Just then, Jin-Woo—who happened to be thirsty—tilted his head in slight confusion as he took the thermos lid. Gulp, gulp. The water went down coolly and refreshingly.
"Brother, how is it?"
Come to think of it, the form of address had somehow changed to 'brother' at some point.
"Hmm—it's refreshing."
Jin-Woo handed back the lid after giving his brief assessment.
"And you... what you saw here..."
Before Jin-Woo could even finish his sentence, Yoo Jin-Ho cut him off firmly, speaking in a tone meant to reassure.
"Of course! I'll absolutely keep quiet and take it to the grave." "No, not exactly to the grave." "How could I do that? It's a promise to you, brother." "Well... alright. If you're going to do that." "Don't worry, brother."
Not that anyone would believe an E-rank Hunter had killed a C-rank Dungeon boss anyway. Still, it was convenient that he'd decided to keep his mouth shut on his own.
'I thought he was dense, but he's surprisingly quick on the uptake with this kind of thing.'
"Do you have anything else to say, brother?" "...No."
Something was off. Watching Yoo Jin-Ho's excessively polite attitude, Jin-Woo felt a bit puzzled, but he arrived at his own conclusion.
'Well, from Yoo Jin-Ho's perspective, I am his lifesaver.'
Wasn't it natural to become respectful toward someone who saved your life? Thinking that, it made sense. Though the reality was a little different. *Booom—* The Dungeon shook slightly once more before stopping. This vibration was a signal that the Gate would close shortly. The shaking would grow worse over time, turning almost like an earthquake just before the Gate sealed shut.
"Let's go." "Yes, brother."
Jin-Woo started walking toward the entrance. But just then, a flash of light burst from the entrance, and a pile of rocks crumbled. *CRASH—* Hwang Dong-Suk and his crew burst inside. Seeing the spider collapsed behind Jin-Woo, they wore looks of disbelief.
"What the? It's really dead?" "You two killed that thing?" "That spider monster, it was all size and no substance?" "A D-rank and an E-rank took it down, so that says it all." "Hwang hyung, what do we do now?"
Hwang Dong-Suk scratched his chin while looking at Jin-Woo and Yoo Jin-Ho. The spider was dead, so the Gate would close soon. It was a bit late to start harvesting mana crystals now. Their preparations weren't even complete, and with less than an hour left... it was time to change plans. So he called out loudly to Yoo Jin-Ho.
"Yoo Jin-Ho!"
Yoo Jin-Ho flinched and took a step back. His face was tense. Hwang Dong-Suk wore a foul smirk.
"I looked up your gear since it stood out, and turns out you're the son of someone quite impressive? The chairman of Yoo Construction, You Myung-Han." "S-So what?" "We'll give you a chance. We have business to talk about with your father. But if word gets out about what happened here, it'll be troublesome for us. So, if you want to live, you become an accomplice." "An accomplice?"
Hwang Dong-Suk pointed his chin at Jin-Woo. A brief flicker of discomfort crossed Jin-Woo's brow at that unpleasant gaze.
"Kill Sung Jin-Woo." "What?"
Yoo Jin-Ho was horrified. Hwang Dong-Suk laughed at his expression, amused. Originally, he'd planned to kill Yoo Jin-Ho along with Sung Jin-Woo. But after searching on his phone outside, he'd found that Yoo Jin-Ho's father was the owner of one of the country's most prominent construction companies. Once he saw that, a clever idea popped into his head. What if he recorded Yoo Jin-Ho killing Sung Jin-Woo, and then used that footage as leverage to demand money from You Myung-Han, keeping it a secret?
'They say You Myung-Han's known assets alone amount to ten trillion won.'
He might even make several times more than whatever money he could get from harvesting mana crystals.
"The only way you live is this. Kill Sung Jin-Woo with your own hands, and I'll let you live. Otherwise, both of you die at our hands."
Hwang Dong-Suk's gaze turned deadly.
"What's there to hesitate about? No one will ever know what happened inside a Dungeon. You're not seriously scared of an E-rank as a D-rank, are you?"
Yoo Jin-Ho looked to his side. Jin-Woo simply gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. It meant, do as you please. With a determined look, Yoo Jin-Ho drew the knife at his waist.
'Finally made up his mind.'
A smile spread across Hwang Dong-Suk's lips. But the result wasn't what he expected. Yoo Jin-Ho raised his sword and stood right next to Jin-Woo.
"Oh? You're siding with that guy to fight us?"
Hwang Dong-Suk muttered to himself. This rich kid got lucky once killing a C-rank boss, and now his guts are spilling out all over the place. Beside him, Jo Gyu-Hwan whispered.
"Hyung, what should we do?"
Hwang Dong-Suk spoke in a low voice, making sure Jin-Woo and Yoo Jin-Ho couldn't hear.
"Take out Sung Jin-Woo first. We'll keep the cash cow in check. Today's losses are massive." "Right, I guess."
A brilliant light formed in both of Jo Gyu-Hwan's hands. Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed.
'So you want to go after all.'
It was his first time fighting a Hunter. But he had zero intention of going easy on someone who'd already tried to take his life. But, then! *Ding.* A mechanical sound rang out.
[A Quest has emerged.]
'An emergency quest?'
Jin-Woo lifted his head. Without him even saying he wanted to see the details, a quest window opened before his eyes. This was a first.
[Emergency Quest: Eliminate the Enemies!] There are individuals around you with hostile intent toward the 'Player.' Eliminate all of them to secure your safety. Failure to comply will result in a corresponding penalty. Enemies to eliminate: 8 | Enemies eliminated: 0
Jin-Woo's eyes widened.
'The quest condition is the death of Hwang Dong-Suk and his entire crew?'
Suddenly, a light flashed before his eyes. An arrow of light fired from Jo Gyu-Hwan's hands struck Jin-Woo. *BOOM—* Propelled by the explosion, Jin-Woo was slammed violently into a wall at incredible speed. *CRASH!* Part of the wall crumbled and collapsed on top of him. *Rumble.*
"Brother!"
Yoo Jin-Ho started to rush over to Jin-Woo in a panic, but Hwang Dong-Suk called him to stop before he could.
"Yoo Jin-Ho!"
Yoo Jin-Ho, startled, halted in his tracks.
"Don't worry about a dead man. Come here."
Hwang Dong-Suk beckoned with a finger. Yoo Jin-Ho looked back at where Jin-Woo was. Just as Hwang Dong-Suk had said, Jin-Woo was buried under the rocks, completely motionless.
"Y-You murderers..."
Tears welled up in Yoo Jin-Ho's eyes. Hwang Dong-Suk and his thugs just grinned at even this raw accusation of being murderers. Because it was the truth. How many lives had they taken in Dungeons up to now? While they were laughing at Yoo Jin-Ho, Jin-Woo was pinned under the rubble, doubting what his eyes saw. Because the contents of the quest he could glimpse through the gaps were changing.
[Emergency Quest: Eliminate the Enemies!] There are individuals around you with '&*@##' hostile intent toward the 'Player.' Eliminate all of them to secure your safety. Failure to comply will result in #$% ^%@$ #$%#^!&*#$%^$. Enemies to eliminate: 8 | Enemies eliminated: 0
Several words glitched, then slowly transformed.
[Emergency Quest: Eliminate the Enemies!] There are individuals around you with hostile intent toward you. Eliminate all of them to secure your safety. Failure to comply will result in your heart stopping. Enemies to eliminate: 8 | Enemies eliminated: 0
It was a clear threat. Do the quest, or die.
'Kill, or be killed?'
The content was horrifying, but Jin-Woo's confusion didn't last long. His confusion quickly turned into relief. It was hard for him to believe, but it was true. Since the quests had started flying in and his stats had become visible, a single worry had never left his mind.
-What if this anomaly suddenly ends?
If all of this had happened by pure chance, couldn't it end abruptly at any time? That anxiety had always followed him. But this Emergency Quest made it clear. This was no accident, nor was it a favor. If it were a quest born of goodwill, it would have just told him to escape the crisis. It wouldn't have threatened to take his life as a penalty. The System had a purpose.
Not 'to make Sung Jin-Woo strong,' but 'Sung Jin-Woo is needed to be strong.'
'That intention was visible within the quest.'
Jin-Woo felt relieved again.
'Thankfully.'
Because it wasn't an accident. Because it had a clear purpose. He had always wanted to grow stronger whenever he faced a crisis. He'd always wanted to escape this precarious life, like barely hanging on by a thread at the edge of a cliff. And then, in the moment of greatest danger, an opportunity had found him. The System's purpose aligned exactly with Jin-Woo's own desire.
'The System uses me, and I use the System.'
That was all it took. As long as a purpose existed, this anomaly wouldn't just vanish. Jin-Woo rose from the pile of rocks.
[Stamina: 1360 / 2600]
It was indeed a C-rank Hunter's magic. Just taking one hit had cut his stamina in half. He had no room to hold back anymore. A vicious glint shone in Jin-Woo's eyes. He took a step toward Hwang Dong-Suk.
"Huh?"
Hwang Dong-Suk's crew, who had been surrounding the terrified Yoo Jin-Ho, noticed Jin-Woo approaching belatedly.
"What the? That guy's alive?" "Gyu-Hwan hit him with a pretty solid one, right?" "What an embarrassment. Being scared by an E-rank."
Hwang Dong-Suk scratched his chin again.
"Gyu-Hwan, couldn't you do better than that?"
Jo Gyu-Hwan's face flushed red.
"Y-You're right."
But he'd given it his all. He'd poured a third of his mana into it. How was the guy still standing? Maybe he'd missed? No, the sound had been too loud for it to be a miss. Many questions arose, but there was no time to ask. Jin-Woo spoke first.
"You decided to play with people's lives."
The gaze of Hwang Dong-Suk's crew fixed on Jin-Woo. Jin-Woo stopped in front of them. Yoo Jin-Ho was startled, but the other Hunters barely reacted. A few even smirked. Jin-Woo continued in a dry voice.
"You must be prepared for what comes next, right?"
At that, Hwang Dong-Suk let out a huffing laugh.
"What the hell is this kid saying?" "Brother, I'll handle this."
A beady-eyed Hunter stepped forward and threw an arm around Jin-Woo's neck.
"You don't seem to understand the situation you're in."
The beady-eyed Hunter, straining with his arm, found his expression growing stranger.
'...What the? Why won't he bend?'
He'd tried to put him in a headlock with brute force, but no matter how hard he tried, Jin-Woo's upper body wouldn't budge. Wasn't this guy supposed to be an E-rank? Cold sweat began to bead on the beady-eyed Hunter's forehead.
'What kind of strength is this...'
Right then. *Slash.* The beady-eyed Hunter's head fell to the ground. *Plop.*
"J-Jun-Tae!"
A tremor shook Hwang Dong-Suk's pupils.
"W-What the hell?" "When did that bastard get a knife?!" "Where did it come from?!"
Hwang Dong-Suk's gang scrambled to draw their weapons and backed away several steps. In Jin-Woo's hand was the newly summoned 'Kasaka's Venom Fang.' Blood dripped from the tip of the dagger. *Ding.*
[Enemies to eliminate: 7] [Enemies eliminated: 1]
'Seven left.'