Having finished getting ready in under a minute, Jin-Woo immediately hailed a taxi and headed to the meeting spot. Nine people who had arrived first were waiting for him. The man who appeared to be the leader waved.
"Over here! This way."
He was a large, burly fellow with a beard. He approached with a friendly smile.
"You're Sung Jin-Woo, right?" "Yes." "Oh, good—you found us without any trouble. Since we're all gathered here, why don't we introduce ourselves and get started?"
The bearded man briefly introduced the team members. Eight of them, himself included, had been a group for a while now, and one person had been recruited to fill the shortfall—just like Jin-Woo. Jin-Woo exchanged greetings with the team members, sizing them up as he did so. Thanks to his heightened perception stat, he could roughly gauge their capabilities.
'Five who look about the same rank. Four who feel below that. Five C-ranks and four D-ranks or lower.'
There was a rule for raiding C-rank Gates. A minimum of ten people, with at least half being C-rank Hunters or above. Only then would the Hunter's Association grant approval. It seemed their request for him to just show up and make up the numbers was no empty sentiment.
"Now that introductions are out of the way, let me quickly go over the key points."
Introducing himself as a C-rank tank named Hwang Dong-Suk, the bearded man looked composed throughout—clearly experienced in raids. He laid out the situations they needed to be aware of during this raid, organized and to the point, when someone approached Jin-Woo.
"Hey, looks like we're both the fillers."
He was a bright-faced young man—the other person Hwang Dong-Suk had brought along to meet the headcount requirement. Unlike Jin-Woo, however, he was not a noncombatant member. He was a D-rank who would be participating in the fight directly. His name was Yoo Jin-Ho, age twenty-two. Jin-Woo gave a slight nod of acknowledgment to Yoo Jin-Ho, who had extended a greeting, and then turned his gaze away. Yoo Jin-Ho, who had wanted to continue the conversation, scratched the back of his head with an awkward expression and returned to his spot.
"Big Bro, enough with the briefing—let's go in already." "We're gonna kill everything anyway, so why the long explanation?" "Seriously, my ears are gonna get calluses."
The original members grumbled one after another, and Hwang Dong-Suk clapped his hands with a hearty laugh.
"Alright, that's all the briefing. Let's head in."
Everyone began preparing to enter the Gate.
"Oh, before that—could you two take these first?"
Hwang Dong-Suk handed Jin-Woo and Yoo Jin-Ho each a single sheet of paper. A simple contract.
"Just sign at the bottom and you're good."
He would not be involved in the hunt and would be excluded from the loot split, but in return he would receive two million won the moment the hunt was over. The terms matched what had been discussed over the phone. What caught his eye, though, was the last clause.
'...I agree not to hold anyone liable for any accident that occurs within the Dungeon...'
Unlike raids run through the Hunter's Association, privately organized raids offered no compensation if something went wrong. That was why Hunters couldn't even get insurance. You were responsible for your own life. This was when it truly sank in that he had joined a raid party. While reviewing the terms, he snuck a glance at Yoo Jin-Ho's contract. Sure enough, Yoo Jin-Ho's version was structured to receive a share of the loot instead of two million won. Right before signing, Jin-Woo asked Hwang Dong-Suk a question.
"So what exactly am I supposed to do?" "Nothing special—just follow us around and carry some of the bags." "Bags?"
Hwang Dong-Suk pointed to the enormous backpacks his men were pulling out of a Bongo van.
"They've got our packed lunches, spare clothes, equipment, first-aid kits—all sorts of things."
Wait, a first-aid kit for entering a Dungeon? Jin-Woo raised an eyebrow.
"You're seriously going in without a healer?" "You know how it is—it's not easy to get a healing-type Hunter to join a private raid party. We've always done it this way. No big deal."
Hwang Dong-Suk laughed awkwardly. They had barely scraped together the minimum headcount, a supplementary member who seemed to think of this raid as a casual outing, and a party composition of tanks and damage dealers with no healer. The supplementary member beside him showed no change in expression upon hearing there was no healer. Classic sign of a total newbie. Jin-Woo suppressed a chuckle.
'What a bunch of amateurs.'
The reason he was still signing the contract, though, was not because he couldn't bear to part with the two million won. It was because he had grown confident that he could now protect himself, at the very least.
"I've signed." "Me too!"
Hwang Dong-Suk checked both signatures and, apparently in a good mood, shouted loudly.
"Alright, let's go!"
***
The party headed to the location where the Gate had appeared. It was an apartment construction site, abandoned mid-build.
"Heard the economy was bad these days, but still..."
Hwang Dong-Suk clicked his tongue. Half-finished apartment buildings stood in desolate clusters, like giant tombstones. Was this what a graveyard for giants would feel like?
"Did you hear about this?"
Yoo Jin-Ho sidled up and lowered his voice.
"The workers and investors here have all been scrambling, wondering if they'll live or die, but the CEO fled overseas with ninety billion won two months ago." "..."
Even though Jin-Woo had already given him several looks, Yoo Jin-Ho seemed unwilling to leave his side. Since the other eight members had been a team from the start, he apparently found it hard to fit in.
"Hyung, were you always this quiet?"
Before Jin-Woo knew it, the address had shifted to "hyung." At this point, he was too tired to even ignore it.
"...Do you have no sense at all?" "I've never really had to pick up on hints. Heh heh."
Was this kid just bright, or just clueless? Looking at Yoo Jin-Ho's innocent smile, Jin-Woo scratched the side of his head.
'But it's true that...'
The closer he got to a Gate, the more on edge he became compared to normal. There was no helping it. For other Hunters, raids might just be a way to make money, but for Jin-Woo, every raid was a fight for survival. With so many painful memories, he couldn't help but be on guard.
"Here we are."
Hwang Dong-Suk came to a stop. The Hunters let out a collective gasp.
"Brother Hwang, is this really a C-rank Gate? It looks pretty big." "Why would the Association lie? Surveyors came by twice already."
A hole in midair, like a black hole. That was what they called a Gate. Its grade was determined by the mana wave readings inside, which the Association would measure and announce in advance. Individuals or guilds that wished to clear it could then apply through the proper procedure. A-rank and B-rank Gates typically went to the major guilds. Too dangerous for individuals. Private raid parties mainly handled Gates below that tier. Which meant a C-rank Gate was the highest difficulty an unaffiliated Hunter could take on. Hwang Dong-Suk stood before the Gate and turned around.
"I'm going in first. Everyone, stay close behind."
With the tank taking the lead, the Hunters began filing into the Gate one by one.
'Just in case.'
Jin-Woo did a light warm-up, just to be safe. Beside him, Yoo Jin-Ho was pulling out his equipment piece by piece. The sword and shield that emerged from his equipment bag were practically gleaming. High-end gear at a glance—far beyond what a rookie Hunter could afford on his own.
'Never had to pick up on hints, huh? Guess he's a rich kid.'
Jin-Woo looked surprised. Perhaps sensing Jin-Woo's gaze, Yoo Jin-Ho stepped forward with a proud expression.
"You said you were E-rank, right, Hyung? I'll protect you. Just stick right by my side."
Jin-Woo scratched the back of his head. Who was protecting whom here?
"...Sure. I appreciate the thought." "Let's go in too."
Regardless of how Jin-Woo felt about it, the two of them safely entered the Gate as well.
***
The inside of the Dungeon was quiet.
"..."
It was still and dark. Hwang Dong-Suk issued his first command.
"Gyu-Hwan. Light us up." "Yes."
The magic-type Hunter Cho Gyu-Hwan raised a ball of light into the air. The surroundings brightened. Hwang Dong-Suk lowered his shield and tilted his head.
"What's this? Why are there no magic beasts here?" "Yeah, and the lights are out too."
Normally, Dungeons had stones called luminous ore embedded in the cave walls to illuminate the area. But not a single luminous ore was visible in this one. Yoo Jin-Ho whispered to Jin-Woo.
"Hyung, are there Dungeons without magic beasts?" "Shh."
Jin-Woo held a finger to his lips. His ears twitched. From the distance, the sound of countless footsteps reached him. Jin-Woo spoke.
"It's not that there aren't any. They just haven't come yet."
Yoo Jin-Ho swallowed hard. Thud-thud-thud—the rest of the party could hear the sound Jin-Woo had picked up on a moment later. That was when Hwang Dong-Suk sensed something was off. A Dungeon with no luminous ore...
"Something that moves in swarms, lives in the dark, and charges the moment it sees light—what is that?"
Oh no. Hwang Dong-Suk and his men's faces darkened in unison.
"Bugs!" "They're bugs!" "Shit—why did it have to be bugs?!"
Hwang Dong-Suk shouted.
"Everyone, get into position! Here they come! Straight ahead!"
At the far end of the narrow corridor, something was pouring toward them in a massive swarm.
"This isn't an ant nest, is it?" "Don't jinx it!"
Among the many types of magic beasts, insect types were especially troublesome. They rarely died easily, they always traveled in swarms, and individual specimens were no pushovers either. Worst of all were ants. Many Hunters had lost their precious lives after setting foot in an ant nest. Thud-thud-thud-thud—the sound of insect legs skittering across the floor was deafening. They were close. Hwang Dong-Suk raised his shield up to his chin. But the bugs themselves were nowhere to be seen. Behind him, the men were panicking.
"What the—why can't we see anything?" "The sound's right there!" "Brother Dong-Suk, can you see anything up front?!"
Jin-Woo shouted.
"Above!"
'What?'
Hwang Dong-Suk reflexively looked up. Thud-thud-thud—massive bugs were pouring down from above. If he had spotted them even a moment later, they would have landed right on top of their heads. When fighting magic beasts that moved in swarms like insects, once the formation broke, it was all over.
'If I had found them even a second later...'
Hwang Dong-Suk's blood ran cold. The one silver lining was that not a single ant was among the many types of bugs. He drew breath deep into his lungs.
"Shoot! Shoot them down! If any make it to the ground, I'll handle the aggro!"
Arrows and magic spells flew toward the bugs. Whoosh—thwack! Boom! Screee— screee— several of them were hit by the Hunters' attacks and tumbled down. The rest descended to the ground. They intended to fight the Hunters head-on. From here on, the tank's role was critical. Hwang Dong-Suk used his taunt skill to draw the magic beasts' attention. The bugs all turned toward him in unison, as if on cue.
"Over here, you ugly bugs!"
Screeee! Dozens of magic beasts charged straight at Hwang Dong-Suk. Clang! K-k-kang! Clang! His shield blocked every last attack. The bugs' powerful mandibles and claws couldn't tear through it. As the tank, Hwang Dong-Suk held the front line with solid, steady defense.
"Hold... hold... hold!"
Hwang Dong-Suk bided his time.