9

B-RANK TAESIK KANG

Taesik felt like he’d been hit over the head.

He’d never been bested in speed before by other B rankers, but this bastard, whose moves were as fast as his, dared to introduce himself as an E-rank hunter.

How dare he make fun of me!

He ground his teeth.

No, wait a minute……

Something about that bothered him.

There’s no reason for a high-rank hunter to be here.

This was obviously work for the bottom-tier hunters in the association. Their main job was to take care of gates the guilds or strike squads passed on because there wasn’t much money to be made. Their incomes were lousy compared to other hunters, and it was hard to gain recognition from their colleagues.

He probably was an E ranker like he’d said. The only thing was, his skills were way above that of an E rank.

And there’s no way a false ranker would work for the association.

Taesik could come to only one conclusion.

……A second awakening.

He remembered that upper management had been fussing about some hunter who might’ve had a second awakening near here not too long ago.

They definitely said the hunter was with the association……

He wished he remembered the name. If his reawakening was recent, it was possible he was postponing his reapplication and helping out the association in the meantime.

Who knew he’d end up facing this man today? Taesik had carefully checked the list of hunters attending today’s raid, but he’d missed Jinwoo.

How unlucky can I get?

He had only one thought on his mind.

I better add an additional fee after all this……

He licked his lips as he thought back to when this had all started.

A few days earlier, in a café near the Hunter’s Association Headquarters, Taesik got straight to business as soon as he sat down.

“Why did you want to meet with me?”

The middle-aged man opposite him looked gaunt.

Didn’t he say he was the president of some company?

Taesik had never met this older man before, but the guy had kept calling and begging to meet with him, so Taesik had decided to spare a little of his time.

The man mumbled as if he was talking to himself.

“I’ve heard that what happens in the dungeon stays in the dungeon.”

Taesik could barely make out what he was saying. “What are you talking about?”

“These are all my savings.” The man handed Taesik his bank statement without preamble.

Taesik looked back and forth at the man and the document, then checked the balance. It indicated there was 2,000,000,000 won in the account.

“Why’re you giving me this……?”

The man avoided his eyes when Taesik regarded him suspiciously.

“The bastard who violated my daughter is among the prisoners you are in charge of. My daughter hung herself, and my wife is still in the hospital from the shock.”

The older fellow continued while fighting back tears. “That son of a bitch will be free in a few years without any further consequences…… How can I sleep at night knowing that?”

When the man looked up again, his face was full of sorrow and anger.

“I believe you already understand what I’m requesting of you at this point.” The man bowed his head again. “I beg you, sir!”

The two sat in silence.

Taesik was in deep thought as he leaned back against his chair. After a long pause, he finally opened his mouth.

“Do you know why I decided to become part of the association’s Surveillance Team?”

“Sorry?” The man looked up.

Taesik continued his explanation. “A B-rank hunter is classified as a high-rank hunter, so I sometimes get scouted by a large guild. But do you know why I keep working for the Surveillance Team for a smaller income?”

“I…… I don’t know.”

Taesik grinned.

“I enjoy fighting humans much more than magic beasts.”

For that reason, the Surveillance Team was the perfect place for Taesik. He was legally allowed to beat up hunters. And sometimes when that happened, there’d be instances where he accidentally killed them.

Accidentally……

He repressed his smile. “Stamping out bugs is the easy part. But in dungeons, there are also other hunters along with those bugs. Now, I see them as insects as well, but do others see them that way?”

The man looked disappointed, because Taesik sounded like he was about to reject him. He felt like his world was crashing down around him.

But Taesik spoke again with a smirk on his face, as if he was laughing at his would-be benefactor.

“This money plus an extra one billion to get rid of the other hunters. Can you do that?”

He’d need more than 3,000,000,000 won to face off against a reawakened hunter—now that his life was at risk.

The self-proclaimed E-rank hunter was watching him with keen eyes. He looked like he would attack instantly if he saw a single opening.

Taesik swallowed hard.

He’s a challenging opponent.

Still, he was confident he could win. Even before he’d awakened as a hunter, Taesik rarely lost in a head-to-head battle. He could win, but it wouldn’t be an easy fight. He needed to alter his plan a bit.

Just then, the E-rank hunter posed a question. “Why……did you kill those prisoners?”

“Those bastards raped a girl, and her father asked me to. I didn’t kill any humans… Those bastards were animals who had to be put down. I merely disposed of some wild dogs that hurt people.”

The E-rank hunter was listening to him. It might be possible to talk him down. Taesik decided to try to persuade Jinwoo.

“Regardless of how things have turned out, I don’t want to kill you guys. Can you just forget what happened today? Promise me that, and I won’t lay a finger on you.”

Of course, Taesik had no intention of leaving any survivors. When he thought about it, he could get injured if he fought Jinwoo head-on, so he considered getting rid of them one by one later when he had the chance.

However, the E-rank hunter snorted. “You should’ve said all that before you attacked us! Now you want us to pretend like nothing’s happened after your attacks failed?”

He wasn’t wrong.

Taesik also snickered at the absurdity of the situation.

So this is how it goes down in the end, huh?

Then he’d have to give it all he had. Taesik’s eyes turned feral. His sharp gaze scanned his opponent from top to bottom. His forehead twitched.

Where did he get that dagger?

The E-rank hunter had acquired a dagger at some point.

Well…… I guess it doesn’t matter?

It wasn’t important where he’d gotten the weapon but rather what kind of weapon it was.

Taesik finished his quick analysis. With his speed and choice of a dagger, this guy was a damage dealer who preferred to get as close to his opponents as he could. His specialty was probably assassination.

Coincidentally, that was exactly what Taesik was. But the other had reawakened only recently. He could easily overwhelm him with his experience. The rookie probably couldn’t even use his skill properly.

“I’ll teach you a thing or two.” Taesik laughed at the E-rank hunter while producing a knife from his waist. “Can you do this?”

Taesik vanished with the Stealth skill.

The E-rank hunter looked around, clearly taken aback. His panic was obvious.

Of course he’d be like that.

The Stealth skill didn’t just make someone invisible. The body, any sound, and even scent: It all disappeared at once! That was the beauty of Stealth.

Among assassin-class hunters, only a select few could use this skill. No matter the hunter’s rank, one had to be lucky enough to receive Stealth when they were first awakened.

Time to end this now!

In a flash, Taesik was at the E-rank hunter’s back. The man was completely exposed.

It’s over.

He’d thought this was going to be a tougher fight, but it was too easy. Had his opponent been prepared for the Stealth skill, it wouldn’t have ended this quickly. The difference in their experience was key in determining who won or lost here.

Die!

Taesik thrust his knife toward the E-rank hunter’s ribs. But then!

Klank!

Two weapons collided and sent sparks flying.

The Stealth skill expired, and Taesik’s eyes went wide.

“What? How?”

The E-rank hunter had blocked his knife perfectly. The surprised Taesik looked up at the E ranker’s expression. His face was blank, but his mouth opened.

“Finally, it’s here.”

“Wh-what……?”

Taesik was suddenly frightened by the cryptic words and actions of the E-rank hunter in front of him.

Ping!

Jinwoo was relieved after checking the quest contents.

It wasn’t for nothing.

He’d thought he might trigger an urgent quest if he let Taesik attack him first like Dongsuk’s squad had, so he’d put this theory to the test and gotten the result he’d expected.

The message had come up as soon as Taesik resolved to kill Jinwoo. He’d lured Taesik in by displaying weakness and acting like he was panicking.

Of course, I didn’t know he was going to use the Stealth skill, though……

Truthfully, Jinwoo had been caught off guard when Taesik disappeared before his very eyes, as Stealth was rare. Nevertheless, he was able to detect Taesik’s movements when he’d calmed down and focused.

That was the power of a high perception stat. Jinwoo had initially invested points into perception in order to classify enemies as beatable or unbeatable, but it had proven useful in this application as well.

I was lucky.

Because of this, Taesik looked like he’d just seen a ghost.

“No! How?”

Once Jinwoo got rid of him, he’d be able to reap the rewards of the urgent quest.

Since I have to fight him anyway, gotta milk it for all it’s worth.

It was his turn to make a move now. It was time to attack.

The two weapons were crossed in a stalemate. They were both equal in strength.

Jinwoo’s eyes flashed.

Why don’t we try something different?

Jinwoo quickly moved to step on Taesik’s foot.

Crunch!

“Argh!” Taesik had been focused solely on his dagger, so the sudden sharp pain in his foot startled him, and he instinctively retreated.

Jinwoo saw his chance.

Dash!

Jinwoo immediately charged at Taesik. Taesik watched in disbelief.

He’s become even faster?

He was unable to process how Jinwoo was even quicker than before. In a flash, Jinwoo was close enough to stab his thigh with Kasaka’s Venom Fang.

“Ahhhh!”

Since Taesik was focused on guarding his upper body, Jinwoo went for an opening.

Yes!

Kasaka’s Venom Fang’s debuff worked. Unfortunately, it wasn’t paralysis, but it would still be much easier to defeat Taesik now.

But Taesik was a high-rank hunter! His resistance shouldn’t be underestimated.

He leaped at Jinwoo, dagger in hand.

Fwik, fwik.

Jinwoo aimed for Taesik’s vulnerable spots while narrowly avoiding his dagger. Despite his injured thigh, the more experienced Taesik calmly blocked Jinwoo’s attacks.

Klink, klang!

Both Jinwoo and Taesik were drenched in sweat.

Our speed is equal!

Our speed is the same!

Both hunters were impressed by the other’s agility as they continued to battle. They exchanged killer blows that could decide the match with a single strike.

Shhhk, shhhk, shhhiiik, shhhk, shhhk, shhhk, shhhk, shhhk!

The fight was so intense that those watching felt like they were the ones being attacked.

I need to tip the balance here.

Jinwoo focused energy on his eyes.

Taesik trembled when he met Jinwoo’s eyes.

What the…?

Got him!

Jinwoo was confident he had won.

Taesik’s pupils dilated.

What’s happening to my body?

As soon as he locked eyes with Jinwoo, his movements started feeling heavy, as if he were moving underwater. The speed he was so proud of started decreasing.

Shhhiiik! Shhhk!

Taesik took more damage.

N-no way!

Taesik’s mind was a jumbled mess.

This was definitely the effect of a debuff, but he’d never heard of an assassin-class hunter who could use debuff magic.

Is he not an assassin?

No, but then how to explain his speed?

But his thoughts were abruptly cut short. The confusion turned to panic. Jinwoo was charging straight for him.

Taesik aimed for Jinwoo’s eyes.

Shhhk!

Jinwoo pulled back his head quickly, but Taesik’s knife scratched his cheek. Still, Jinwoo had come to terms with taking damage. He’d calculated the risk of charging in to unleash a final, fatal blow.

Taesik grimaced.

Ah, shit.

Jinwoo got up close and stabbed Taesik’s chest with Kasaka’s Venom Fang.

Shuuuk.

“Gak!” Taesik’s eyes bulged out.

At that moment, both of them knew that the winner and loser had been decided.

Taesik’s mouth filled with blood that had bubbled out from inside his chest. He sneered with blood in his mouth.

He’d run into a reawakened hunter in a D-rank dungeon on today of all days.

Seriously, what shitty luck.

The knife dropped from his hand. Panting, Taesik leaned his head toward Jinwoo and whispered something.

“……” Jinwoo listened quietly before eventually removing the dagger from Taesik’s chest.

Taesik fell lifeless to the ground like a shirt falling off a hanger.

Whump.

Ping!

Despite the message, Jinwoo wasn’t particularly happy. He deplored killing anyone other than monsters, especially people, even if the opponent had started the fight.

At least the rewards ensured that he wasn’t totally losing out.

Jinwoo tried to look on the bright side as he checked the rewards.

Ping!

What?

Jinwoo looked bewildered. The reward was noticeably lower than when he’d defeated Dongsuk’s squad.

The level of difficulty was much higher today, too.

Was the number of enemies more important than their skill levels? Or was there another requirement Jinwoo didn’t know about?

He cocked his head in confusion.

Suddenly, an object on the floor caught his eye. Something shiny and about the size of a coin was emanating light from Taesik’s body.

Jinwoo’s eyes went wide.

Is that……?

He couldn’t believe it, but it was the same light that emanated from dead monsters. The shiny things he found in magic beasts were essence stones, and now the same illumination was coming from Taesik’s corpse.

What could it be?

Jinwoo tried to remain calm as he reached toward Taesik’s heart.

Ping!

It hadn’t been some hallucination.

Rune stone? An actual rune stone……!

His heart started racing.

The skill Taesik had used had transformed into a rune stone that was embedded in his body. Stealth was a very valuable skill that only a handful of hunters possessed. If this was the same kind of rune stone he’d heard so much about……

Acquire.

A small stone with runic writing on it appeared in Jinwoo’s hand.

Obtain the skill by crushing the stone. It really was a rune stone. Jinwoo would be able to use the Stealth skill once he shattered it. He’d never heard of a rune stone with the Stealth skill ever being found where a hunter could learn it. For that reason, it was impossible to figure out the monetary value of this particular rune stone.

At that moment, he heard two voices.

“Sung, you okay?”

“Jinwoo!”

Jinwoo hid the rune stone in his pocket and turned around.

Chiyul and Joohee were staring at Jinwoo in disbelief. The E-rank hunter who’d previously had a hard time in a D-rank dungeon had defeated Taesik Kang, a B-rank hunter.

As a noncombat hunter, Joohee might not have fully grasped the scale of this feat, but as a C ranker, Chiyul very well knew just how impossible a task this was.

Jinwoo examined himself. “Yeah, I’m all right.”

He looked fine at first glance, and he didn’t feel any pain. However, blood trickled from under his chin when he turned his head. He inadvertently touched his cheek to find that the cut he’d received earlier was bleeding.

“Oh.”

“I’ll fix that.” A blue light appeared on the end of Joohee’s hand, and the cut was gone.

An E-rank hunter defeated a B-rank hunter without more than a scratch. Because they’d known the old Jinwoo, this shocked Chiyul and Joohee more than the fact that someone had just tried to kill them.

“How did you……?” Chiyul couldn’t finish his sentence.

Jinwoo knew what Chiyul and Joohee wanted to say, so he spoke first.

“I’m sorry. I’ll explain everything when the time is right, but for now, please don’t ask.”

His voice sounded serious, so Joohee nodded.

Chiyul soon did the same. “You must have a good reason. Understood.”

Jinwoo’s gaze shifted toward where the boss was. His plans to kill it hadn’t changed despite how messy things had gotten. He wanted to slay the boss by himself if possible. Not to mention, there was something he could do only if the other two weren’t around.

Jinwoo looked at Chiyul. “It’ll be hard to continue the raid after what happened. You two should go out and contact the association. I’ll stay behind and search for survivors.”

Chiyul knew instinctively what Jinwoo was up to.

Jinwoo is going to close the gate.

Chiyul thought that would be the best way to prevent any further complications.

“I think that’s a good idea. Miss Joohee, we should go.”

Joohee hesitated but eventually ran toward Jinwoo. “You haven’t forgotten that you promised to take me out for dinner, right?”

Jinwoo smiled. “I haven’t. I still need to get my change back from you.”

“Then keep your promise. I’ll wait for you outside.”

Relieved, Joohee finally stepped away as Jinwoo nodded. She looked back at him several times until she was completely out of the dungeon.

Jinwoo let loose a sigh of relief when even their shadows had made their exit.

“Whew…”

He’d wanted to keep his secret for as long as possible, but they’d found out. He couldn’t deny it now that there were witnesses.

I don’t want to threaten Joohee or Mr. Song.

He could claim self-defense for attacking the B-rank hunter with no issues. He had two witnesses, after all.

The problem was explaining how an E-rank hunter had defeated a B ranker.

I guess a reawakening would be the best explanation.

Jinwoo decided to go with that. He’d tell the association that he was a reawakened hunter and get reevaluated. There was no reason to reveal anything about the system or leveling up, since no one would believe him anyway.

He had mixed feelings about getting reevaluated.

I didn’t want to get reevaluated until after I got even stronger……

But not everything goes according to plan. There was nothing he could do.

I wonder what my current rank is…

Would he be a high B rank, since his close fight with Taesik had ended in victory? He was quite confident he’d gotten stronger, but the B- to S-rank hunters were quite powerful.

Well, I’ll worry about that after I get out of here.

It was time to defeat the boss. There were only E-rank goblins in a D-rank dungeon. That meant it was highly likely that most of the magic power detected here had come from the boss. If the boss’s level was that high, Jinwoo could probably get enough experience to level up.

But first……

He had something he needed to check on.

Jinwoo maxed out his senses and inspected every energy signature inside the dungeon.

“Found him.”

Jinwoo headed in a certain direction.

He came across the bodies of Kim and the others along the way. This was the power of a high-rank hunter on display. They could kill several low-rank hunters in the blink of an eye if they wanted to. Jinwoo’s face hardened as he walked past the corpses.

And soon…

“Mmmf, mmmf, mmmmmf!”

He found a prisoner struggling nearby. His hands and feet were bound and his mouth gagged. He looked just as Taesik had described him before he died.

“I tied up the rapist not too far from here. I was going to kill him last because the victim’s father asked me to make it as slow and painful as possible.”

Taesik had died right after saying that.

The prisoner struggled harder when he saw Jinwoo. It seemed like he was asking him to hurry and untie him.

“Mmmf, mmmf, mmm!”

Upon closer inspection, it was the creep who had harassed Joohee earlier.

The prisoner breathed hard and opened his eyes wide as Jinwoo took the gag out of his mouth.

“Huff, huff, huff! That crazy bastard Taesik Kang! He killed everyone; I swear he did! Where? Where is he? You have blood on your clothes. Did he try to get you, too?”

Instead of responding, Jinwoo looked up and straight ahead. The boss was in that direction.

The prisoner spoke more urgently. “Get me out of this first. We need to run away before Taesik comes back. Fuck, I can’t break this rope ’cause it’s got magic! Do you have any tools? Why aren’t you talking? Can you hear me?”

Forgetting his predicament, the prisoner was getting angry at the bottom-tier hunter who kept ignoring him.

Jinwoo, expressionless, finally opened his mouth.

“The boss is right over there.”

“What?” The prisoner was confused.

“It seems stronger than other D-rank bosses, so I’m wondering what its patterns of attack are.”

The prisoner couldn’t stand it any longer and raged at Jinwoo. “What the hell are you on about? For fuck’s sake!”

Jinwoo calmly continued with what he wanted to say.

“Let me ask you something. Do you remember the girl you raped?”

“What? Who’re you talking about? Are you related to a victim?”

Jinwoo’s eyebrow twitched.

The prisoner asked Jinwoo who he was talking about instead of answering yes or no. This indicated that there were more than one or two victims.

A hunter can be a monster if they want to because they have the power. This piece of trash had used his power to violate women.

Jinwoo’s resolve hardened. He spoke coldly while looking down at the prisoner.

“I’ve heard enough.”

“What? Mmmf, mmm!”

Jinwoo gagged him before the man could say anything else. He gripped one of the prisoner’s ankles and started leisurely walking toward the boss’s lair.

“Mmmf! Mmmf! MMMF!”

The convict screamed bloody murder as he was dragged. His eyeballs bulged. His struggles had no effect on Jinwoo, who kept at it until they arrived at the lair.

“Mmmf! Mmmf!”

A group of hobgoblins, which were known for liking the entrails of living humans, was milling around the room.

“Mmmf! Mmmf! Mmmf!”

The prisoner realized what Jinwoo was planning. He shook his head and screamed after seeing the group of hobgoblins. His pants became stained with a yellow liquid.

“Hwwwooo.” Jinwoo drew a deep breath and then threw the convict toward the group of hobgoblins.

“Mmmmmfff!”

Keekeekeeee!

Keekee!

Keekeeee!

After smelling the fresh meat, all the hobgoblins pounced on their prey and started ripping at the leather clothes covering his midsection.

“Mmmmmmmf!” The eyes of the struggling prisoner turned red as the veins in them popped. “Mmmf…mmm…”

The hobgoblins kept feasting even after he lost consciousness. How did it feel to be eaten alive by those grotesque monsters?

With a scowl on his face, Jinwoo searched for the boss.

There it is.

A huge hobgoblin that was most likely the boss was sitting arrogantly in one corner. With all its minions preoccupied with the bait, it was an opportune time to engage.

Dash!

In a flash, Jinwoo zipped past the lackeys and appeared in front of the boss.

Keek!

Startled, the boss hobgoblin tried to get up quickly, but its head tumbled to the ground before it could lift its body.

Whud.

It rolled away slowly.

Ping!

Oh, right.

He belatedly remembered the rune stone after severing the boss’s head.

I could’ve learned and used the Stealth skill to approach it instead of using that guy as bait.

Jinwoo clicked his tongue as he surveyed the prisoner’s remnants, which he could no longer tell was a human body. But he felt no remorse.

Ah well……

The operation had been a success.

After losing their master, the hobgoblins didn’t know what to do with themselves, which made it easier to deal with them.

Keekee!

Keekeeee!

Keekeeeee!

The beasts ran away from Jinwoo, but he made quick work of them.

Keekee!

After he killed the last one, he received the message that was always welcome.

It went up again?

This surprise brightened Jinwoo’s mood.

He cleaned the blood from Kasaka’s Venom Fang and collected all the essence stones from the hobgoblins’ cadavers. After putting the dagger and the essence stones in his inventory, he called up the stat screen.

Ping!

[Name: Jinwoo Sung]
[Job: None]
[HP: 5,114]
[Fatigue: 0]

[Level: 27]
[Title: Wolf Assassin]
[MP: 548]

[Stats]
Strength:	72
Stamina:	43
Agility:	82
Intelligence:	39
Perception:	69

(Available ability points: 5)

Physical damage reduced by: 20 percent

Jinwoo was already close to level 30. He hadn’t expected much after dealing with the goblins near the dungeon entrance, but he’d leveled up twice, once from killing the boss hobgoblin and the other from slaughtering the rest of the hobgoblins. Fortunately for him, the strongest ones had been in the boss’s lair.

Although I can’t call that luck, can I?

He’d known which of the three paths to take as well as the difficulty level of the boss’s lair. If low-level hunters had entered the boss’s lair overconfident after easily defeating the goblins, that wouldn’t have ended well.

Unlike goblins, hobgoblins weren’t as easy to deal with.

Hunters sometimes run into hobgoblins in a dungeon where goblins are, but……

It was rare to see so many hobgoblins in one group.

Dungeons were unpredictable that way. Situations that appeared fortunate for one person could be desperate for someone else. The only shield that could truly protect hunters in any dangerous situation was strength.

That was why Jinwoo wanted to be strong. Surviving a dungeon was one thing, but what if there was a dungeon break near the hospital where his mother was? What if he happened to run into a magic beast while on a walk and was attacked?

And magic beasts weren’t the only problem. Hunters could be just as dangerous. Organizations meant to regulate hunters could only do so much.

Jinwoo had to have the strength to protect himself.

There is a limit to how strong hunters can be.

But there was no limit for Jinwoo. Theoretically, he could keep getting stronger as long as he kept leveling up and obtaining items. Jinwoo had even found a new way to get stronger today. Rune stones!

He took the stone out of his pocket. The information about it appeared in a hologram as it did with other items.

To ordinary people, it looked like a little pebble with weird writing on it, but hunters of all levels would kill to get their hands on one. A high-rank hunter could use it for themselves, and a low-rank hunter could sell it for an exorbitant price to a high-rank hunter.

A rune stone with a rare skill like Stealth could yield a huge payday. It would easily fetch a minimum of several 1,000,000,000 won in an official auction and even more on the black market.

There was one simple reason it was worth more on the black market. There would be no official record of who bought it or for how much. Possessing a special skill no one knew about was equivalent to having a powerful secret weapon.

Like Taesik had hidden his Stealth skill…

Jinwoo would’ve basically been offering Taesik his back if his perception stat hadn’t been so high. Jinwoo got chills just thinking about it.

Selling is out of the question. I can make money anytime.

Jinwoo shouldn’t be tempted by the possibility of getting rich quick. Right now, the important thing was getting stronger.

Of course, it went without saying how important a rare and useful skill like Stealth was.

“I can’t believe this pebble is worth the same as a few houses—or no, a few buildings.”

Jinwoo did something he’d never dreamed in the past that he’d do. The rune stone was easy to crush when he channeled some power into his grip.

Krrrk.

The red light emanating from the cracks of the broken rune stone began surrounding him. It felt like he was receiving recovery magic. The only difference was that the color of the light was red instead of blue.

Whatever the case, it didn’t feel bad in any way. As the red glow swirled around him and then entered his lungs through his nose, it felt like there was an energy he couldn’t describe filling him.

He heard the usual notification chime.

Ping!

Nice!

Jinwoo had successfully obtained the skill. He had been nervous because it was the first time he’d be acquiring a skill via a rune stone, but it went faster and easier than he’d expected.

Can I start using the Stealth skill?

His heart was beating faster from the achievement of learning a rare skill.

Didn’t people say it was better to experience something rather than just read about it?

Jinwoo activated the skill immediately.

Stealth.

As soon as he thought the word, his body gradually disappeared. He became invisible from head to toe. He felt weird because he couldn’t see his hand when he held it up in front of his face.

What happens if I do this?

He called up his dagger. Jinwoo felt something in his grip. Strangely, he couldn’t see it, but he felt its shape and weight.

That’s what I figured……

Stealth applied to Kasaka’s Venom Fang like it had with Taesik’s knife. There was nothing special about the knife itself.

What else can the Stealth skill be applied to?

He picked up a stone from the ground, and it became invisible right away.

Can I do this, too?

He placed his hand on the shoulder of a dead hobgoblin, but nothing happened. It looked like there was a limit to the application of the skill. It definitely worked on the clothes he was wearing and things he could hold in his hands. Just then…

“What?”

Stealth suddenly stopped working.

It was only a few seconds, but it drained all my mana?

Taken aback, Jinwoo quickly checked the information for the skill, as he’d only been experimenting with it by moving his body around.

He wanted more information about the Stealth skill. More text appeared before his eyes.

Ping!

Activation takes 200 mana and then 10 mana for every second?

“Ahhh……”

No wonder his mana had depleted so quickly.

His gauge looked pathetic with only 7 mana left.

It really emptied it out.

The maximum mana Jinwoo could currently possess was around 550. Each use of the Stealth skill would last about thirty-five seconds. If he used mana for another skill, he wouldn’t be able to use Stealth for the full thirty-five seconds.

If I think about it, Taesik also only used the Stealth skill for a few seconds.

Now Jinwoo understood why. Taesik hadn’t had enough magic power to use it for any longer. If this was the case for a high-rank hunter like Taesik, it would be pointless for a low-rank hunter to even learn the skill.

“Mana’s the problem.”

He’d invested ability points on every stat except intelligence, but his mana had never increased. That meant he’d have to increase his intelligence stat in order to increase his mana levels……

Should I start increasing intelligence, then?

However, it felt like a waste to use ability points on noncombat stats just because he wanted to use a skill a little longer.

Intelligence is too ineffective compared to other stats.

Strength, stamina, agility, and perception. He’d experienced firsthand how efficient all these were. He got noticeably stronger as the stats went up.

But he couldn’t tell if anything changed when his intelligence stat increased.

Even though it’s already four times as much as the base stat when I was level 1…

The only change seemed to be that his mana reserves rose. That was it. It didn’t feel like it was worth actively investing points into.

Seems like a waste…

Other stats manifested in his actual flesh and blood. He concluded that he should keep leveling up until he had enough mana. He’d spend his ability points on better stats.

Speaking of ability points……

He still had five from the urgent quest. He debated using them for intelligence but eventually distributed three points to strength and two points to stamina.

[Stats]
Strength:	75
Stamina:	45
Agility:	82
Intelligence:	39
Perception:	69

(Available ability points: 0)

Physical Damage Decrease: 20 percent

It definitely looks cleaner when these numbers are multiples of five.

Jinwoo was smiling in satisfaction when…

RRRUMBLE.

The quakes were getting stronger, and he couldn’t ignore them anymore.

Has it been an hour already?

There was no time to lose. Jinwoo closed the stat screen. He’d purposefully waited until the gate was about to close, but he’d be stuck inside the dungeon forever if he waited any longer.

He took one last look around the boss’s lair before exiting.

I already grabbed the essence stones……

He hadn’t forgotten anything. Once he confirmed this, Jinwoo quickly made his way to the entrance.

RRRRRUMBLE.

The dungeon was shaking even harder than earlier, as if warning him that it was about to close.

His timing was impeccable. Members of the Surveillance Team had just arrived.

When they saw Jinwoo strolling out of the gate, their eyes widened.

“S-sir! Are there any other survivors?”

“No.”

“Oof…” Their faces looked somber.

Nine people had gone in, but only three had come out alive. This was a disaster. They had to be in a difficult position as employees of the association with multiple incidents happening in this area.

They wanted to search for more survivors, but that was a no-go because the gate had already closed. Jinwoo had purposefully waited inside until the gate was almost shut for this very reason.

I couldn’t let them find out there were survivors.

The only evidence was the testimony of the three who had made it out alive.

The employee who’d already been on the scene sounded torn as she spoke. “The Surveillance Team received a phone confession from the president of Geumgang Industries just now.”

Chiyul took one step forward. “The president of Geumgang Industries?”

“His daughter was the victim of one of the prisoners, and he hired Taesik Kang to murder the offender.”

“Ah……”

When the president of Geumgang Industries had heard that Taesik had succeeded in killing the offender, he’d simply confessed to everything.

The truth is I killed that prisoner, though……

The police had tracked down the president, and the association had come here.

Jinwoo, who’d been quiet until now, asked a question. “Then there’s no problem, is there?”

The employee looked like Jinwoo had put her on the spot. “Yes, that’s right.”

There was clear evidence of Taesik’s crime, and the three hunters had fought against him to live. This wasn’t a problem, as Jinwoo said.

However, one thing was bothering the employee.

“Who killed Taesik Kang, a B-rank hunter?”

The Surveillance Team members hadn’t heard the full story yet, as they’d just arrived.

Well, the headquarters of the association is quite a distance from here, but they did arrive just before the gate closed.

They’d rushed to the scene as soon as they’d received notice. The Surveillance Team members all showed signs of fatigue on their faces.

Before he confessed, Jinwoo thought about Jinho.

It’s too bad, but I guess I won’t be able to help him with any raids.

If Jinwoo went with the story that he had reawakened and got his rank reevaluated, he wouldn’t be able to help Jinho. Jinho needed a low-rank hunter with incredibly good skills. All his plans would go down the drain once Jinwoo’s rank went up.

But then why was he feeling this way? Rather than feel guilty, he wanted to laugh when he pictured Jinho’s sulking expression.

It was too bad he’d lose that building he was supposed to get as compensation.

Well, can’t do much about that.

Jinwoo was going to open his mouth and confess when…

“I did it.” Jinwoo’s head turned in the direction of the voice.

Joohee was there, staring at Chiyul in surprise.

“Mr. Song……?”

Chiyul took a step toward the employee before Jinwoo could ask what he was doing.

“I’m the one who killed Taesik Kang.”

The employee had a look of disbelief on her face. “You really defeated Hunter Taesik Kang, Hunter Chiyul Song?”

Her reaction was understandable because not only was Chiyul a C-rank hunter, but he was also missing his left arm. Meanwhile, Taesik had been a B-rank hunter, which was classified as a high rank.

A high-rank hunter’s power was beyond imagination. It was commonly known that the difference between a B rank and a C rank wasn’t even comparable to the gap between C and D.

Chiyul chuckled. “Don’t you see who was with me?”

“Oh!”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Joohee, who flushed and looked down.

Joohee was a B-rank hunter. They hadn’t considered her because she wasn’t a combat hunter, but she was the same B rank as Taesik.

There was no reason a C-rank hunter wouldn’t be able to defeat a B ranker with the support of another B ranker.

The Surveillance Team members nodded in understanding.

Jinwoo quietly drew closer to Chiyul while the others were distracted.

“Why did you lie to them?”

Chiyul also lowered his voice. “I thought you were hiding your abilities for a reason. Was I being too nosy?”

Of course he hadn’t been. Thanks to Chiyul, Jinwoo was avoiding a lot of trouble. This was why years of experience shouldn’t be dismissed.

“Never, sir.”

“Considering how much you’ve helped me, I’m glad to be of help to you.”

One of the Surveillance Team members approached them. “Mr. Song, please come with us. We need your help with the report, if that’s okay with you.”

“Right.”

It was only Jinwoo and Joohee at the scene after Chiyul and the Surveillance Team left.

The sun had already set a while ago.

Joohee felt awkward because Jinwoo seemed quite different from before. After hesitating for a bit, she carefully approached him.

“Would you like to go for a walk?”

Does she want to talk about dinner?

He was hungry after all that physical activity. Jinwoo gladly accepted.

“Sure.”

They walked quietly under the streetlights. Without getting ahead of each other, they simply strolled side by side as if they’d practiced this.

“……”

Joohee kept her eyes on her shoes. Any time she raised her head, her gaze was automatically drawn to Jinwoo. She tried not to be self-conscious about it, but she couldn’t help it.

She’d felt comfortable around Jinwoo before, but now he gave off a powerful energy. It made it difficult for her to talk to him.

What happened to him……?

Not only had he been able to defeat the B-rank hunter, but he’d changed completely. Joohee had no intention of prying because it was clear Jinwoo wanted to keep things secret, but she couldn’t help thinking about how much he had changed.

I wish he’d start the conversation at times like this.

She felt for a second that Jinwoo’s silence came across as almost heartless.

Eventually, she stopped walking and started talking. “Ummm…… Actually, I don’t think I’ll be able to eat anything today, so I’ll return this to you.”

Jinwoo took the essence stone she was offering him. It was the same one Jinwoo had given her in the underground temple. Joohee’s hand was shaking as she passed him the essence stone.

That incident wasn’t all that long ago…… And she witnessed yet another one today.

Joohee was a person full of fear. Jinwoo understood why she wouldn’t want to go to dinner right now.

“Well, today isn’t the only day. You don’t have to return this to me now.”

Joohee shook her head. “I’m going back to my hometown next week.”

It looked as though she was moving away on top of quitting her work as a hunter.

Jinwoo would be sorry to see her go.

“Is it because of the incident?”

“That’s not the only reason, but……” Joohee’s face darkened as she recalled that day.

Jinwoo quickly changed the subject. “So where’s home anyway?”

“Busan. So…Jinwoo.” Her expression turned serious.

“Yes?” Jinwoo removed the smile from his face when he sensed the change in Joohee’s mood.

She gazed at him.

His two eyes showed a strong will to live. Only his had been on fire, full of strength, when everyone else had been trembling in despair inside the underground temple. She’d seen them close up.

He has the eyes of a survivor.

Those two eyes that never lost sight of hope had saved several people, including herself. No one else could’ve done that.

Ba-dump, ba-dump.

Her heart started racing as she remembered that day.

No……

Joohee had no regrets about quitting. This job wasn’t right for her. But she was sad that she wouldn’t be able to see Jinwoo regularly.

Would he think I’m weird if I asked to see him again?

There were things she had to let go of. It would hurt her if she dwelled on them.

Joohee smiled brightly and shook her head. “It’s nothing. If you happen to be in Busan, please give me a call. I’ll treat you to some good sashimi.”

“Sounds good.”

As Jinwoo smiled at her, she returned his grin. Without telling him what she really wanted to say, she said good-bye and turned away.

……

The road home had never felt so long.

Jinwoo headed to his apartment after saying good-bye to Joohee. He could see the old apartment building in the distance. His place was on the ninth floor.

He passed some parked cars and was about to head in, but an old man’s voice stopped him.

“Young man, unit 902.” It was the security guard.

Since Jinwoo had known him for a long time, he struck up a friendly conversation.

“Haven’t you gone home yet, sir?”

“I’m on night duty today.”

Jinwoo nodded in understanding.

The guard brought out a package from his office. “This has your name on it, boy.”

“Oh, thank you.”

It was from the Hunter’s Association.

Was that today?

Was today the day the phone from the association was supposed to arrive? Jinwoo took a phone out from the box. It was shiny and new.

He remembered seeing on the news that more and more people were becoming a little too interested in hunters and trying to get their hands on the hunter-exclusive phones.

Never mind the people trying to buy them—what kind of scumbag sneaks around selling black-market phones?

He’d heard someone say once that it wasn’t that the country was poor, it was just that there were too many thieves. Whether it was the Hunter’s Association or the military, there was corruption anywhere with enough people. When an organization was corrupt and money was wasted, there would be less support for those who needed it, and with less support, the situation would worsen. Eventually, the people who needed benefits the most would be the ones hit the hardest.

That’s why I was worried, but……

It didn’t look like there were any problems with the delivery.

Jinwoo had nothing to do while waiting for the elevator, so he turned on the phone. He had a ton of notifications.

When am I going to have time to check all these?

Two numbers in particular caught his eye. Neither looked familiar. One had called him many times, and the other had texted a lot.

I don’t know anyone who would try this hard to reach me.

Jinwoo cocked his head and checked the texts first.

He wondered who this person was at first but eventually realized it must be the young nurse to whom he’d given his number.

What was her name, Yura Choi?

He couldn’t say that she was “bugging” him per se, but he had a strong feeling that things would get annoying if he texted her back.

Let’s just move on for now……

Should he check who’d called him so many times? Jinwoo pressed the Call button. The latest pop song blared from the phone speakers. He could guess who it was.

The call connected quickly.

“Hello?”

Jinwoo was right. He chuckled a little bit at how predictable this guy was.

“It’s me. You can call this number from now on.”

“Oh, you finally got your cell, boss!”

It was Jinho. Jinwoo had written down Jinho’s number, but he hadn’t recognized it because he never called first.

Jinho sounded excited.

“I was about to call you, boss. I have all the squad members now, so I’ll pick you up tomorrow!”

Jinwoo could picture his bright face just from hearing his voice. He grinned.

“Great. See you tomorrow.”

Bip.

The elevator arrived at the first floor, and its door opened right as he hung up the phone.

Ding!

Finally, there’d be a raid tomorrow. Jinwoo’s heart raced at the thought.

I need to level up as quickly as possible.

He needed to raise his level, increase his abilities, and become stronger than everyone else.

Money, honor, and power. He could have it all if he became a strong hunter. And tomorrow would be the first step in that direction.

It was late at night on the East Coast of the United States of America.

The main S-rank hunter Dongsoo Hwang of the Scavenger Guild, arguably the strongest guild in North America, was about to go to bed when he heard the shocking news.

“……How did my big brother die? Give me all the details slowly.”

His brother’s name was Dongsuk Hwang. He was told that his brother had been killed in a C-rank gate.

“……His eight squad members were killed, and the other two survived?”

And those two survivors were D and E rank? Something wasn’t right.

The brother he knew wouldn’t risk his life for his squad members. Besides, those two had been temps.

No further explanation was needed. Only D- and E-rank hunters survived, but all the C-rank hunters, including his brother, had been killed.

There must be something……

Dongsoo’s eyes grew sharp.

Even though he and his brother had been separated after he was scouted by a famous guild in the US, his brother had always taken care of him when he was in Korea. He couldn’t say he had been a good man, but he had been a good brother.

I was going to bring him here when I’d established myself more, but……

Somebody had murdered him.

He bit his bottom lip. “Fax me the info about the two survivors. The number is……”

He hung up and immediately called his manager. She answered quickly.

“Mr. Hwang, it’s quite late. Is something wrong?”

“Laura, what happens if I kill someone in South Korea?”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

There was a brief pause before she spoke again.

“……There’s no extradition treaty between South Korea and the US for hunter-related crimes. You’d be tried here, since you have US citizenship. We should be able to negotiate a deal with the government to reduce your sentence.”

“That’s good. Something’s come up, so I have to go to Korea. Could you please clear my schedule?”

“But if you leave so abruptly, the guild work will grind to a halt, Mr. Hwang. Could you please tell me what’s happened?”

“It’s personal. Of course, I don’t want to cause any trouble for the guild. How far has my schedule been booked?”

“You have a full schedule for the next two months.”

“Two months…… Fine. Please keep my schedule afterward free. I’m not asking for a lot of time. Two weeks exactly. I’ll visit Korea for two weeks.”

“……Understood. But what should I tell upper management?”

“Tell them it’s a bereavement trip for my brother’s funeral.”

“Yessir. I’ll do that. Mr. Hwang…… If there’s anything I can help wi—”

Click.

He hung up the phone. He wasn’t in the mood to hear words of comfort or advice.

Vmmmm.

The fax he’d requested was coming in. He took the printouts from the machine. Pictures of the two hunters, their names, and short profiles were in the document.

“D-rank hunter Jinho Yoo and E-rank hunter Jinwoo Sung.”

He hardened his resolve as he looked between the two pictures.

I can probably get some answers from these two.

And if he found anything suspicious……

“They’ll regret coming out of that dungeon alive.”

Dongsoo saw red.