Did you see it?
I did.
That E-Rank hunter, right?
He's getting in shape, right?
His looks are average, but he is cute.
The type that surprises you when he undresses?
Since when did we have someone like that?
I completely missed it.
He was unremarkable at first.
But he has been in shape since he started working out.
Really?
Can people gain muscles so quickly?
Excuse me.
Mr. Sung Jinwoo.
Ah.
Sorry.
No, I should apologize.
His muscles are so firm.
Did he have such a good physique before?
What do you want to tell me?
Ah, right.
Today is your day of discharge.
Do you have any discomfort?
No, thanks to you, I've fully recovered.
I see.
Then, please complete the procedures at the counter later.
Okay.
Thank you for everything.
- Well... - Yes?
Could you give me your contact?
Contact?
Yes.
If you don't mind.
Will they inform me of the examination results after my discharge?
I understand.
Good morning, everyone.
This is our special guest for today.
Hello, I'm Baek Yoonho.
Hunter Baek
is one of seven S-Rank hunters and has had impressive achievements.
What kind of life do you lead when you're not on missions?
Well,
it's mainly training.
Daily training is indispensable.
If I don't simulate actual combat,
my skills would get rusty.
Every day?
Is it not tiring?
I was a firefighter before.
I'm used to regular training.
A small mistake of mine could endanger my companions' lives.
That always makes me tense up.
I see.
It's so late?
Brother.
Jinah, morning.
You're up?
I've been up for a while.
Be careful on the road.
The meal I made yesterday is in the fridge...
Brother, have you been exercising?
Uh... a little.
Have you gotten taller too?
Because of exercising?
Men can grow after they've reached adulthood?
I'm heading out.
Hey,
you forgot the umbrella.
The weather is nice. I'm not taking the heavy umbrella.
It's not heavy.
I said no.
Better safe than sorry.
Go.
Geez, I'm leaving.
Be careful.
I'll run later.
The muscle I've gained must be due to the ability stats.
If I keep training, I might become a bodybuilder.
I still have some points left.
Which one should I choose?
I need strength to increase damage.
But it's pointless if I can't hit the target.
Then I need to improve agility.
I'll boost both strength and agility.
It's also good to enhance vitality.
Perception is useful too.
As for intelligence...
It feels related to magic. Do I need it?
Okay, I've decided.
That should do it.
LANDLORD
Hello, this is Sung Jinwoo.
You finally answered the phone.
Sorry, I was hospitalized.
I need to pay the rent, right?
Yes.
I still haven't received the rent for this month.
If you're tight on money, I can collect it later.
Ah, no, I'll transfer it in a bit.
I see. Appreciate it.
Take care.
Okay, thank you.
I don't know if the phenomenon on me is a second awakening.
But now I can kill goblins in an instant.
I should be able to earn the rent easily.
That being said,
it's not so easy to find work.
I need to enter higher-level gates to make money.
However,
an E-Rank hunter like me has no chance of getting in.
Should I go for a re-evaluation?
If my hunter rank is higher,
I could enter the high-level gates.
The more attention I get, the more money I might make.
But it would attract too much attention.
People with second awakening are rare.
Not to mention hunters who grow stronger as their level increases.
That would attract a lot of unnecessary attention.
The media are annoying.
I might even become a target.
Better not.
At least I should be able to protect myself first.
Also,
it's better to keep it down before I know what this power is.
Confirm.
Hello there.
I'm Hwang Dongsuk.
I'm Sung Jinwoo.
An E-Rank, right?
Yes.
Ah, I know him.
He's super famous.
I remember his nickname is The Weakest Hunter of All Mankind.
What the heck?
Hey, stop this.
Sorry, my members are rude.
No, it's true that I am an E-Rank hunter.
Can I join?
No problem.
I just need you to make up the numbers.
I said it over the phone, but let me confirm it again.
At least eight people are required to enter this C-Rank dungeon.
And half of them must be C-Rank.
You're not counted as combat power, so you will not share the spoils.
However, we will pay your commission fee of 2 million in cash.
Four C-Rank hunters and two D-Rank or lower ones?
I understand.
What should I do?
You'll carry the luggage.
Inside are bento meals as well as spare clothes and equipment.
There's also a first aid kit.
You're not bringing a healer in?
It's difficult for private teams like us to recruit healers.
You should know that.
We have always managed like this.
Yes.
A team with only Tankers and Fighters?
They are reckless.
And the fact that there's no healer is quite concerning.
Then please sign the contract.
The other party won't be held accountable for any incidents in the dungeon.
Done.
Thank you.
We are the same.
My name is Yoo Jinho, 21 years old, a D-Rank hunter.
I was also brought in to make up numbers.
Okay.
D-Rank with such gears?
His family must be rich.
Is this your first time in a C-Rank dungeon?
Don't worry.
I will protect you.
Let's go then.
Aren't the bags heavy?
Are you okay?
Yes, I'm fine.
I am younger than you.
You don't have to speak so formally.
I understand.
Have you heard? The president who marked this project
escaped abroad with 900 billion funds two months ago.
The employees and investors are all complaining.
Okay.
Ah... Did I talk too much again?
I'm not used to paying attention to people's reactions.
This is it.
Wow, what a large entrance.
Such size is really rare.
Dongsuk, is this really a C-Rank gate?
Isn't it too big?
The investigators confirmed twice before giving a C-Rank evaluation.
Then it must be C-Rank.
This gate is huge.
Is it okay to enter?
The size of the gate isn't very important.
What matters is the flux of magic power emanating from inside.
The Association will measure that value and classify it.
Normally, B-Rank and above dungeons are handled by large guilds.
Those below C-Rank aren't as dangerous.
You know a lot about this, Jinwoo.
I have been a hunter for some time.
But still,
this is my first time in a C-Rank dungeon.
Please follow me.
Yes.
Jinwoo, let's go.
Hmm... got it.
Kyuhwan, some light.
Yes.
What's going on here?
Not a single magic beast.
And pitch black.
There are normally luminescent stones in dungeons.
A pitch-black dungeon
reminds me of the Cartenon Temple.
Jinwoo,
what is "luminescent stone"?
Well,
luminescent stones are glowing rocks that are common in cave-like dungeons.
They are usually found on the walls or the floor,
emitting a faint light to illuminate the insides of the cave.
So, the magic gems obtained from magic beasts,
the mana crystals collected in dungeons,
and the luminescent stones that light up the caves.
They are quite confusing.
You will get used to it soon.
By the way, there's nothing here.
Jinwoo.
Can there be a dungeon without magic beasts?
Shh.
This sound.
There are magic beasts here. They just haven't shown up.
Get ready.
Yes.
Moving as a group in the dark,
and swarming towards any light source.
Insect-type magic beasts!
- Insects. - Darn it.
Insects, of all things.
Dongsuk, do you see anything?
No, I can't see a thing.
Is this an ant nest?
Then we're in trouble.
The sounds are getting closer.
Where will they emerge from?
There are too many holes here.
Above!
Kyuhwan.
- I'll draw their attention. - Yes.
Jinwoo, please don't leave my side.
Look over here, bugs!
Amazing, all the bugs are heading towards Hwang.
It's a taunting skill.
C-Rank hunters are indeed better.
Jinsuk, 11 o'clock direction.
Understood.
- I'll also... - Step back.
Start the countdown.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
0.
This is my trump card.
Take this.
Good, take them down.
I've been waiting.
Good teamwork.
They've been working together for long.
Maybe it's because they don't have a healer,
the way they fight is rough.
As for Jinho...
His equipment compensates for the lack of strength.
Everyone is doing well,
but I feel
a bit unsettled.
Alright.
This should be the last one.
Jinsuk.
Yes, no more enemies.
All taken care of.
Good, it's over.
Take all the magic gems and split them into seven parts.
Yeah.
I love this moment.
Me too.
Thanks for your help.
It would have been dangerous if we had discovered them later.
It's okay.
How did you know they were above?
It's intuition.
Your intuition is surely sharp.
Dongsuk.
Come take a look at this.
Look at their wounds.
These aren't sword wounds.
No, they don't look like burns caused by magic either.
Many of them were bitten to death like this.
Did the magic beasts fight each other over territory?
So there must be a stronger magic beast around here.
Is that so?
A high-rank beast that preys on these insects.
Did you see the way I slayed the magic beasts?
Yeah.
Jinho.
Your sword and shield are expensive, right?
Eh? Yeah.
Because this is my first mission.
My father bought me high-quality gear.
I see.
I don't know for sure yet,
but it's better to be cautious.
Ha!
What was that sound? An explosion?
Stay calm, it happens all the time here.
Look.
The guild master is in training.
Amazing.
He pierced through that huge boulder in one strike.
This isn't even a warm-up.
Hey, clean this up.
We've been walking for quite a while.
The size of the dungeon...
Is unrelated to its level, right?
It's related to the flux of magic power.
Although the dungeon is big, it's quite empty, right?
Yes.
But transporting luggage becomes quite laborious in such a big dungeon.
Jinwoo, can you still manage?
It's not that heavy.
It's good to earn money without having to fight.
A good deal.
No.
Too good, actually.
I have a feeling there's something fishy.
A battle-hardened team yet without a healer.
And they even needed to make up the number.
These magic beasts are also half-dead.
Nice.
Oh.
It really is strange.
We haven't encountered a single uninjured magic beast during the walk.
All we've seen are either corpses or those barely alive.
The boss should be somewhere.
If there's no BOSS, the gate won't open.
Wait.
Kyuhwan, light it up.
Okay.
I think the Boss room should be ahead.
Let's go.
This is...
Unbelievable.
Mana crystals!
There's quite a lot.
It's not as valuable as the magic gem,
but the amount...
They are worth about a billion.
Dongsuk.
Your brother will be green with envy.
Hey.
Don't bring up his brother.
Dongsoo, I've told you.
You're not always right.
I'm no longer the guy who always listens to his younger brother.
I will use these as capital to build my team.
We've really rich.
Everyone will get well over 100 million.
How are we going to move these out?
Jinwoo.
Please let me see your contract.
I know the law very well.
Okay.
Excuse me, may I ask you something?
What?
This is the contract you signed with Jinwoo.
It only mentions the ownership of the spoils.
But mana crystals don't count as spoils.
So it should be divided into eight parts, right?
Of course.
We must do it fairly.
I'm clear on that.
However,
we need to deal with that guy first.
The dungeon Boss.
I think you understand this.
After defeating the Boss, the gate will close.
So we must move all the mana crystals out before defeating that spider.
Luckily, it's sleeping.
Now might be a great opportunity to mine.
Lee Chul-jin, where are our tools?
I didn't know there'd be so many.
I left the tools in the car.
Haven't I always told you to keep the tools with you?
I'm really sorry.
Sorry.
Can you two stay here?
We need to get the tools.
Huh?
Just the two of us in the Boss room?
Don't worry.
It should be full and sound asleep.
It should be fine for now as long as you don't provoke it.
But...
Yoo, it's your first mission, right?
Mr. Sung, this is also your first time at a C-Rank dungeon, isn't it?
Just trust me, guys.
Okay?
I need to tell my members something.
I'll come back after a smoke.
According to the rules,
at least eight people are needed to conquer a C-Rank dungeon.
Excluding Jinho and me, this team originally had six people.
We have always managed like this.
He said always, which means...
They often conquer C-Rank dungeons.
They should have regulars to make up the numbers.
Kyuhwan.
Block the entrance to the Boss room.
The entrance is...
What is this?
Did they betray us?
As expected.
They are...
Sometimes you just come across such scumbags.
This work is inherently dangerous, and accidents are par for the course.
But even if an accident happens,
it won't be made public, hence the crime rate is high.
There are no surveillance cameras in the dungeons.
If everyone is dead, there's no evidence left.
They use the weak as bait to lure the enemy
or abandon them in there.
In simple terms,
it's like a gecko dropping its tail to survive.
They plan to kill us over a few mana crystals.
I talked too much about the contract.
No.
No matter what the situation is,
they will kill us immediately if we act rashly.
More importantly...
Jinwoo, please step back.
I will figure out a way.
We should be able to get out from there.
This must be their plan.
C-Rank Boss.
And E-Rank hunter.
The difference in strength is too great.
But...
Is it?
I take back what I said.
Jinho, stay put.
I'll handle this guy.
Huh?
What did you just say?
I'll take it down.