"Yes. That's true, but..." "Ah, I apologize. This way. Hunter, allow me to show you." "Ah... yes."
Thinking that pushing back on whatever misunderstanding was going on here would only make the conversation drag out, he decided to follow along for now. Jin-Woo's gaze swept the surroundings.
'Come to think of it...'
The atmosphere around the area was off. The streets were empty. The only people in sight were soldiers and police officers. To top it off, scattered here and there were the carcasses of monsters, smashed vehicles, and cracked buildings. Jin-Woo realized what must have happened.
'A Gate must have opened somewhere nearby.'
In this day and age, when the Hunter System was so well established, it was something that almost never happened—but occasionally, a Gate would appear in a remote area and go undetected until it was too late to block it. When that happened, soldiers from nearby military units were dispatched to buy time for the Hunters to arrive. Of course, the soldiers' weapons were useless against monsters. But to evacuate civilians safely, someone had to take the sacrifice. To put it bluntly, they served as human shields. The young men of this country were the ones shouldering a duty that someone had to fulfill.
"Thank you."
The soldier walking ahead turned to Jin-Woo and bowed.
"What?" "It's thanks to you Hunters that we're all safe, isn't it?" "Ah... yes."
Thank him? That was actually what Jin-Woo wanted to say to the soldier. The soldier to the Hunter, the Hunter to the soldier. As people who fought to protect someone or something, they were expressing gratitude to one another. *Crackle—* The soldier's face brightened as he received a radio transmission.
"Most of the monsters in the area have been taken care of. Apparently, only one large monster is left."
Jin-Woo nodded. He didn't even need the soldier's explanation. He could feel the powerful aura of a living creature nearby. And along with it, the auras of several Hunters surrounding that creature. His elevated Perception stat conveyed information that couldn't be seen to the senses. Jin-Woo had a gut feeling.
'That thing's the boss.'
Soon enough, its form came into view. Not far away, in an open lot, a dozen or so Hunters were locked in a standoff with a giant made of rock. The giant stood about as tall as a telephone pole. It was a golem-type monster.
"Huh..."
The soldier let out a gasp and took a step back. Whether this was his first time seeing a monster in person, his entire body went stiff the moment he laid eyes on it. Anyone would have reacted the same way. Monsters seen on TV or a screen and monsters encountered in real life were on a completely different level. Compared to him, Jin-Woo calmly surveyed the situation.
"Healers! Pour some heals on the Tanker!" "We're doing everything we can!" "Why won't this thing go down?" "Dealers, what are you doing? There's no sign of it falling!" "Its defense is way too high. Of course there'd barely be any magic-type Hunters!"
Since they'd been hastily scrambled, their ranks didn't seem all that high. Neither their defense nor their attack was particularly impressive. The Hunters were struggling. *Boom!* When the golem slammed its massive stone fist downward, the Hunter serving as Tanker buckled at the knees, if only for a moment.
"Guh!"
Blood spurted from the Tanker's mouth.
"Oh no!" "The Tanker's going to die at this rate!" "What are we supposed to do? Our mana is running dry!" "Is backup from higher-ranked Hunters still not here?"
The Hunters looked like they'd reached their limits. Jin-Woo, who had been watching everything, narrowed his eyes to a sharp glint.
'At this level... I can do it.'
Jin-Woo slowly took a few steps back. The golem-type boss had high defense, but its overall rank appeared lower than one might expect. In terms of the aura he sensed, it was a step below the 'Blue Fang' boss he'd faced in the dungeon.
'So if I can just nullify its defense.'
Now was the time for a single powerful blow that could punch through that ridiculous hunk of stone. Having put a reasonable amount of distance between himself and the creature, Jin-Woo took a throwing stance. The muscles in the arm gripping the broken sword began to swell rapidly. Thick veins bulged all the way to the back of his hand. Every ounce of his strength was concentrated in his right arm. A moment later, his arm—taut as a bowstring—launched forward at a speed approaching the sound barrier.
"Go!"
***
D-rank Hunter Lee Han-Soo's vision went dark. He couldn't take any more. Even his prized shield had started to crack. The healing Hunters seemed to be running low on mana, and the amount of healing they were providing had dropped noticeably. If this continued, everyone would die. Now was the time to choose. The only option was for him to buy one last stretch of time while the other Hunters fled, after which higher-ranked Hunters could take down the golem.
'Or else we all die right here.'
Cold sweat beaded on Lee Han-Soo's forehead. He finally steeled himself. Turning around, he shouted.
"I'll hold them off here, so everyone—"
In that instant, Lee Han-Soo saw it. Something flashing as it flew toward them from a distance. In truth, he only had a sensation of having seen it—his actual eyes hadn't caught anything. It was that fast. *Crack—!* The golem's head burst apart as the something struck it.
"W-What?!"
Lee Han-Soo's eyes went wide. Having lost its head, the golem began to stagger. The Hunters let out a roar of triumph and redoubled their attacks.
"It's working! The attacks are getting through!" "It's going down!" "Just a little more! A little more and we've got it!"
It seemed that no one else had noticed the object flying in from afar—they were all too focused on their attacks. Everyone except Lee Han-Soo, who was standing right in front of the golem. *Crrr—* Finally, the golem toppled backward. *Thud!* Being so incredibly heavy, its fall sent clouds of dust billowing upward. *Waaah—!* The Hunters screamed in excitement.
"We did it!" "We got it!"
Only Lee Han-Soo, who had witnessed everything, shook his head.
'No. Our attacks weren't doing anything.'
Lee Han-Soo quickly examined the area around the fallen golem.
"What the hell did it use to blow this rock's head apart?"
While rummaging nearby, Lee Han-Soo came upon the remains of a broken sword. It was a pitiful iron sword, though it had been infused with mana.
'They took down a boss-level golem—something over a dozen Hunters couldn't scratch—with just this piece of junk?'
For a moment, he was rendered speechless. Staring alternately at the golem's corpse and the sword's remains, Lee Han-Soo then pushed past the celebrating Hunters and sprinted in the direction from which the sword had come.
"Hey!"
A single soldier was standing there.
"Yes? Are you talking to me?" "That's right, you!"
As the burly Hunter came thundering over, the soldier swallowed hard, his face rigid. That was how much pressure a Hunter exuded toward an ordinary person. Lee Han-Soo held up the sword and asked.
"Did you throw this?" "Ah, this was—"
The soldier turned around and his eyes went wide.
"Wh-What? There was definitely a Hunter standing right here!"
No one was behind him. While the soldier looked around in a panic, Lee Han-Soo scratched his head and stared down at the remains of the sword.
'That kind of power, that level of destruction... Could it have been a higher-ranked Hunter?'
With the person in question having vanished, there was no way to find out.
***
Meanwhile, Jin-Woo was heading home. The moment he saw the golem begin to stagger, he turned around and left. He knew perfectly well that it was he who had felled the golem. Normally, all the spoils from a slain monster went to the one who took it down. If he wanted to, he could have staked his claim on the golem.
'But the problem is I'd have to prove that I was the one who brought it down.'
Who would believe that a golem of that size was felled by an E-rank Hunter's attack? Without a shred of solid evidence. A broken piece of an iron sword and a soldier who'd been standing nearby didn't seem like they'd be much help either. And that wasn't all. In the end, he'd also have to explain the reason his stats had risen enough to take down the golem in the first place. No matter how he thought about it, the cons far outweighed the pros. His unique ability to Level Up. He couldn't afford the mistake of carelessly revealing an ability that had no historical precedent, all for the sake of a single golem corpse.
'Shame, but there's nothing I can do.'
That said, it wasn't like he'd walked away empty-handed. No—there was actually an unexpectedly big gain. The message he'd heard the moment the golem fell.
[Your level has increased!]
Taking down the golem had raised his level by one more.
'So killing monsters levels me up.'
Good to know. For now, that was enough. Jin-Woo's home was on the ninth floor of an old, run-down apartment building in the outskirts of the city. He found his key, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. It was dark.
'Jin-A must be studying hard.'
His little sister was apparently still at the study hall. On the dining table sat cold rice and soup. Their mother had been hospitalized for years now, so this must have been his sister's handiwork. Beside the dishes, a sticky note was written in neat, adorable handwriting.
-Don't skip meals. I'm going to check if you ate everything.
He'd told her he was being discharged today, so she must have made dinner in the middle of her busy schedule before leaving. Jin-Woo smiled faintly and sat down at the table. But there was something he wanted to check before eating.
"Status Window."
Name: Sung Jin-Woo Level: 18 Class: None Title: Wolf Slayer HP: 2,220 MP: 350 Fatigue: 2
[Stats] Strength: 48 Vitality: 27 Agility: 27 Intelligence: 27 Perception: 27 (Available stat points: 0)
[Skills] Passive Skills: (Unknown) Lv.MAX, Tenacity Lv.1 Active Skills: Sprint Lv.1
It had been a long day. Thanks to that long day, he'd already reached level 18. Strength was nearly at 50, and his other stats had increased noticeably as well. He'd also figured out what Agility and Perception were good for.
'On top of that, with this dagger that has good options, plus the gold I picked up today whose purpose I haven't figured out yet...'
Setting aside the dubious potions, the dungeon clear had been a resounding success.
9. Lizards
Anyone leaving the house in the pre-dawn hours always moved carefully. It wouldn't do to wake the family. So when Jin-A slipped out early for school, she quietly locked the door behind her so as not to rouse her brother, who she assumed was still fast asleep. But.
"Going to school?" "Huh?"
A voice so close made Jin-A jump and look up. Jin-Woo was jogging slowly toward her. A tracksuit and sneakers. With the hood pulled down low over his head, he looked as though he'd come back from a morning jog. Jin-A's already large eyes went round.
"What? Were you awake, oppa?" "I've been up for a while now. Be careful on the way." "Um... okay."
Watching her brother's retreating back, Jin-A tilted her head.
'That's a first. Him waking up before me.'
Jin-Woo could by no means be called lazy, but Jin-A was unusually diligent for her age, so she was typically always the one to start the day first.
'Come to think of it...'
Her brother's back seemed a little broader than before. Nah, no way. The human body wasn't a rubber band—it couldn't just expand and contract in the span of a few days.
'It must be my imagination.'