Episode 2
Kang Jin-hyeok first closed the attic door and went out to the living room.
He sat on the chair and thought deeply.
Why and how the dungeon appeared in the attic was something I couldn’t figure out, no matter how much I thought about it.
The first thing to think about now was, ‘How do I deal with that labyrinth?’
The most orthodox and safest way was to report it to the association.
But Kang Jin-hyeok didn’t choose that.
Obviously, if you follow the manual, that method will be the best.
But that is only when you follow the association’s policy.
It was the worst way to link it to Kang Jin-hyeok’s personal gain.
“If the association finds out about this, I’ll be kicked out immediately.”
There are monsters in this world, but a place called a ‘dungeon’ has never been discovered before.
If the Association learns of the dungeon, they will immediately begin investigating.
Kang Jin-hyeok, a D-class hunter, will be blocked from approaching, and only elite hunters dispatched by the association will conduct the investigation.
In return, all Kang Jin-hyeok could receive was a small reward.
“Are you crazy enough to hand over such a messy place for a pittance?”
Even though it was a rented house, it was clearly Kang Jin-hyeok’s house and he owned the attic.
So, even this couldn’t be taken away.
Kang Jin-hyeok recalled what happened with Titan today.
The Association was of the same type as those who wouldn’t let even a single monster pass.
In the first place, it was the association’s fault for allowing the guilds to abuse their power.
Hand the dungeon over to them?
It was something that made my heart race just thinking about it.
Kang Jin-hyeok wanted to monopolize this dungeon if possible.
But for that, there was something that had to be checked first.
“Those monsters… can’t come over here?”
The goblin was completely unaware of the attic.
However, there was no guarantee that not recognizing something would prevent movement.
That’s why Kang Jin-hyeok wanted to check it out for himself.
He took out his baseball bat and opened the attic door again.
“If by any chance you can come over, it would be a big problem… … .”
Kang Jin-hyeok’s hunter rank was only D-class.
The limit for taking down two or three goblins by confronting them head-on was limited to that number.
The moment a monster bigger than that came out of the attic, Kang Jin-hyeok was as good as dead.
“Please, please.”
Kang Jin-hyeok stepped into the dungeon inside the attic, praying earnestly in his heart.
As Kang Jin-hyeok’s body fully entered the dungeon, a beeping sound rang in his head.
[You have entered the dungeon.]
[Current Location: 1st Floor – Goblin’s Labyrinth]
The message that appeared before his eyes turned Kang Jin-hyeok’s expectations into certainty.
As expected, this place was a dungeon.
“Keeek?”
While Kang Jin-hyeok was checking the message, a goblin wandering around the labyrinth discovered him.
Kang Jin-hyeok realized the fact when he heard the goblin’s crying sound.
“Keeeek!”
When the goblin charged at him with a crudely made stone axe, Kang Jin-hyeok ran away.
I could easily deal with a single goblin, but there was something I needed to check right now.
As Kang Jin-hyeok escaped from the dungeon to the attic, the goblin stopped with a bewildered expression.
Then he stood in front of the border between the dungeon and the attic and pounded it with a stone axe.
The place where the goblin struck made a thud sound as if there was a transparent wall.
“Monsters can’t see this way, and they can’t come here.”
A color came to Kang Jin-hyeok’s face.
Now that safety had been confirmed, there was only one thing left for him to do.
Kang Jin-hyeok went back into the dungeon and swung his bat at the goblin that was loitering in front of the boundary.
“Kkieek!”
The goblin was hit in the face with an aluminum bat and fell down screaming.
Kang Jin-hyeok swung his bat repeatedly before the goblin could stand up, literally turning it into a mess.
“Eek! Eek!”
The goblin that used to scream every time it got hit suddenly became quiet.
As the goblin’s breath died down, Kang Jin-hyeok felt his strength rising.
[Level Up]
Although it only went from level 3 to level 4, Kang Jin-hyeok felt the most moved at this moment.
This is the first time I’ve hunted a monster alone since becoming a hunter.
Without sharing your experiences with others.
All alone.
He hunted monsters without worrying about his last attack being stolen by someone else.
“Ehhhhhhh… … .”
Kang Jin-hyeok couldn’t hold back the laughter that burst out of him.
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It’s been a whole three years.
I could have leveled up like this just by killing one goblin, but I stayed at level 3 for 3 whole years.
Kang Jin-hyeok keenly realized just how ridiculously tyrannical the large guilds were.
“Those damn dogs. They sold their consciences.”
Right now, just this one goblin corpse could fetch at least 3 million won.
Large guilds are always monopolizing monsters, so the profits they make must be enormous.
“The reason monster corpses are expensive is because the guild guys monopolized them like this, fucking shit.”
Since monster corpses are expensive, naturally equipment and items are also sold at high prices.
Hunters below Class C, who lack capital, repeat the vicious cycle of becoming even poorer.
Kang Jin-hyeok was furious because he thought everything was the fault of the big guilds.
This morning I was just venting my frustrations and doing nothing, but now it was different.
Kang Jin-hyeok was given a place of opportunity called a ‘dungeon’.
Since this kind of fortune had come, there was no need to suffer in silence and complain.
If you have any complaints, you can just hunt monsters and become stronger.
Kang Jin-hyeok wanted to build up his level so that even the hunters he met in the morning couldn’t ignore him.
But that wasn’t possible right away.
The cell phone in my pocket was already ringing an alarm, telling me it was time to go to work.
“ah…….”
Kang Jin-hyeok wanted to throw away his part-time job and everything else and devote himself to hunting.
However, quitting a part-time job on the same day without prior notice was a huge nuisance.
Since he couldn’t bother the innocent people, Kang Jin-hyeok decided to go to work today as his last day.
* * *
After finishing his last part-time job, Kang Jin-hyeok went to a trading post authorized by the Hunter Association.
Even though it was close to night, the exchange was quite crowded.
Hunters selling their loot, hunters looking for supplies for their next hunt, etc.
Because there were so many customers, the number of staff serving them was also considerable.
“Welcome. What brings you here?”
“I came here to sell monster corpses… … .”
“Please take a number and wait. We will appraise you when it is your turn.”
Kang Jin-hyeok followed the guide’s instructions and took a number from the machine near the entrance.
Despite the large number of people, there weren’t many people waiting.
There are three people ahead of Kang Jin-hyeok.
After waiting for about 10 minutes, it was soon my turn.
“What are you here to sell?”
What greeted Kang Jin-hyeok was the emotional story of a middle-aged man who seemed to have accumulated years of experience.
Instead of answering, Kang Jin-hyeok took the monster corpse out of his inventory and placed it on the table.
“Hmm, one goblin… … .”
It was a very common material in this place where numerous hunters gathered.
The emotional investigator glanced at the body Kang Jin-hyeok had presented without any emotion.
“I guess you don’t have much hunting experience.”
“Huh? How do you… … .”
“You can tell by the way the bones have all been turned to powder.”
The goblin’s arm, picked up by the appraiser, was flailing like a mollusk.
“If you catch them like this, their value will drop. Next time, it’s better to aim for only the vital points.”
Although the words were harsh and showed no courtesy towards the guest, the content itself was advice that was based on experience.
The appraiser finished his work twice as fast as the others and set the price for the goblin.
“For a corpse like this, I can’t give you more than 3.2 million won.”
It was a low price, just 200,000 won more than the minimum price.
But Kang Jin-hyeok accepted the result without a word.
Damaged internal organs, useless bones due to compound fractures, etc.
This was because all the points pointed out by the emotional expert were convincing.
“I’ll sell it for that price.”
“Okay, then just tell me where you caught this monster. I’ll check and send you the money.”
“Oh, where is it from? Do I really have to tell you that?”
“It’s a hassle, but there’s nothing I can do since it’s set by law.”
Kang Jin-hyeok, who couldn’t honestly say that he had caught a goblin in the dungeon, was troubled.
‘Should I lie and say I caught it at the Olympic Park?’
It seemed like a reasonable excuse to say that the monster had escaped while the Titan was off guard.
But the idea was never put into practice.
Kang Jin-hyeok felt the store suddenly become noisy.
Out of natural curiosity, I turned my head in the direction of the crowd and saw a group of hunters entering the store.
“what?”
Judging from the fact that they were wearing outerwear of the same design as the Titans, it was clear that they were also hunters belonging to a guild.
The emotional man who saw their appearance held his forehead and sighed softly.
“You finally found it.”
Judging from the emotional reactions and the hunters’ grim expressions, it didn’t seem like they had any good intentions.
And that premonition turned out to be exactly right.
The hunter who had been walking in the front walked straight towards Kang Jin-hyeok.
“huh?”
Before he could even ask what was going on, the hunter grabbed Kang Jin-hyeok by the collar.
“Is that you?”
“What, what is it?”
“Are you the one who intercepted the monster in our hunting grounds?”
Kang Jin-hyeok was so flustered that he couldn’t give a proper answer.
I was just about to say that I had caught what the Titan was hunting, so it felt like I had hit the nail on the head.
Fortunately, a lawyer came forward to defend Kang Jin-hyeok, who was tight-lipped.
“The guy you’re looking for isn’t that guy.”
“Then who is it?”
“The blonde chattering away in the corner.”
In the place the clerk nodded to, there was a man laughing and joking, oblivious to the commotion in the store.
The hunter let go of Kang Jin-hyeok’s collar and went straight towards the blonde.
Then he grabbed the other person’s shoulder and turned his face towards him.
“Ugh!”
The blonde was hit in the face by a sudden flying fist and fell down.
He couldn’t even try to get up because of the subsequent kicking.
“Crash! Crash!”
As the one-sided assault unfolded before his eyes, the colleague who had been talking to the blonde just now stepped forward.
“What are you doing?!”
“If you don’t want to get left behind, keep your mouth shut.”
“what?”
The blonde-haired colleague frowned and looked ready to rush over.
However, the guild’s hunters were approaching much faster than he could move.
“Iza hunted monsters without permission in our guild’s territory.”
“If you don’t intend to compensate, then don’t come forward.”
As the hunters belonging to the guild spoke with fierce eyes, the blond comrade ground his teeth and stepped back.
The assault that took place in the store ended only when the victim was barely able to catch his breath.
It wasn’t that I stopped because I thought I would die if I hit him more.
It was for the vicious reason that it would serve as an example.
The guild’s hunter grabbed the blonde’s collar with his hand and forced her to raise her face.
“Hey, why are you loitering around our area? Are you trying to take our lives?”
“Th, what is that… … .”
The blonde was about to say that was a ridiculous quibble, but before she could, Hunter slammed his head back on the floor.
“You might be the crazy murderer that’s been running wild these days. Let’s go together for a bit and get some investigation done. Is that okay?”
The hunter asked for the blonde’s one-sided understanding, unable to speak due to her fainting.
And then he left the store, dragging the blonde who couldn’t even speak properly.
Only after all the guild hunters had left did a sigh of relief burst out from the store that had been as quiet as a mouse.
The emotional detective, who was watching the scene with his arms crossed, clicked his tongue.
“They’re just going to take my money and leave quietly. You’re even nitpicking over ridiculous things.”
The emotional expert found Kang Jin-hyeok with a blank expression and gave him some advice.
“If you don’t want to end up like that, don’t even come near the places that the guild has taken over.”
“… … .”
Kang Jin-hyeok was speechless.
It doesn’t make sense to monopolize the space, but to beat up a person so mercilessly just because he caught a monster there.
Kang Jin-hyeok felt a chill and goosebumps for a moment.
Even guilds that aren’t that famous are showing such extreme enthusiasm.
What would happen if a large guild, such as the Titans, heard that a monster had been intercepted?
I probably won’t be able to get back on my feet again.
“How on earth did you find out about that guild and come looking for it?”
“How would you know? All guilds of a certain size are connected to this server.”
“The person who was hit there knew that and honestly stated the source?”
“If I get caught lying about my sources, my hunter license will be revoked for life and I’ll be sent to prison, so there’s nothing I can do.”
The more I heard about it, the more it seemed like a policy that only benefited the guild and had no benefit for the general hunters.
Kang Jin-hyeok, who was at a loss, put the goblin corpse back into his inventory.
“Excuse me.”
“Huh? You’re not going to sell it and just leave?”
“Yes, I changed my mind a bit… … .”
Since I was in no position to honestly reveal my sources or lie, it was wise to back off here.
While the hunters’ attention was focused elsewhere.
Kang Jin-hyeok ran out of the store as if he was running away.
‘Fuck, fuck!’
On his way home, Kang Jin-hyeok was internally upset.
I was just hunting as a hunter, but I ran away feeling like a criminal.
Kang Jin-hyeok thought that all of this was due to a lack of strength.
It took strength to ignore the guild’s tyranny and live as one pleased.
“Let’s see where you are, you dirty bastards.”
Kang Jin-hyeok had a dungeon.
As long as there were dungeons, you could become as strong as you wanted.
All he needed now was time.
