The boss spider had been defeated by Jin-Woo alone, so he figured he could handle the other bosses the same way. But imagining just the two of them surrounded by the swarm of insects that had poured in through the entrance made his chest tighten.
"..."
Yoo Jin-Ho stood there at a loss for words. Jin-Woo made a face that said he'd expected this.
'This is still the best option, though.'
To catch two birds with one stone. Getting into a personal attack team as an E-rank Hunter was incredibly difficult. He'd realized that painfully from the very first day he'd decided to earn money. He could either give up on entering Dungeons solo or form his own attack team. And now here was someone who'd graciously assemble one for him. Wasn't this an opportunity?
"H-Hyung-nim! To enter a C-rank Gate, you need at least ten members—" "If we offer daily pay, won't applicants line up just to fill the roster?"
He was adapting a method he'd learned from Hwang Dong-Suk. There were sure to be desperate Hunters who needed money badly and weren't thrilled about risking their lives—they'd come running with eyes blazing. Yoo Jin-Ho made a look of distaste.
"Wait... you don't mean we have to kill every monster in the Dungeon, all the way to the boss, just the two of us?"
In truth, he planned to take them all on by himself.
"You catch on fast."
That way, he could prevent any potential loss of experience points, and the only person at his side would be Yoo Jin-Ho, so he wouldn't have to worry about prying eyes.
'And then I can power-level like crazy.'
On top of that, once all the raids were done, a fine building would fall right into his lap as a bonus. It was a win-win. All that remained was convincing Yoo Jin-Ho. As expected, Yoo Jin-Ho was thoroughly frightened.
"B-But isn't it way too dangerous, Hyung-nim?" "You only know part of the story." "What?"
When Jin-Woo gestured for him to come closer, Yoo Jin-Ho leaned in.
"If nobody else has to hunt except us, that also means nobody gets hurt as long as we come out fine, right?" "Th-That's true." "The first raid, you were tagging along, so the accident was inevitable. But imagine this—your attack team completes nineteen raids without a single injury."
Yoo Jin-Ho's eyes lit up. Indeed…! If that happened, convincing his father would be so much easier. Adding "Nineteen consecutive accident-free raids" to his résumé as a D-rank Hunter—that would prove his qualifications as a guild master. It was the best advertisement money couldn't buy. Jin-Woo watched Yoo Jin-Ho's expression and smiled with satisfaction.
'This guy… he's in.'
It was Yoo Jin-Ho who needed this, after all. Jin-Woo didn't have to raid with Yoo Jin-Ho to enter Dungeons—he could go through the Hunter's Association contact or Random Box rewards. Yoo Jin-Ho, on the other hand, thought it over. It was a little scary, but if he succeeded, the rewards would be huge. Recalling Jin-Woo's overwhelming combat power from the last raid eased most of his anxiety. Yoo Jin-Ho finally made up his mind.
"Let's do it that way, Hyung-nim. I'll gather the team members." "Good."
Jin-Woo nodded. Their interests were aligned. Yoo Jin-Ho, who had been nervously wringing his hands in front of Jin-Woo, finally broke into a bright smile.
'I finally get Hyung-nim's help.'
The remaining raids no longer felt terrifying. He now had the reliable ally that was Jin-Woo, and forming a team would be far easier. With Jin-Woo's conditions, applicants would line up to join.
'One step closer to becoming a Master.'
Jin-Woo smiled too.
'I'll sweep a C-rank Dungeon solo and level up fast.'
The two of them left the café with satisfied looks on their faces.
***
After sending Yoo Jin-Ho off, Jin-Woo ran home. He never knew when the Association might call. Over ten days had passed since he left the hospital, so a Gate could open nearby at any moment. The Association typically mobilized Hunters two or three times a month to clear surrounding Gates. The reason Jin-Woo had offered Yoo Jin-Ho only one hour was because of that unpredictable call.
'Even one E-rank Dungeon would help right now…'
He wanted to slay magic beasts and level up quickly. He hadn't realized how inconvenient life without a phone could be. Fortunately, a Hunter phone was set to arrive in a few days. Jin-Woo opened the door and stepped inside.
'…'
The house was quiet. It was a weekday, so his younger sister was at school. Confirming that no one was home, Jin-Woo immediately opened the Daily Quest window.
'I should claim today's reward.'
He'd already finished his Daily Quest before meeting Yoo Jin-Ho. But with too many eyes around, he'd put off claiming the reward. He couldn't exactly show off blue light engulfing his body and a gift box popping out in the middle of the street. Ding!
[Push-ups ×100: Complete (100/100)] [Sit-ups ×100: Complete (100/100)] [Squats ×100: Complete (100/100)] [Run 10 km: Complete (11/10)]
[Daily Quest "Preparation to Become Stronger" has been completed.] [Completion reward has arrived.] [Would you like to check your reward?] (Y/N)
"Yes—no, wait."
Jin-Woo habitually moved to accept the reward, then caught something and stopped abruptly. His gaze locked onto the running entry.
[Run 10 km: Complete (11/10)]
At first he thought it was simply one kilometer over the target. But the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
'Why does it record an overage even after the goal is met?'
Jin-Woo's eyes sharpened. Was this really a coincidence? He got down on the floor and stretched his arms straight out. His torso moved up and down relentlessly, but his gaze remained fixed on the air. Ding!
[You have successfully completed 1 push-up.] [Push-ups ×100: Complete (111/100)]
Ding!
[You have successfully completed 1 push-up.] [Push-ups ×100: Complete (112/100)]
'Just as I thought…'
It wasn't only the running count that recorded an overage. Push-ups kept climbing as well. He suddenly wondered how high the number could go. Veins rose along his arms.
With his increased stats, he barely felt his own body weight. He was light as a feather. The number, which had been near a hundred, jumped to two hundred in the blink of an eye. Ding!
[You have successfully completed 1 push-up.] [Push-ups ×100: Complete (200/100)]
Ding!
[You have successfully completed 1 push-up.] [Push-ups ×100: Complete (200/100)]
The number stopped exactly at two hundred. He tried several more times, but it wouldn't go any higher. Sit-ups and squats both capped at two hundred as well.
[Push-ups ×100: Complete (200/100)] [Sit-ups ×100: Complete (200/100)] [Squats ×100: Complete (200/100)] [Run 10 km: Complete (11/10)]
Exactly two hundred—no more, no less. It wasn't infinite, but it wasn't stuck at a hundred either. There was something here. His instincts were telling him so. Maybe, once the overage quota was maxed out, a different result was waiting.
'Let's find out.'
Jin-Woo left the house at a faster pace than ever. He knocked out the remaining nine kilometers quickly. When he stood in front of his house again, a message popped up. Ding!
[Hidden Quest "Preparation to Become Stronger" has been completed.] [Completion reward has arrived.] [Would you like to check your reward?] (Y/N)
The quest title hadn't changed, but the quest type had switched to Hidden Quest. His guess had been right. Jin-Woo swallowed hard.
'…Check.'
Ding!
[The following rewards are available:] Reward 1. Full Status Recovery Reward 2. All Stat Points +3 Reward 3. 1) Blessed Random Box (Select) 2) Cursed Random Box (Select)
[Do you accept all?] 'All stats +3!'
His eyes went wide. The reward was every bit as extravagant as a Hidden Quest demanded. Plus three to every stat was tantamount to gaining three levels. No—it was actually better than that, because his stats had gone up without his level changing, meaning leveling up would be easier going forward. At the same time, a hint of regret crept in. He couldn't help but wonder if there was a chance he could turn all future Daily Quests into Hidden Quests too.
'But if the rewards are this big…'
It was almost certainly a one-time event. And if this was truly the only Hidden Quest he'd ever receive, then he needed to be extra careful with Reward 3.
Reward 3. 1) Blessed Random Box (Select) 2) Cursed Random Box (Select)
This was the first choice-based reward he'd encountered. Picking one meant losing the other.
'That means I can never see the other one again, right?'
At first glance, the choice seemed obvious. But that might have been the trap.
"Accept Reward 3."
Ding!
[You must choose one of two Random Boxes.] [Blessed Random Box] Provides the 'Player' with a desired item. [Cursed Random Box] Provides the 'Player' with a needed item. [Which one would you like to choose?]
The descriptions were simple. That made the choice harder. If there had been no descriptions, he would have picked the Blessed one without a second thought. But after reading them, either option would leave him wondering about the other.
'Desired vs. needed…'
At first listen, both sounded good.
'But there's a trap here.'
'What you want' is, by definition, something you've consciously recognized as desirable. 'What you need,' however, isn't necessarily that. It could be something necessary but unwanted—a catastrophic bomb that would obliterate the entire area, including himself, when all he really needed was a powerful weapon.
'That's why it's called the Cursed Random Box.'
He'd take the lower risk. When you couldn't predict the outcome of a choice, the less-regrettable option was usually the wiser one. After a sober deliberation, Jin-Woo made his decision.
"Blessed Random Box."
A small box materialized beneath his feet with a soft shimmer. Jin-Woo picked it up.
'No way…?'