Chapter 8

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 8: People Met in the E-Rank Dungeon (1)

The structure of the E-Rank Dungeon portal wasn't much different.

The only differences were the lack of elf or dwarf helpers in the first room and the need to bring your own weapons.

Only weapons specially crafted by dwarves could be brought through the portal, and firearms weren’t among them.

So, I spent the full 300 million won to buy a dwarf-made longsword and a kite shield.

As for armor… I couldn’t afford it.

Elf shock-absorbing uniforms and dwarf armor were just too expensive.

“Firebolt.”

“Kiiiii!”

E-Rank dungeons marked a step up from mere imps, featuring a variety of monsters.

This one was filled mainly with large insect-like creatures.

At the moment, giant black bees buzzed around menacingly, but Firebolt proved very effective against them.

“Wow, what kind of novice uses both swords and magic? Talk about multitasking. Oh, are those bees female? Is that some infinite stamina skill kicking in?”

“Ugh, don’t even bring up that skill. If it levels up any further, I might actually get arrested for being a predator.”

“Why? It sounds like the ultimate skill from the description. Everyone looks beautiful to you? You’ll never get bored in a relationship. Mark my words, you’ll be thanking Pollux someday.”

[Pollux has taken a liking to Lee Jinseong.]

“They say they like you.”

“Haha! Pollux, give me some of that too!”

The guy who’d always idolized Guan Yu was twirling a Green Dragon Crescent Blade like a windmill, exterminating insects left and right.

No matter how you looked at it, that weapon was meant for horseback combat, but he claimed he couldn’t give up on his dream.

“Man, it’s seriously comfortable going with you. Regular mages are so high and mighty. They freak out if even one monster gets loose and scream at everyone—no exceptions. It’s a shame you’re stuck with 1st-circle magic.”

“I heard I can learn 2nd-circle magic soon. Where do you think I could pick that up?”

“You’d probably need at least 20 mana for that. Honestly, I’m amazed you can even use 1st-circle magic. Once you hit 20, you’d need to pay the Elf Association for lessons. It costs a billion per spell.”

What?!

That expensive?

“Aren’t activation words enough since the magic is bound by a spell language? Why pay to learn it?”

“From what I heard from a guild mage, it’s not that simple. The elf has to personally approve you for using magic. And even if they do, it won’t activate if your mana is insufficient.”

Hmm.

I need to save up.

I need to get some armor, learn 2nd-circle magic, and recover my 300 million.

Why are there so many expenses?

“They say hunters are like a lottery, but this doesn’t feel profitable. Getting stronger costs even more money.”

“That’s why you join a guild, get equipment, and live the salaried life. Still, E-Rank dungeons give a 10 million won reward for clearing the portal. If you do party play for 30 days, that’s 150 million split evenly. Plus, the government subsidy for E-Rank hunters is another 10 million. Big companies like mine pay 20 million a month too. Look at the ground.”

“Oh, is that a mana stone?”

Two small, red gems the size of fingernails were lying on the ground.

“E-Rank dungeon mana stones. When a monster’s corpse suddenly vanishes, mana stones appear. They’re worth 100,000 won each. Good for pocket money.”

“Oh, how many of these do you usually find in a dungeon run?”

“Normally, just one or two. It’s really just pocket money. But we’re barely halfway through, and we’ve already found two. Lucky, huh?”

Lucky, huh?

Could this be tied to the Luck stat?

After running the E-Rank dungeon, here’s my impression:

It’s manageable.

Lacking a class was a bit of a downside, but with overlapping stats, it wasn’t too difficult.

Jinseong’s presence also made things easier.

Being a promising E-Rank hunter scouted by a major corporation, he was strong enough to make the run comfortable.

Seeing him spin that Green Dragon Crescent Blade with just two fingers made me wonder if that’s what 20 Strength looks like.

I’d definitely lose in a power struggle.

“Man, this is great. A mage who doesn’t need babysitting? Let’s dungeon crawl together every day off.”

“Sure, I’ll help you level up.”

“In your dreams.”

While taking down giant bees and ants, we eventually reached the end of the dungeon.

Jinseong’s cheerful face suddenly turned serious.

“Hey, this feels like the final room. Might be a boss. Bosses don’t usually appear, though…”

The view turned red.

Danger sense?

My face suddenly stung.

I immediately raised my shield.

“Shield!”

Bam!

Ugh.

The impact pushed me back a bit.

The barrier spell got shredded, mitigating some of the blow.

Wow… danger sense is amazing.

Without it, my head might’ve flown off.

I’d been too relaxed because the dungeon seemed easy, but now I was wide awake.

“It’s a Giant Spider! Burn the webs with Firebolt!”

Jinseong pointed his Green Dragon Crescent Blade at the ceiling.

The ceiling was covered in webs.

I aimed my twin fingers upward.

“Firebolt!”

I fired two consecutive shots.

The first didn’t ignite immediately, but the second, aimed at the same spot, made flames spread.

“Y-you… humans… must die…”

With a screech like nails on a chalkboard, the spider lunged at me.

Two legs targeted my head and body.

I blocked the left one with my shield…

“Take this!”

…and Jinseong brought down his Crescent Blade on the right.

The spider withdrew its leg just in time to avoid the powerful strike, then scuttled backward to prepare an attack.

Its mouth opened, ready to spit something.

I aimed for the open mouth.

“Firebolt!”

Two firebolts flew simultaneously from my fingers.

At the same time, green venom spewed from the spider’s mouth.

The firebolts ignited the venom before it could reach Jinseong.

But just in case, I cast another shield.

“Oh, thanks! Let’s go!”

Jinseong leapt forward and brought his Crescent Blade down hard.

Perhaps the venom attack had drained its strength.

The spider tried to block with four legs crossed, but it wasn’t enough.

Crunch!

“Keeeeek!”

Its legs shattered, and the spider screamed in agony.

Jinseong gave it no chance to recover, swinging his blade again, while I closed in from the side, avoiding its range.

“Ice Arrow.”

I fired an Ice Arrow at its hind legs.

Thicker than Firebolt, the icy projectile flew straight toward its target.

The spider sensed the attack and pulled its legs back, but that was fine.

I aimed for the ground.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

When the Ice Arrow hit the floor, frost spread quickly, making it slippery.

The spider, already struggling to dodge Jinseong’s relentless attacks, couldn’t gain traction on the icy surface.

“Nice!”

Bang!

Jinseong’s Crescent Blade smashed into the spider’s body, sending it flying.

The impact flipped it over, leaving it trembling.

I followed up by setting its legs ablaze with Firebolt.

Whoosh.

"Kiieeeeek!"

I approached the spider writhing in pain.

Jinseong aimed for its torso while I headed for its head.

As I moved closer, my vision turned red, and a sharp sting pierced my neck.

Reacting quickly, I blocked with my shield as a web, sharp like an arrowhead, shot toward me.

"Kiieeek! H-How…!"

Thud.

The surprise attack wasn’t very powerful, but if I hadn’t blocked it, my neck might’ve been pierced.

The spider opened its mouth to spew venom again, but I shoved my sword into its maw.

I twisted the blade once, twice, then slashed upward, causing blue blood to splatter everywhere.

The spider convulsed for a moment before its body went limp.

Squelch.

To ensure the kill, Jinseong cleaved its body in half with his Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

"You really made us work for it, you bastard."

"Hey, we did pretty well, considering. Do you have infinite mana or something?"

"I’m completely drained now."

"Really? Perfect timing, though. Honestly, when you said you’d handle it alone, I thought you were nuts, but I can see now where your confidence comes from. A bit more leveling up, and you’ll manage solo just fine. What’s your EXP at?"

"Wow, 5.7%."

"With the dungeon rewards, you’ll probably level up. From what I can tell, pouring your points into magic is the way to go. Go for a mage build. In the D-grade class, there’s bound to be a kickass mage that’s perfect for you."

Man, I wish I could choose a class too.

Now that I think about it, even the guidebook didn’t list class names.

Is there some restriction on that too?

"Wow! A D-grade mana stone dropped. I heard these are worth 30 million won."

When the Giant Spider’s body disappeared, a yellow gem the size of a fist was left behind.

"Oh, nice. Split fifty-fifty?"

"Deal. I’ll even throw in the E-grade stones as a gift."

Satisfied with the arrangement, we walked cheerfully toward the dungeon core.

Just as we were about to break the core, Jinseong stopped me.

His expression turned unusually serious.

"Hey, there’ll be staff outside when we leave, so let’s talk before heading out."

"Huh? Sure."

"I’ve been thinking… Whatever you do, don’t show your status screen to anyone. Your stats and your actual abilities are way too far apart. At first, I thought about recommending you to our guild, but with that gap, I’m worried they’ll experiment on or dissect you."

"Come on, dissect me? Seriously?"

"I’m serious. If you don’t show your stats, no one will know, so just keep them hidden."

"Hmm… Is it really that serious?"

"It’s just a precaution. I’ve heard stuff since joining the guild. Higher-ups are more worried about the monster situation than regular people. Rumors say a catastrophe is coming soon, and the government and corporate guilds will do anything to gain power. With your stats and abilities being so mismatched, they might really try something shady."

"Got it. I’ll be careful."

"Even if you don’t understand why your stats are like that, you need to stay cautious. No matter how strong we’ve become, bullets and machine guns can still kill us—unless you reach D-grade and achieve intangibility, that is."

Intangibility.

A state where your body becomes translucent, rendering Earth’s physical attacks completely ineffective.

The High Elf Liana demonstrated it by dodging bullets during her infamous intrusion at the UN Assembly.

Apparently, D-grade hunters can use this ability.

"But you can’t maintain intangibility all day, can you?"

"Exactly. That’s why you need to be careful."

If Jinseong is this concerned, I should heed his warning.

From now on, I’ll inflate my stats by about +3 when sharing them—say, 11, 10, 10 instead of 8, 7, 7.

And during party play, I should focus on showing proficiency in just one area.

Being good at both combat and magic might raise suspicions.

"Take care of yourself. I was all excited when I awakened too, but joining the guild felt like the calm before a storm."

"Understood, Senior. I’ll acknowledge this piece of advice as worthy of a senior."

"Good. Here’s a gift from your senior."

Jinseong handed me four E-grade mana stones.

We were supposed to split them evenly, but he essentially gave me 200,000 won as a keepsake for my first dungeon.

After clearing the dungeon, we settled accounts.

E-grade dungeon portal clear reward: 5 million won.

Half of the D-grade mana stone: 15 million won.

Four E-grade mana stones: 4 million won.

Total: 24 million won deposited into my account after one run.

No wonder people call this the lottery.

If not for the boss monster, even splitting an E-grade dungeon would net 7 million won.

Seven million a day, 70 million in 10 days, 700 million in 100 days?

2.1 billion in 300 days?

Hahaha.

"Don’t get too excited. You’ve invested 300 million, and with ten second-circle spells, you’ll need another billion."

"Ugh, way to ruin the moment."

"Heh. My custom-made Green Dragon Crescent Blade cost me 300 million in debt too."

"Wow, we’ve got a real lunatic here."

"You should gear up soon too. Let’s clear dungeons together to pay off our debts."

"Obsessed with Guan Yu much… Why not get a Red Hare while you’re at it?"

"Oh. Hmm. That’s genius! Yeah, I could ask the elves. There’s bound to be a summoner who can summon mounts, right?"

Jinseong suddenly got serious, mumbling to himself.

This guy’s hopeless.

"Alright, I’m heading out. Let’s team up on your next day off."

"Sure. I’m going to ask the elves about mounts before I leave. Thanks for the idea about Red Hare."

"Good grief… That’ll cost a hundred billion, you lunatic."

He’s dead serious… Once his eyes are set on something, there’s no stopping him.

I can only hope the elves charge so much he gives up.

If it’s just tens of billions, he might actually save up for it.

Regretting my suggestion, I headed home.

After leveling up, I adjusted my stats to 8, 8, 7, upgraded my skills from F to F+, and reviewed the day’s earnings before falling asleep with a grin.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]