These stupid things are coming right at us, begging to be killed.
Well, I love it! Let's wipe 'em all out!
I'm not sure which ones are the real beasts.
Old Man Song's a beast himself!
That takes care of this group. You really have gotten stronger, Sung!
And where did you get such a nice dagger?
Now that I think about it, you haven't been hurt at all today, Jinwoo.
I-Is that right?
Here's hoping no one ends up needing my help.
Well, I'm still counting on you.
He definitely has changed.
Not just his appearance but even his aura... He's making it look easy now.
Did you start learning martial arts?
Let's keep going.
The path splits here.
The dungeon's been easier than forecast,
so it should be fine to split into three groups.
There'd be additional risk, but we'd be able to finish sooner, too.
I think that's a good idea.
I'll take the prisoners down the path on the right.
If you find the boss chamber, send someone to let us know.
I guess it's because I raised my perception ability, but I can tell already.
The boss is down there.
These goblins weren't getting me much experience, anyway.
Mr. Song.
Let's head down the path to the left.
Understood.
That leaves the middle for us.
Right.
If these goblins are all there is, we'll be fine.
I just hope we can finish this job safely.
I'm sure we will.
The Weakest Hunter only gets called in for low-rank dungeons, right?
Except we made that same assumption once already, and look what happened.
I've made up my mind.
When this raid's over, I'm gonna apologize to Sung.
It's been bugging you, too, right? How we ran away.
We're grown men, professional hunters...
Even if it was because of our families,
that doesn't change the fact that we left one of our own behind.
If we wanna keep being hunters... we need to face up to what happened.
You think he'll forgive us?
There's no chance. But I'm still gonna apologize.
Come on, let's get going.
What a joke! These goblins are way too easy!
Is that all of them?
You expected it to take longer?
I wanna rack up some more kills!
What if you were facing humans?
Could you kill them just as easily?
I don't really see the difference.
Yeah. It's all the same shit.
What did you want to discuss?
Three men... assaulted my daughter.
She hung herself afterwards,
and my wife was hospitalized from the psychological shock...
But these scum will be free in a few years, like nothing happened at all!
Not only that, but they're hunters!
Hunters are allowed to participate in raids while incarcerated
to reduce their sentences, right?
In what world is that fair?!
When my daughter will never get to come home!
And that is?
I have three billion here.
I want you... to...
kill them, please.
What happens in a dungeon stays in the dungeon, right?
Please! I'm begging you!
Here's what I'll tell the inspectors when I get out of here:
The three of you were set upon by a pack of a hundred goblins.
This path really goes all over the place...
Are we even making any progress?
You think we got the dud route?
Here we go...
Help... me...
Hoping for a quick death?
I was actually asked to make you suffer as much as possible first.
Wh-What the hell are you doing?!
Huh. I guess the paths met back up.
Which means the left path was the one that led to the boss room.
That'll save me some trouble.
Hel—
Guess I'll have to alter my plans.
That Kang Taeshik guy visited me in the hospital with his inspector boss.
I hope he doesn't remember me.
Mr. Song!
Right!
What is this?!
Jeongho!
Mr. Kang...?
Mr. Kim?
Joohee, heal him.
Hurry and heal him!
R-Right!
Mr. Kim! Please hang on!
This wasn't the work of a magic beast.
The weapon's too sharp. And whoever used it
avoided finishing him off... multiple times.
Don't... bother. I'm not gonna make it.
What are you talking about?
You need to survive. You have a family, don't you?
You...
You need to survive, no matter what! How else can I keep blaming you?!
I'm sorry. I really am sorry.
I didn't see it playing out like this.
I wanted to give you... a proper apology.
I'm real sorry, kid.
I mean... it...
Kim...
Wow, you're fast.
I had intended on taking out the healer first...
But it looks like you were able to change her fate.
Mr. Kang?! Did you do this?!
What if I did?
Aren't you from the Hunter's Association?!
You think you can get away with—
I've got the perfect little story.
I was gonna say that it was a swarm of goblins, but here's my new angle:
The prisoners were plotting an escape, so they killed the rest of you
and then tried to ambush me while I was occupied fighting the boss...
But they didn't have what it takes. And that's why I was the sole survivor.
What do you think? Perfect, huh?
You scum.
You can't stand against him. I'll go.
I'm borrowing this, Kim.
I haven't raised a sword against another person in a long time.
He's B-Rank, a level above me. But still...
Ms. Joohee, could you cast a physical strength buff on me?
R-Right!
Assassin types tend to have weak defenses.
I'll aim for that.
A washed-up mage like you trying to rely on strength instead is gonna backfire.
Right now, I'm a swordsman.
But your skills are magic-focused! Taking up that sword won't help you!
You might be surprised!
Okay, you've got some moves.
Even putting aside the buff, you really do know your stuff.
It was only for a moment, but he was able to keep up.
If Mr. Song was a little faster...
Fast and accurate! I can see why you ditched magic for the sword!
But that's about all you can manage.
That pain-in-the-ass healer.
Guess I had better deal with her after all.
Turning your back on an armed opponent?!
I guess you're no average old fart.
I've trained S-Rank hunters before!
In terms of blade technique, I won't be beat!
Maybe, but the powers you've been given have their limits.
Did you think a mage type like you could keep up with an assassin hunter?!
Mr. Song!
Oh, no...
Your healer's useless, too.
Game over.
Did that work?!
You took up that sword to make me lower my guard against magic...
so that when I went for the kill, you could blast me.
Pretty slick plan, for a senile old bastard.
I'm finished!
Now die.
You again?
Who the hell are you?!
Sung Jinwoo, E-Rank.
E-Rank? That's a load of crap.
Sung? What was that just now?
I could see a power type, even at E-Rank, being able to block like that.
But the reaction time you'd need to pull it off twice...
would require an assassin build.
Not that it really matters, anyway. You've been hiding your skills, haven't you?
Your little group seems to know each other.
So you can't be a false ranker. They don't let any witnesses live.
Which leaves only one possibility...
You had a second awakening.
You did, Sung?!
A second awakening?!
Then it must've happened after the double dungeon!
A double dungeon?
Wait... Is he that weakling E-Rank from before?
But he looks and acts like a different person.
And the mana meter only read 10 when we checked back then.
If he had a second awakening, it must have been after.
So how'd he survive the double dungeon...?
Well, whatever happened to you, I can tell you don't have a ton of hunting experience.
So it falls to me to teach you the ropes.
Why did you do this?
You mean killing the prisoners?
I was asked to by the father of their victim.
They drove someone to suicide and didn't regret it at all.
It's a bit of social justice, that's all.
No. I was talking about Mr. Kim and Mr. Kang.
Why kill them?
Was it to silence them? Because you could've done that without torturing them.
But you didn't do that. You toyed with them.
I don't think you did this for the victim's sake at all.
That's not what you really want.
Sure, I can do that.
But you've got the wrong idea.
I'm a B-Rank hunter who has received offers from a number of major guilds.
So why am I working for peanuts in the Hunter's Association?
It's because I find people a whole lot more fun to kill than beasts!
There's a limit to what even a reawakened E-Rank can pull off!
Too slow.
Impressive.
He's so agile!
Nothing at all like the Sung I remember!
We're matched in speed!
We've got the same build and similar skill levels...
But I have far more experience battling high-ranked opponents than you!
That inexperience will be your downfall!
You've got grit, I'll give you that.
Sorry...
Eh?
But could you be a little less bloodthirsty?
Now you've done it. Even the system's noticed.
Then again, I guess I should be grateful.
The system's given me another reason to make sure you die.
The system?
What the hell is he talking about?
I should have the advantage here...
He's even faster?!
Poison? A special effect from that dagger of yours?
I've got something special to show you, too!
He vanished?!
I should be completely undetectable. You're a sharp bastard, all right.
This is the Stealth skill. It conceals my sight, my sound, and even my smell.
Only a tiny fraction of assassin hunters ever obtain this skill.
Of course, no one knows I can use it, either.
And the reason for that...
is that no one who's seen me use it has ever lived to tell the tale.
You won't be so fast now.
Jinwoo—
Keep your hands to yourself!
You two are next.
At this rate, Sung's going to die!
Now, think you can dodge my next strike with an injured leg?
Are you done talking now?
Full recovery.
He healed in an instant?!
I've never heard of a combat hunter who could use healing magic, too.
What else does he have?!
He's impossible to predict! This guy is dangerous!
That's another of my emotions, gone.
I don't even need to get angry to kill filth like you.
Oh, I see. You've killed before, too, huh?
Man, I didn't know we were in the same business!
I see now.
He must've been forced through a number of grave decisions in a short time.
It wasn't just his appearance that changed.
When hunters awakened, their supernatural abilities turned the world on its head.
Where we are is a place that only hunters can enter. Laws aren't worth shit here.
Whoever's strongest comes out on top.
Is he tracking me from my bloodlust?
But that won't let him know exactly where I'm coming from!
What the—
Wait... Are you kidding me?
What... the hell...
You asked why I killed them, right?
It's pointless to expect hunters, who thrive
in mortal combat, to stick to normal morals.
You're the same way. You and me, we're killing machines at this point.
Which is why I'll die. Because I lost.
It's just natural selection.
But what the hell are you?
You've got assassin skills, healing, and debuffs...
I've never heard of anything like it.
Couldn't tell you. I'd like to know, myself.
Well, you just killed me, so your little E-Rank act is over.
Let's say that I'm a hunter who gets stronger with every battle.
Then I'd say your shadow stretches into some really nasty places...
and you'll probably get as strong as those places are dark.
You'd better watch yourself, though.
If you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss... gazes also into you.
He's right. I'm incomparably strong next to how I was before.
But for some reason...
the stronger I get, the more I feel something inside of me falling apart.
Jinwoo!
Thank you so much.
You really did it. We only survived because of you.
It's fine. You two should exit the dungeon.
I'll handle the rest.
What?! By yourself?!
Then again... you're right.
It's a shame we won't be able to lay Kim and Kang to rest.
We'll be waiting outside.
Manager Woo!
I heard the report. Where are the survivors?
Right this way.
I can't believe Kang was killing in secret all this time.
He had always been a little sketchy, but as his supervisor, I was too careless.
This is the three of them.
Isn't he... the E-Rank hunter from before?
He looks like a whole different person.
It's good to see you again.
Aren't you the inspector...?
Woo Jinchul. I want to apologize for what one of my men put you through.
But first... I'd like to address the main issue.
Which one of you defeated Kang?
I guess I won't be able to keep my secret any longer.
Which means I'm gonna have to cancel my deal with Jinho...
It was me.
I killed Mr. Kang.
Pardon me, but I believe your rank was...?
C-Rank.
How were you able to beat a B-Rank like Kang?
Why, with the help of my friend here.
I see. Then you say you managed with a healer's help.
Kang was the cream of the crop among B-Ranks.
By all rights, a C-Rank mage shouldn't have stood a chance...
Very well.
I'll need to write this incident up, so if you could please come with me.
I can't get cocky just because I beat Kang Taeshik.
I couldn't tell before, but this guy is A-Rank.
As it stands, I'd be helpless against him.
Sorry if I overstepped my bounds there.
But I imagine you've got a good reason for keeping your strength hidden.
Well, think of it as my way of paying you back.
Three hours later,
the man who hired Kang Taeshik to kill the prisoners turned himself in,
which confirmed that we acted in self-defense.
What a day, huh?
Jinwoo.
Do you remember this?