I said we survived thanks to the Shabby Hunter. Do you not know him? He is the man who distinguished himself when Kiraks burst out of a Gate not long ago.”
The words ‘Shabby Hunter’ left the Hunter’s mouth once again.
The other Hunters participating in the interview immediately began speaking as though they had been waiting for their opportunity.
“That’s right! We survived thanks to the Shabby Hunter! A lot of people probably know him already. He recently became very popular on YouTube, and his video received an enormous number of views!”
“We truly would have all died without him! He suddenly appeared when we were about to be killed and swung his sword—SWISH! SWISH!…… Wow! I can only marvel whenever I remember it!”
The reporter who had asked the question remained puzzled.
He had never heard of the Shabby Hunter.
However, the reporters around him were already becoming excited.
“The Shabby Hunter? He’s the man who recently became extremely popular, isn’t he?”
“That’s right! Just as they said, the video of him hunting Kiraks received a tremendous number of views! Anyone familiar with the Shabby Hunter will know who he is.”
The Hunter Community users watching the interview in real time reacted even more fervently.
- Oh!!!! The Shabby Hunter!!!!! I know the Shabby Hunter!!!! I really enjoyed the video that appeared on YouTube recently!
- This is insane! It was the Shabby Hunter? He is the man who slaughtered those E-Rank Kiraks! I thought there was something unusual about him back then, but was he strong enough to hunt D-Rank Monsters as well?
- So the Shabby Hunter saved them! That man is a genuine hero, isn’t he? He greatly reduced the casualties during the Kirak incident as well. Now he has saved numerous people again.
- What was the Shabby Hunter’s name?
└ Was it Yu-gun? Yu-gwa……? I cannot remember.
└ Yu-gwa? Hahaha. I looked it up recently, so I know exactly. His name is Yu-gwon.
- The Shabby Hunter…… Yu-gwon? I do not know much about him. Is he famous? Is he any good?
└ He recently gained some attention on YouTube. What he showed was not overwhelmingly impressive by itself—he merely killed dozens of E-Rank Kiraks. The important part was that he killed every Kirak in a single strike. One died whenever he swung his sword, and sometimes he killed two or three at once.
└ Really? I should watch the video featuring Yu-gwon.
The Hunter Community was primarily populated by people with a strong interest in Hunters.
Naturally, many users were already familiar with Yu-gwon, the Shabby Hunter.
Amid that situation—
The Hunter being interviewed revealed a shocking fact.
“There was even a Boss Monster inside the Dungeon! It was a Big-Eared Goblin that had mutated and become D-Rank.”
Even the reporter asking the questions could not conceal his surprise.
『……There was a Boss Monster? Then how did you……?』
The reporter could not finish his sentence.
He could not bring himself to ask how they had survived in a place containing a D-Rank Boss Monster.
At that moment, the Hunter being interviewed grinned and took hold of the microphone.
“I already told you. We survived thanks to the Shabby Hunter.”
『Are you saying…… the Shabby Hunter also eliminated the D-Rank Boss Monster?』
“Yes. With a single attack.”
『……!』
The reporter’s eyes widened.
The claim was almost impossible to believe.
The Hunter Community users watching the interview in real time reacted similarly.
- ????? What is he talking about???? He killed a D-Rank Boss Monster in a single strike? That is impossible.
- This is insane! That cannot be true!
- Come on. That is far too exaggerated.
- Hunters, congratulations on escaping, but lying during an interview like this is a little much.
- Be honest during the interview! I was enjoying this until they said something so ridiculous!
- I understand that the Shabby Hunter is strong. I can even believe that he saved everyone by eliminating the Goblins that mutated to D-Rank. I also think he might have been able to kill the D-Rank Boss Monster. But he killed it with a single attack? That is obviously a lie.
Wouldn’t someone need to be approximately a B-Rank Hunter to kill a D-Rank Boss Monster in one strike? Are they saying the Shabby Hunter is that strong?
└ A B-Rank Hunter’s face should already be somewhat well known, but the Shabby Hunter only became known recently. Realistically, it seems nearly impossible.
Most of the viewers expressed their doubts.
The Hunter being interviewed spoke again in a forceful tone.
“I understand that it is difficult to believe, but it is true.”
At that moment, the other Hunters gathered for the interview also shouted with complete conviction.
“It’s true! The D-Rank Boss Monster died the moment the Shabby Hunter swung his sword!”
“I saw it clearly with my own eyes! He truly killed it in a single strike!”
“It was definitely a Big-Eared Goblin! When it appeared, every Hunter nearby gave up hope of surviving, but the Shabby Hunter immediately dealt with it. Honestly, even though I witnessed it personally, I could hardly believe what I saw. I never imagined a Boss Monster could die from one attack.”
“I saw it too! Whether it was a Boss Monster or an ordinary Monster, they were all equal before the Shabby Hunter’s worn-out sword!”
They did not appear to be lying.
Sincerity was evident in the Hunters’ eyes, and the Hunter Community users who saw it fell into confusion.
- What……? Is it really true……?
- Those people do not appear to be lying…… Then did Yu-gwon, the Shabby Hunter, really kill every D-Rank Monster and the D-Rank Boss Monster with one attack each?
- All right, that settles it. The Shabby Hunter is at least a B-Rank Hunter.
- The people inside the Dungeon were fortunate. A Hunter with B-Rank-level strength happened to be in an F-Rank Dungeon and helped them.
- But why was a B-Rank or higher Hunter inside an F-Rank Dungeon? There would be nothing for him to gain. I do not understand.
- Was he helping an acquaintance gain experience? I wonder why Yu-gwon entered an F-Rank Dungeon.
As they began believing the Hunters’ testimony, a new question arose.
If Yu-gwon, the Shabby Hunter, was truly strong enough to kill a Boss Monster in one strike, why had he entered an F-Rank Dungeon?
Entering a higher-level Dungeon would have been more efficient in every respect.
Their questions about Yu-gwon continued to multiply.
Then—
- Huh? Isn’t that man the Shabby Hunter?
- Oh! It’s Yu-gwon! That really is Yu-gwon!
- Yu-gwon just came out of the Gate!!!!
The man himself appeared.
***
I arrived before the exit leading out of the Dungeon.
‘I’m exhausted.’
My fatigue was considerable.
I had traveled throughout the vast Dungeon and eliminated the Mutated Goblins.
“I killed about seventy, right?”
- It was sixty-eight. Exaggerating your own accomplishments is undesirable, so you should refrain from doing so.
“……I was simply mistaken.”
As Jin Cheon-woo had said, I had killed sixty-eight.
They had not been weak Monsters, either, but Mutated Goblins strengthened to D-Rank.
‘I killed them fairly quickly as well.’
I had pushed myself to move as quickly as possible to save more people.
It had left me exhausted, but the result had been worthwhile.
I had saved a great many people.
“I think I saved approximately forty-five.”
- It was forty-one.
“…….”
The Martial God corrected me again.
He was remarkably particular. It was not even that great a difference.
In any case—
I felt proud.
I had saved many people, and my Combat Stats had increased considerably while I eliminated the Goblins.
【Name】Yu-gwon
【Trait】Martial God’s Successor(SSSSS)
【Vitality】E[99] 【Inner Arts】E[72]
【Attack Power】E[95] 【Defense】E[94]
【Evasion】E[95] 【Magic Resistance】E[83]
【Skill】[Limitless Mind Method(SSSSS)][Limitless Sword Method(SSSSS)][Limitless Footwork(SSSSS)][Swing(E)][Thrust(E)]
【Achievement】[Special Beginner][One Who Learned the Martial God’s Mind Method][One Who Astonished the Martial God][One Who Learned the Martial God’s Sword Method][One Who Learned the Martial God’s Footwork][Goblin Hunter][Efficient One][One Who Accomplished the Impossible]
My Vitality, Attack Power, Defense, and Evasion had each increased by one point.
My Magic Resistance had risen by an impressive three points.
Considering that my stats were already relatively high, those were significant changes.
The result had only been possible because I had eliminated nearly every Monster inhabiting the Dungeon by myself.
‘It’s time to leave.’
Even if I wanted to remain in this Rift Goblin Dungeon, I could not.
The Dungeon had begun collapsing after all its Monsters were killed.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
When every Monster inhabiting a Dungeon was killed and the Dungeon was cleared, the Dungeon would collapse and even its Gate would disappear.
I had experienced the phenomenon several times while working as a Dungeon Porter, so it was not particularly surprising.
However, I still had to escape before the Dungeon collapsed completely.
At least, unless I wanted to disappear along with the Gate and become a missing person.
‘Shall I leave?’
The exit stood directly before me.
Although I called it an exit, it was actually a Gate.
A Gate connected to Earth.
Passing through it would return me to the middle of Seoul.
The thought of returning somewhere safe caused some of my tension to ease.
I pushed my body into the Gate.
SWISH!
An unpleasant, damp sensation enveloped my entire body.
At the same time, my surroundings changed.
Then bright flashes erupted before my eyes.
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK-CLICK!
The light was blinding.
I raised my palm slightly to shield my eyes and looked ahead.
‘What is this? Why are there so many cameras?’
An entirely unexpected scene awaited me.
There were more than ten cameras and even more lights.
Dozens of people had gathered around them.
Furthermore, those people were calling out to me.
They were practically beside themselves with excitement.
“Waaaaah! It’s the Shabby Hunter!”
“Shabby Hunter! Please look this way!”
“Could you tell us what happened inside the Dungeon?”
“We’re from a broadcasting station! Please grant us an interview!”
This was bewildering.
However, Martial God Jin Cheon-woo appeared even more bewildered than I was.
- Is this an ambush?! Evade them for now! What are those objects emitting light? And what are those black objects?! What sort of sorcery is this?!
Previously, the Martial God had become fixated on the subway.
This time, cameras and lighting equipment had captured his attention.