Each time Ju-min clenched and opened his fists, a heavy yet smooth texture brushed against his palms.
He quietly looked down at the dark-steel gauntlets covering both hands.
Whenever he bent his finger joints, subtle mana flowed out and gently supported the movement of his muscles. They did not feel heavy or cumbersome in the slightest. Instead, they felt as natural as though they had always been part of his skin.
'Giant’s Mining Hands.'
It was the B-grade equipment he had obtained from the E-rank dungeon yesterday.
An ordinary C-rank Hunter would have shouted in triumph the moment he acquired equipment of this caliber, then immediately rushed into a B-rank dungeon—or at least an upper-tier C-rank dungeon. The temptation to trust the equipment’s power and make a fortune would have been irresistible.
Ju-min, however, had headed toward a quiet, lower-tier D-rank dungeon on the outskirts of Seoul.
“Good equipment doesn’t make my body any tougher.”
Ju-min muttered briefly as he adjusted his grip on the hilt of his worn one-handed sword.
The gauntlets’ Strength Enhancement and Impact Absorption were undoubtedly extraordinary. However, his natural physical abilities and reflexes remained at the level of an ordinary C-rank Hunter.
If he relied solely on his newfound power and charged into the viciously fast attacks of higher-ranked monsters, he might end up decapitated with only his equipment-protected arms left intact.
He needed time to adjust his body to the new equipment’s power and synchronize himself with its unfamiliar sensations.
He had to test it thoroughly in real combat, within a safe environment he could handle.
That was why Ju-min had chosen a D-rank dungeon.
After completing the procedures for entering alone with the administrative staff, Ju-min stepped through the rippling Gate without hesitation.
***
Cold air pierced his lungs.
As soon as he entered the Gate, the dank, musty odor unique to a humid cave washed over him.
Blue bioluminescent moss growing across the walls faintly illuminated the dark passage.
Silencing his footsteps, Ju-min slowly advanced deeper into the cave.
Before long, rough snorting came from the fork ahead.
GRRRR.
Two red eyes flashed in the darkness.
A massive monster soon emerged. It was an Armored Wolf, a beast covered in thick bone armor. Although it was commonly encountered in D-rank dungeons, its sturdy armor made it difficult to inflict fatal damage with ordinary physical attacks.
The Armored Wolf spotted Ju-min, kicked forcefully off the ground, and charged at him like a projectile.
As the passenger-car-sized creature hurtled toward him at a terrifying speed, Ju-min did not dodge. Instead, he lowered his stance and pointed his sword forward.
Ordinarily, he would have evaded to the side and targeted an unarmored weak point, such as its legs or the back of its neck.
This time, however, his objective was to conduct a test.
CLANG!
The sharp teeth and sword blade collided head-on.
Sparks flew in every direction with a violent cracking sound.
Ju-min’s feet scraped across the ground as he was pushed back half a step.
But that was all.
'Huh?'
Ju-min’s eyes widened slightly.
Normally, the recoil should have traveled up his wrist and into his shoulder with enough force to make his bones ache. However, the impact that struck the dark-steel gauntlets dispersed without a trace, as though he had driven his fist into soft mud.
It was the effect of Impact Absorption.
The Armored Wolf was the one caught off guard when Ju-min did not give way.
Just as it faltered and tried to retreat, Ju-min counterattacked.
The instant he lightly twisted his wrist and raised his sword, mana surged from the gauntlet and wrapped firmly around his arm muscles.
He had not even used half his usual strength, yet the sword cut through the air with serpentine sharpness and crushing weight.
SLASH!
The chilling sound of severed flesh echoed against the cave walls.
The Armored Wolf’s incredibly sturdy bone armor split in half as easily as tofu.
The creature collapsed to the ground, its body severed in two before it could even scream.
Ju-min shook the droplets of blood from his sword and looked back and forth between his hands.
“I didn’t think it would be this powerful.”
It was not because his sword was exceptional.
The tremendous Strength Enhancement concentrated in his grip had transformed the blunt blade into a deadly weapon.
Ju-min did not allow himself to become excited.
He had noticed the slight discrepancy when he swung his sword.
'It traveled about three centimeters farther than I intended.'
The overflowing strength had subtly disrupted the path and timing of his swing.
The opponent had been a manageable D-rank monster, so one strike had been enough. Against a faster and more cunning enemy, however, an error like that could expose a fatal opening.
'I can’t let the equipment control me. I have to control it.'
Ju-min took a short, deep breath and calmed himself.
He then continued into the darkness.
The hunts that followed became a continuous process of recalibration.
Even when the Armored Wolves attacked in packs of three or four, Ju-min did not swing his sword hastily.
Instead, he waited until their attacks were about to reach him, then used the gauntlets’ Impact Absorption to deflect their charges with ease.
He drove his sword cleanly into the weak points of the off-balance monsters.
He relaxed his strength, narrowed his swings, and adjusted his timing.
He constantly monitored his body’s sensations to prevent himself from applying excessive force.
As he ventured deeper into the cave, the monsters’ corpses piled into a mountain behind him. Even so, Ju-min’s breathing remained perfectly steady.
The relentless fighting would once have made his muscles scream, but now he felt no more tired than if he had gone for a light jog.
At last, he reached the end of the dungeon.
The alpha wolf, the largest of the pack, lunged at him with its sharp claws extended.
Ju-min raised his gauntleted left hand and seized its foreleg.
BOOM!
Dirt and dust rose into the air, but Ju-min’s arm did not move even slightly.
The instant bewilderment appeared in the alpha wolf’s eyes, the sword in Ju-min’s right hand traced a clean, flawless path and pierced its throat.
SCREEECH!
The massive body collapsed helplessly with a harsh metallic screech.
Ju-min pulled out his sword and exhaled briefly.
That final strike—its strength, speed, and trajectory—had been entirely under his control.
He was no longer being dragged around by the equipment’s excessive power.
***
[The dungeon subjugation is complete.]
Immediately after the alpha wolf fell, a familiar System message appeared in the air.
The residual mana spread throughout the dungeon gathered in one place, and the Personal Settlement Window opened.
[Official Reward: 18 low-grade mana stones (D-grade) are awaiting collection.]
This was the base reward calculated according to the dungeon’s difficulty and his contribution from clearing it alone.
Eighteen D-grade mana stones.
Compared to the past, when he had needed to hire a porter and divide the rewards among his party members, it was a substantial sum for him to claim entirely for himself.
However, Ju-min’s gaze remained fixed on the brilliant golden Selection Window that appeared behind the settlement window.
[Would you like to amplify the official reward one hundredfold?]
[100× Quantity] / [100× Value]
There was no need to deliberate.
What he needed now was not another fortuitous encounter that surpassed the performance of his equipment, but a substantial war chest with which he could support his life and prepare for the next stage.
He needed plenty of cash to cover his parents’ living expenses, repay the loan on their aging house, and purchase the advanced information and consumable items required to raid higher-ranked dungeons.
“100× Quantity.”
At Ju-min’s command, the left side of the Selection Window shone brilliantly.
Golden light poured into the settlement window floating in the air and enveloped the eighteen mana stones.
FLASH!
As the light flared, mana stones poured from the air and cascaded to the ground like a waterfall.
The 1,800 translucent, blue-tinged D-grade mana stones instantly formed a small hill and illuminated the cave.
The clear sound of the stones striking one another filled the silent dungeon.
Ju-min smirked as he gazed at the radiant cluster of light.
If he stuffed this enormous quantity of mana stones into a backpack and carried them outside, countless people beyond the Gate would stare at him with suspicion.
However, he possessed the secure Inventory provided by the System.
When Ju-min extended his hand and swept it over the pile, the mana stones covering the ground vanished like a mirage. The numerical count in his Inventory rapidly increased.
Ju-min’s eyes curved into a satisfied smile when he saw the reassuring number displayed in the Inventory Window.
He had confirmed the substantial combat power granted by the Giant’s Mining Hands.
He had also obtained enough money to operate freely for the foreseeable future without financial restrictions.
Everything was proceeding smoothly according to plan.
Ju-min closed the Inventory and turned around.
As he walked out through the Gate, his steps carried a greater sense of confidence and composure than ever before.