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E-RANK HUNTER

E-rank hunter Jinwoo Sung. That title followed him around everywhere.

In terms of ability, Jinwoo was no different from a civilian. He was just a little sturdier and recovered slightly faster than a regular person. Because of this, he was always sporting some kind of injury. He’d even been brought back from the brink of death several times.

Needless to say, Jinwoo didn’t enjoy being a hunter. The work was dangerous, people constantly looked down on him, and his pay wasn’t all that great, either. If not for the health insurance provided by the Hunter’s Association, he would’ve turned in his license on the spot and lived a normal life.

Unfortunately, as a man in his midtwenties without any employable skills, working as a hunter was the only viable way to pay for his mother’s hospital bills, which cost him several hundred thousand won every month.

In other words, he didn’t have much of a choice.

That was why Jinwoo had steeled himself and participated in the association’s raid that fateful day.

Most hunters who worked in the same area knew one another well, given that they all gathered every time a gate opened. Those who arrived first exchanged greetings over coffee provided by an association employee.

“Hey, Kim! Over here.”

“Oh, Park, it’s been a while. I thought you quit?”

“It……turns out my wife is pregnant with our second child.”

“Ha-ha-ha-ha! Well, as hunters, we know there’s nothing like raids to make some big money.”

Embarrassed, Park chuckled along with Kim’s loud guffaws before asking a question. “So why hasn’t the association been summoning hunters as often? Is there a shortage of gates?”

“Nah, of course not. It’s because the guilds are grinding harder than the association these days. Guilds get really fired up when there’s big money.”

“But this raid should be safe, since the association organized it, right?” Park glanced around furtively as his worry started to build.

The absence of guilds typically meant there wouldn’t be a large payoff, and while it wasn’t always the case, that usually meant a low-rank gate.

However, there is no such thing as a guarantee. Park wasn’t the only one; other hunters were looking around uneasily as well.

“Well…” Kim was taking a sip of his coffee to avoid responding when he spotted a familiar figure in the distance and waved in welcome.

“Hey, there he is. Sung! Over here!”

The others also brightened at the sight of the approaching hunter.

“Hello, everyone.”

It was Jinwoo Sung. Jinwoo nodded politely at Kim’s cheerful greeting as he walked by.

After making sure Jinwoo was out of earshot, Kim turned to Park with a cocky grin. “Jinwoo Sung’s here. That means it’s safe.”

Park’s eyes went wide, and he leaned in closer. “Wait. Is Jinwoo Sung that powerful a hunter?”

“Ah, guess you wouldn’t know. He started not long after you retired. Everyone knows Jinwoo Sung.”

“But if he’s that strong, why’s he working under the association? He’d be better off at some big guild or as a freelancer.”

Kim’s grin faded, and he gave Park a wry look. “Do you know what his nickname is?”

“How would I know that? Stop beating around the bush and just tell me.”

“The Weakest Hunter of All Mankind.”

“……The weakest? Not the Ultimate Hunter?”

“C’mon! That’s Jongin Choi, the S-rank hunter. Sung’s nickname is the Weakest Hunter. He’s probably the worst hunter in all of Korea.”

“What?” Park frowned.

Why had everyone welcomed Jinwoo so excitedly if he was that weak? They’d have to count on him to cover their backs in an emergency. Park couldn’t understand the other hunters’ reactions.

Kim snickered at Park’s blank, confused look and elbowed him in the side.

“Listen, any raid with Jinwoo has to be easy. The association never gives him a difficult job. After all, they wouldn’t want to be liable for his death!”

Finally, Park visibly relaxed. “R-really?”

Park’s wife was worried sick, as it had been a while since his last raid. If he was being honest, he was nervous, too, but Kim’s words put him at ease.

Kim continued. “Rumor has it, Sung was hospitalized for a week ’cause he got hurt in an E-rank gate.”

“A hunter got hurt in an E-rank gate?”

“Apparently! And the association didn’t think anyone would, so they hadn’t even bothered sending along a healer.”

“So he was hospitalized for a week? Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

Kim shot Park a warning glance for laughing too loudly.

“Shhh! Sung might hear us.”

“Oops. Didn’t think about that.”

Park snickered to himself while keeping an eye on Jinwoo. Luckily, it seemed Jinwoo was too far away to hear them.

He was wrong.

I can hear everything, old man.

Jinwoo smiled bitterly while pretending not to notice their gazes. These were the times he cursed his sharp hearing.

The raid wasn’t yet ready to commence.

Am I too early?

Jinwoo looked around for something to pass the time before finally making a beeline for the coffee.

“May I have a cup?”

“Oh, Hunter Sung…… I’m so sorry. I just ran out.”

“……”

The cold winter wind bit the tip of his nose. Jinwoo rubbed it with his finger.

It was just that kind of tragic day where even the coffee let him down.

“Why do you insist on working as a hunter?”

“I’m sorry.” Jinwoo lowered his head.

Joohee Lee, the beauty performing a healing spell on him, made her disapproval clear by sulking.

“I didn’t ask you that to hear you apologize. I asked because I’m worried about you. Keep fighting like this, and you’ll find yourself in real danger someday.”

Jinwoo gazed over Joohee’s shoulder at his colleagues locked in combat.

Gates were entrances to dungeons.

This particular dungeon was approximately D rank. Over a dozen hunters were dealing with the magic beasts without breaking a sweat. Unfortunately, it had proven too much for an E-rank hunter like Jinwoo.

Generally, healers brought up the rear and took care of the wounded. Jinwoo was infamous among healers for getting injured in every raid.

Joohee cautiously asked him, “Is there a reason you can’t just quit?”

Jinwoo shook his head firmly. He really didn’t want others knowing his personal business.

“This is my hobby. I’d probably be bored to death if I didn’t do this.”

Joohee pouted at this. “Well, indulge in your hobby too much, and your next raid will be in the afterlife.”

Caught off guard, Jinwoo burst out laughing.

Joohee’s scolding continued. “Ahhh! Don’t laugh! You’ll open your wound!”

Jinwoo couldn’t stop giggling. “Who talks like that these days?”

“Who do you think? That uncle aaaall the way over there, Mr. Kim.”

“Oh man, that old geezer…”

As they chatted, Jinwoo’s treatment was wrapping up.

Unfortunately, it was already too late for him. The raid seemed like it was almost done.

His face clouded over.

I barely defeated one beast today.

What’s more, it had been only an E rank.

Jinwoo fiddled with the E-rank essence stone in his hand. As the lowest-rank item, the essence stone from an E-rank magic beast was worth less than 100,000 won. It was a terribly low reward for risking his life.

They say an essence stone from even a C-rank magic beast could be worth over 10,000,000 won……

However, because he barely qualified as an E-rank hunter, Jinwoo was no match for a C-rank beast.

Suddenly, someone shouted to the rest of the group.

“Huh? There’s another entrance here?”

Nearby hunters gathered next to him.

“Whoa, it’s true.”

“Looks like it’s really there!”

Just as the first hunter had claimed, there was indeed a hidden entrance to yet another dungeon.

Hunter Song, whose grizzled hair spoke to his ten years of experience, examined the entrance, fascinated.

“A double dungeon…… I guess they actually exist.”

It was hard to see far into the dimly lit cave. Song cast a fire spell, his specialty, and tossed it inside. The flame flew through the cave, illuminating the interior.

The passage seemed endless. Eventually, the flame lost its momentum and fell to the ground, where it sparked for a bit, then fizzled out. Darkness engulfed the cave once again.

“Hmm…… Everyone, gather around, please.” Song, the de facto leader of the party, summoned all the hunters to him. With Jinwoo’s treatment now finished, he and Joohee also joined them.

Song looked at the group as he addressed them. “As you all well know, a gate will not close until the boss is defeated. Even though we’ve cleared this area, the gate’s still perfectly fine, so my guess is that the boss is in there.”

Song gestured at the entrance to the hidden dungeon. The others exchanged looks and nodded in agreement with Song’s assessment.

There was no other possibility.

Song continued. “Now, protocol dictates that we report this to the association and wait for their decision. But…we’d make a lot less money if some other hunters showed up and stole our kill in the meantime.”

Everyone’s expressions hardened. Park, who needed a big payday because of his wife’s pregnancy, looked particularly displeased by the prospect.

Postnatal care alone is so expensive these days……

If they were paid less, it would mean risking his life to participate in this raid would’ve been meaningless.

“That’s why I don’t want to leave this dungeon without defeating the boss…… What do you all think?”

Everyone was lost in their thoughts.

“……”

“……”

No one’s safety could be guaranteed in such an unusual situation.

On the other hand, this was a very low-rank dungeon. It was likely the level of difficulty of the hidden dungeon wouldn’t be that high.

“Ahem.” Song cleared his throat.

“There are seventeen of us, so let’s vote. Once a decision is made, no one can object. Does that sound good?”

Everyone nodded at Song’s suggestion.

There wasn’t a single objection.

“I’m going in.” Song raised his hand. As he did, others also warily raised their hands.

“Me too.”

“I vote for going in, too.”

Park was the first to raise his hand, and other hunters, including Kim, followed. Naturally, there were also many votes in opposition.

“Let’s not go in.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to wait for the association’s decision?”

With the tally for both sides being neck and neck, the voting continued until Jinwoo and Joohee were the only two left.

“I’m sorry……” Joohee bowed her head toward Song apologetically and opted not to go in.

With her vote, it was eight for and eight against. A tie.

When Jinwoo hesitated, Song addressed him point-blank. “How about you, Sung?”

It all came down to him. Jinwoo gripped the E-rank essence stone in his hand tightly and looked to the person at his side.

Joohee shook her head at him. She seemed unsettled by the situation.

Jinwoo also felt uneasy. Normally, he would never expose himself to such risk. He had neither the ability nor the courage for it.

But he also had a sister who was going to college in the near future.

I don’t have any savings……

Jinwoo was twenty-four years old. For his part, he’d given up on higher education because he’d been unable to afford it. He refused to make his sister suffer the same fate.

At the moment, there was nothing but lint in his pockets. Park wasn’t the only one who needed a big payday.

Jinwoo’s hand shot up. “I’m going in, too.”

As he did, a small sigh escaped next to him.

The tunnel stretched on forever. The strongest hunters, including Song, led the way. Song lit their path with the little flame he’d summoned, keeping it cupped in his palm.

Kim walked beside him. “Aren’t we going in too deep? We need to start considering the exit time.”

“How long have we been walking?”

Kim checked his watch. “It’s been about……about forty minutes.”

“Since gates close an hour after the boss is defeated, we still have about twenty minutes.”

“We should withdraw if we can’t find the boss by then.”

“I guess we should.”

Song silently nodded and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “It’s dark up ahead, so stay behind me, Kim.”

Kim stared at the little spark of light before taking out his hunter-issue phone and turning on the flashlight app. As he did, the road ahead was flooded with light.

“……” Song glanced between his flame and the light from the phone, then wordlessly started digging through his pockets.

Jinwoo, who had been wounded badly earlier, and Joohee, who lacked combat skills, brought up the rear of the party.

Jinwoo rubbed the back of his neck. “Ummm…… I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For making you come with us.”

“I’m fine, so don’t worry about me.”

Jinwoo peeked at Joohee’s expression. She didn’t look fine at all.

Fidgeting a bit, he cautiously tried to talk to her again. “Are you really okay?”

Joohee whirled around to face him.

“Of course not! Are you out of your mind? Just a little higher, and the beast would’ve punctured your heart. And what about the wounds on your wrist and thigh? Healing you wasn’t easy, but now you want to go into yet another dungeon? Even though you have absolutely no clue what could be waiting for you?”

She spoke so fast, he could only listen to her rant in a daze. However, everything she said was right. Joohee was one of the rare B-rank healers in the Hunter’s Association, and if it hadn’t been for her outstanding skills, Jinwoo would’ve found it difficult for a while to live even a normal life.

Thinking back on it, I owe Joohee for a lot.

Joohee was a healer, which was rare enough among hunters. On top of that, she was a B rank. Naturally, the association asked her to treat hunters every time a gate appeared, and Jinwoo ended up sitting in front of her during virtually every raid he’d participated in.

—“That has to hurt. Please bear it for just a little longer.”

—“You look familiar…… Are you the one from last time?”

—“Did you get injured again?”

—“We seem to see a lot of each other.”

—“You’re Jinwoo, right? Ummm…… Are you okay with this?”

—“Maybe being a hunter isn’t for you……”

—“……It’s you again.”

—“Give me your arm, please. No, the other one. This side only needs a bandage. Show me the side with the fracture.”

Now, Jinwoo wasn’t just thankful but also contrite for all the trouble he’d caused her.

“……”

Joohee softened when she noticed Jinwoo becoming dispirited, feeling guilty about her outburst.

“Are you really sorry?”

“Yes.”

Thinking deeply about something, she glanced at Jinwoo and smiled shyly. “If you’re really sorry……why don’t you take me out for dinner?”

This was a completely unexpected proposal. Taken aback, he stared at Joohee, her mischievous grin reminding him of a teenager’s.

Well, no, not quite a teenager……

Joohee was a young woman, barely in her twenties. She’d mentioned that she would be twenty-one next year. Had she been sporting a short bob haircut instead of her current long, straight hair and wearing a school uniform, she could’ve passed for a high school student.

Jinwoo reddened as he imagined her in a schoolgirl’s outfit.

Joohee puffed out her cheeks at his lack of response. “So……you don’t want to share a meal with me?”

Just then…a sudden commotion arose at the front of the party.

“We’re here!”

“It’s the boss’s lair!”

Jinwoo and Joohee turned toward the hubbub.

Two giant doors blocked their path. The other hunters were milling around in front of it.

“Why are there doors at the back of a cave?”

“Have you ever seen a lair with doors?”

“This is a first……”

“Is this going to be……dangerous?”

The hunters were muttering among themselves. Their apprehension was clear.

They were risking their lives, so they had to be careful. At the same time, they wouldn’t be able to get the job done if they were too cautious.

Song assessed that the latter was the bigger concern. “Who wants to go back empty-handed?”

He put his hand on a door. “If you do, then be my guest. I’m going in, though, even if it’s alone.”

Song was a C-rank hunter with ten years of experience. If he hadn’t been getting on in years, with his level of power, he could’ve worked for a major guild. The confidence exuding from such a figure put the others more at ease.

“Now that I think about it…”

Some of the hunters recalled certain rumors they’d heard about double dungeons.

“Apparently, double dungeons have amazing treasures.”

“I heard that a midsize guild got huge in one fell swoop after they found a double dungeon.”

“All the beasts in the same dungeon have a similar power level no matter where they are, so it shouldn’t be hard to beat the ones in there……”

What if the rumors of amazing treasure were true and the magic beasts waiting inside were only D or E rank like the ones the party’d dealt with earlier?

Can’t let the old geezer take all the treasure.

No way in hell.

Postnatal care for the wife, tuition fees for our elder kid, and the rent’s increasing soon, too……

They were all on the same page.

Jinwoo also strengthened his resolve. I can’t go home with only one E-rank essence stone. I have to get at least a D-rank beast or even just another E-rank one.

It didn’t have to be a magic beast, either.

Or if there’s a treasure of some kind……

It was customary to equally divide treasure or rare items found in a dungeon among all party members. This was different from battling magic beasts, because with magic beasts, they could harvest essence stones from only the ones they defeated themselves.

I might be able to take it easy for a while if things go well.

He gulped.

Joohee caught sight of the determination on Jinwoo’s face.

“Is that the expression of someone who says hunting is just a hobby?”

Jinwoo shrugged.

“Who risks their life to make money these days? You only do that as a hobby.”

“What……?” Right as Joohee gave Jinwoo an incredulous look, Song started pushing the doors, and they swung back.

KRRRRRK!

They opened easily, even with a light shove, like he’d triggered some sort of mechanism.

THUD—!

The open doors revealed a spacious interior.

The hunters rushed in.

“We should go, too.” Not wanting to fall behind, Jinwoo grabbed Joohee by the wrist and pulled her along.

“Oh……!” She followed him, her face flushed.

Torches that lined the walls flared to life as the party entered the lair.

Fwshhh…

They illuminated the entire room.

“What? Who lit the torches?”

“I’ve never seen a dungeon like this.”

“Something’s……different.”

They surveyed their surroundings.

The room was reminiscent of an ancient temple. It brought to mind an old, damp sanctuary hidden underground. Moss grew between cracks in the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling.

Some of the hunters shrank back and shivered.

“Why’d I just get the chills?”

“Doesn’t it feel like someone’s watching us?”

A few of the stronger hunters broke off from their more frightened colleagues to explore deeper inside the room.

“Tsk! Stop talking nonsense.”

“Let’s finish this and get out of here.”

The lair was unbelievably huge. The ceiling curved to make an enormous dome-shaped enclosure. It was as big as several Seoul Olympic Stadiums combined, or possibly even larger than that.

Despite the size, the space also felt confining. The reason why soon became obvious.

“Is……that……?”

“N-no way. That can’t be the boss.”

At the far side of the room sat a statue of an unimaginable size on a throne even bigger than it.

That is, it looked like a statue of a god!

“Oh, hell no.”

“Whoa!”

Exclamations could be heard from everyone.

An image of the Statue of Liberty popped into Jinwoo’s head. Would the Statue of Liberty be around the same size if she were seated on the same throne? Even though Lady Liberty was modeled after a female figure and this looked to be modeled after a male, the sheer size of this stone monolith brought the Statue of Liberty to mind.

This one might actually be bigger……

The hunters swallowed nervously as they stood before the graven image’s feet. They were all fearful of the possibility that this might be the boss.

“……”

However, the statue didn’t move.

There was a moment of huge relief.

“Phew…” Song also breathed a sigh. “Come on—let’s split up.”

Now much more relaxed, the group scattered and started searching the area.

“I don’t see anything that could be considered a beast.”

“Right?”

“Never mind a beast, I don’t even see a single bug.”

Despite its huge scale, the room had a simple layout. Countless torches hung on the walls, and in front of them, various stone sentries slightly taller than the average human lined the perimeter.

“These are beautiful.”

“They look like art pieces.”

Each statue held a different object. Some had weapons while the others had books, musical instruments, and even torches.

“They’re like……”

Song finished Kim’s sentence. “They’re like statues you’d find in a temple.”

He then noticed something beneath his feet. “Hmm, is this……a divination circle?”

There, in the center of the temple, was a divination circle, the likes of which he’d never seen before. Just then…

“Uh, Mr. Song! There’s something written here. Could you take a look at this, sir?” One of the hunters had found a unique specimen in a corner of the room.

Song looked up from the divination circle and headed over. The other hunters also gathered around the statue of interest.

This particular sculpture was the only one with wings and holding a slate. Everyone focused on the characters chiseled on the slate itself.

After a close inspection, Song muttered, “It’s a runic inscription.”

Runes… Such writings didn’t exist anywhere on Earth and could be found solely in dungeons, so only hunters awoken with magic powers could understand them.

Song read the first sentence aloud.

“The commandments of the Cartenon Temple.”

Jinwoo was nervously listening to Song when someone suddenly grabbed his arm.

He looked behind him to see Joohee standing there, the blood drained from her cheeks. He was shocked at how ashen-faced she looked.

“What’s the matter? Are you feeling sick?”

“O……over there.”

He turned to look in the direction she was pointing. It was the giant statue.

Joohee was pointing right at its face. Jinwoo cocked his head in confusion. The statue looked exactly the same as before.

“……?”

Joohee couldn’t help stuttering. “I-its eyes…… It just looked this way.”

“What?” No matter how many times Jinwoo stared back at the statue, he couldn’t detect any changes.

“Ummm……you’re probably just seeing things.”

Whether or not she registered his words, Joohee kept her head bowed and gripped his arm tightly, trembling with fear.

Wait.

Suddenly, Jinwoo was also filled with dread.

It was strangely quiet.

Why can’t I hear……? He realized that, at some point, he could no longer hear the crackling of the torches.

“First.” Song had continued reading the slate throughout all this.

“Thou shall worship God. Second, thou shall praise God. Third, thou shall prove thy faith. Those who fail to obey these commandments shall not be spared.”

Right at that moment…

SLAM!

Everyone startled at the sudden noise.

“Wh-what?”

“What was that sound?”

Jinwoo was the first to realize what had happened. Because he had already been listening intently to his surroundings, he was able to quickly pinpoint where the noise had originated.

“The doors! The doors are closed!”

Everyone spun around at Jinwoo’s cry. The doors they’d left open were now shut tight.

“Dammit! I can’t take this anymore!” The man who’d first voted against exploring the double dungeon strode toward the exit, cursing on his way.

“I’m out of here, so whatever the boss or the treasure is, it’s all yours!” He glared at Song as if to issue a formal complaint. He then turned to face the door and forcefully grabbed the knob.

As he did…

Song’s eyes widened.

“NO!”

WHOMP.

The man disappeared from the neck up. His headless body toppled to the floor.

THUD.

“Eek!”

“Aaargh!”

The hunters screamed.

The bloody stone statue carrying a mace calmly returned to its post beside the door as if it hadn’t just smashed in the man’s head.

“I-it just moved!”

“The hell? Does that mean all the figures here can move, too?”

“You expect to fight something like that?”

“I couldn’t even see it swinging the mace!”

But Jinwoo knew the reality of the situation. He knew this wasn’t the end of the tragedy.

Joohee had just said it.

“I-its eyes…… It just looked this way.”

If she’s right……

A chill ran down the length of his spine. His neck was frozen stiff with fear, but he forced himself to look back.

“Oh, shi……”

The enormous statue was glaring straight down at him.