Levelling Up In An Exclusive Dungeon

Chapter 24

Lucia noticed Kang Jin-hyuk’s hardened expression.

Even with the delivered food in front of him, such a stiff expression clearly indicated something unusual.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“I wonder if I should call *this* a problem.”

Becoming a celebrity wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

However, Kang Jin-hyuk thought the timing was poor.

The community was already praising him as a talent surpassing S-rank Hunters, but Kang Jin-hyuk hadn’t reached that level at all.

Receiving excessive expectations with an unprepared body only increased the burden.

Unaware of the circumstances, Lucia became frustrated seeing Kang Jin-hyuk clutching his head without saying a word.

“Stop agonizing alone and tell me what’s bothering you.”

“Well, that’s…”

Taking a deep breath and expressing his dismal feelings, Kang Jin-hyuk slowly opened his mouth.

“I’m doing too well.”

“….Are you crazy?”

“No, I’m serious. It’s really troublesome.”

“Yeah, I think I’m going to be in trouble because of your ridiculous bragging.”

Lucia felt like she needed to smack the back of Kang Jin-hyuk’s head to relieve the disgust rising from her chest.

As Kang Jin-hyuk saw Lucia about to act on her thoughts, he backed away, waving his hands.

“Calm down and listen to me!”

“What nonsense are you going to spout now?”

“That monster you shot before. I lied and said I caught it, and things blew up!”

“So?”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-hyuk thought he would be immediately punished for stealing her achievement.

Because the situation had become serious, he had confessed with that resolve, but Lucia’s reaction was calmer than expected.

“That’s your karma. Deal with it yourself.”

Lucia wasn’t interested in the credit for catching a new type of monster from the beginning.

Since this wasn’t her world anyway, she didn’t care who became famous.

“Wise words indeed…….”

Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t say anything to Lucia’s cold reaction.

As she said, it was his own fault.

Blinded by the new monster’s materials, he hadn’t thought about the consequences and had claimed Lucia’s achievement as his own.

Of course, the benefits he gained were significant.

But the public attention that came with it was too heavy for Kang Jin-hyuk to bear.

‘The most promising S-rank candidate, my ass.’

Kang Jin-hyuk’s current level was 199. Even if he raised it by one level to 200, he would at most meet the requirements for a B-rank Hunter.

He wasn’t even close to A-rank, let alone S-rank.

Even if he had mastered the use of Aura, Kang Jin-hyuk could only gain an advantage against close-combat Hunters.

He wasn’t a good match against those who had changed jobs to Magician classes or Hunters who primarily used ranged skills.

It would have been different if he had chosen a warrior class.

Kang Jin-hyuk’s class was Cleric.

He didn’t have skills to rapidly close the distance with opponents, nor did he have a way to counter ranged attacks.

It would be a disaster if, as rumored, an A-rank or higher Magician appeared to test his skills.

This wasn’t an unfounded worry.

‘This field is notoriously territorial.’

Especially for Hunters who had built up some recognition, it was even more intense.

Ahn Do-yoon was a prime example.

Hadn’t he looked down on and ignored him despite coming to help?

“Damn, I stepped in shit coveting a monster corpse.”

Kang Jin-hyuk scratched his head and clicked his tongue.

He wondered if he had been too greedy, tempted by the new monster’s corpse.

Moreover, it wasn’t even certain what could be made using its materials.

It was a choice where the risks outweighed the potential gains.

If he handed over the Leviathan’s corpse to Titan and honestly confessed that it wasn’t his doing, he might be able to resolve the current situation.

But Kang Jin-hyuk had no intention of doing so.

A man has his pride. Just because the situation became difficult, did he have to act cowardly?

‘Besides, if I hadn’t brought Lucia from the dungeon, they wouldn’t have been able to handle it anyway.’

Although Lucia had caught the Leviathan, it was Kang Jin-hyuk, himself, who made it possible.

Now that Lucia had given up the rights to the Leviathan, Kang Jin-hyuk had the legitimacy to claim ownership.

Thinking that way made his guilt disappear.

Kang Jin-hyuk thought it was time to devise a countermeasure rather than agonizing over it.

‘First, I need to get stronger.’

His current skills and level were insufficient to deal with the Hunters’ territorial behavior.

The first thing Kang Jin-hyuk had to do was level up.

With his immediate course of action decided, Kang Jin-hyuk quickly devoured the delivered food as if inhaling it.

“Eat slower. What are you, a pig?”

“I don’t have time for that.”

“No time, my foot. Is someone chasing you?”

No matter what Lucia said, Kang Jin-hyuk didn’t slow down his hands or mouth.

Kang Jin-hyuk quickly finished his meal and stood up.

Moving as if every second was precious, he said to Lucia,

“Let’s go to the dungeon.”

“Right now?”

“Right now.”

Kang Jin-hyuk briskly walked to the attic and opened the door.

Lucia was dumbfounded by the man who had been mumbling to himself suddenly burning with motivation.

“Is someone chasing you? Why are you so sudden?”

“I feel bad about sleeping for three days.”

Considering the impending situation, his current level wasn’t even enough to allow him to sleep.

Anxious, Kang Jin-hyuk quickly packed and entered the attic.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll go on my own.”

Scoffing as if it was ridiculous, Lucia picked up her equipment from the attic.

Then, she entered the dungeon ahead of Kang Jin-hyuk.

◈◈◈◈◈◈

As soon as Kang Jin-hyuk entered the dungeon, he headed to the Dwarf’s workshop.

When Kang Jin-hyuk took out the Leviathan’s corpse from his inventory, the Dwarf whistled softly.

“A Leviathan. It’s been a while.”

“Have you seen this monster before?”

“Of course, they float in the sky sometimes, although rarely.”

The Dwarf began to carefully examine the Leviathan’s corpse, which filled the front of the workshop.

Thanks to being stored in the inventory, the corpse was relatively fresh.

“But how come only the head is left? Where’s the body?”

“I blew it up.”

Hearing Lucia’s answer, the Dwarf shook his head.

“Tsk tsk, not knowing the value of materials. This is why Elves are hopeless.”

“Oh my, what is the shorty grumbling about now?”

The Dwarf and Lucia seemed to know each other, but their relationship didn’t seem amicable.

“Get out of my house before you stink it up, you punk.”

“Give me the arrows you promised to make, and I’ll leave.”

With a displeased expression, the Dwarf pointed to a corner of the workshop.

There was a quiver carelessly tossed there like trash.

“Pick it up yourself.”

“….If you took someone’s food as payment, shouldn’t you show some sincerity?”

“Be grateful that I even made them.”

“You should be the one being grateful. Grateful that I give you daily sustenance for your meager skills.”

Lucia glared at the Dwarf with venomous eyes.

The Dwarf also glared back, not backing down.

The atmosphere was such that they seemed ready to draw weapons and fight at any moment.

Unable to bear the sight, Kang Jin-hyuk asked the Dwarf to change the subject.

“Can you make something with that corpse?”

“Well, hold on a minute.”

The Dwarf stood in front of the Leviathan’s corpse with his hammer.

Then, he struck the top of its head with all his might.

He hit it so hard that a clear *clang!* resonated as the skull shattered.

After splitting the Leviathan’s head, the Dwarf rummaged inside with his gloved hand.

“Fortunately, this is still here.”

After a violent search that could make one’s stomach churn, the Dwarf pulled out a small bead.

“What’s that?”

“The organ that allows it to shoot lightning.”

“O-Organ? That bead?”

“Yes.”

It was surprising that it had ore as an internal organ.

But it was even more amazing that such a small bead, only about the size of a finger joint, could create powerful lightning.

At the same time, Kang Jin-hyuk felt a flicker of hope.

“Is there any way to use the ability of that bead?”

“You mean shooting lightning?”

“Yes.”

The lightning had been the most troublesome aspect for Kang Jin-hyuk and the other Hunters when fighting the Leviathan.

If he could use that ability, which could fry a person in one shot, it would definitely be a great help.

“It’s possible if I enchant it.”

Hearing the Dwarf’s answer, Kang Jin-hyuk’s eyes sparkled.

“So, so that means……!”

“Don’t get excited and hand over your bat.”

Kang Jin-hyuk unhesitatingly took out the baseball bat from his inventory and handed it to the Dwarf.

“Roughly how long will the enchantment take?”

“This one’s a pretty difficult enchantment, so it’ll take about half a day.”

Half a day. If he waited just half a day, he’d gain another precious enchantment effect.

Just having S-rank durability alone made it worth hundreds of millions, so the thought of adding more made Kang Jin-hyuk smile.

“What can I give you as payment? Just name it.”

“Payment? Forget it.”

The Dwarf could gain a sense of accomplishment just from strengthening Orihalcon directly.

That sense of accomplishment was enough for him, born with the temperament of a craftsman.

“No, but I feel bad about receiving this for free…….”

“It’s fine, I said. Orihalcon will bring bad luck if you try to make money with it.”

Even though it might be a common metal on Earth, in the Dwarf’s world, it was called the metal of the gods.

Therefore, the Dwarf believed there shouldn’t be a single distracting thought during the process of strengthening the baseball bat.

He intended to show that level of respect to the metal of the gods.

“If you want to help, get that Elf out of here. Her presence might break my concentration.”

The Dwarf gave Lucia a mischievous smile and went inside.

“…….”

Kang Jin-hyuk witnessed the veins popping up on Lucia’s forehead in real-time.

When she took out an arrow and nocked it, Kang Jin-hyuk was startled.

“N-No! Hold back!”

“Hold back? Why should I?”

Lucia looked ready to blow up the workshop at any moment.

“He’s a good guy despite his harsh words!”

“Bullshit.”

What would it take to stop Lucia now?

Stopping her by force was obviously impossible.

After a brief thought, Kang Jin-hyuk came up with a solution.

◈◈◈◈◈◈

As Kang Jin-hyuk, who had previously purchased a large quantity of desserts, once again paid for a basket full of them, the bakery owner beamed.

“Are you using these for an event?”

“No, I’m buying them to feed a glutton.”

Hearing Kang Jin-hyuk’s words, the bakery owner assumed he was supplying them to a kindergarten or something similar.

He couldn’t imagine anyone devouring this much alone.

Kang Jin-hyuk finished paying and picked up the bag, bulging to its limit.

He never thought he would experience this heavy feeling just from desserts…….

At this point, it felt like he was carrying livestock feed rather than food for people.

“If you’re going to eat this much, wouldn’t it be better to just buy sugar from the mart and pour it down?”

It was baffling how much sugar she consumed, almost to a lethal dose.

Did she have sugar water flowing through her veins instead of blood?

“If only I hadn’t given her that chocolate bar…….”

Because of a single chocolate bar, Lucia had developed a taste for sweets.

To exaggerate, her obsession with sugar was akin to a drug addict.

Thanks to that, he was able to learn how to use Aura and catch the Leviathan, but the sight of himself carrying a mountain of desserts was ridiculous.

Kang Jin-hyuk headed straight home with the overflowing bags in both hands.

He wanted to quickly enter the dungeon and raise his lacking level.

But the situation he was in didn’t allow it.

While entering the alley, Kang Jin-hyuk fell into deep thought.

“I think something troublesome has happened…….”

After mastering the use of Aura, Kang Jin-hyuk’s five senses had become extremely sensitive.

Although it was inferior to the baseball bat’s presence detection ability.

He could sense someone approaching stealthily without even turning around.

‘Is there a possibility that it’s a monster capable of stealth?’

It could be a monster capable of hiding its appearance, like the Lizardman that camouflaged itself by changing its skin color.

In movies and comics, there were scenes where the protagonist sensed a presence and attacked an invisible enemy first.

However, Kang Jin-hyuk didn’t have the skills for that yet.

He only perceived the presence through his five senses.

He couldn’t tell who the enemy was or where they were.

If he had the baseball bat’s presence detection, he could have pinpointed the exact location, but it was impossible now.

He could only react once they were within reach.

‘What is this as soon as I leave the house?’

If it was a fleeting presence, he could have ignored it and left it to other Hunters.

But this presence had been following Kang Jin-hyuk from the bakery all the way to the alley.

He could sense that he, Kang Jin-hyuk, was the target, whatever the purpose.

‘But why?’

Kang Jin-hyuk’s head was filled with questions.

He had never heard of a monster that stalked a specific person.

‘Could it be because of the Leviathan’s corpse?’

Monsters being attracted to the corpses of other monsters was a rare but occasional occurrence.

Moreover, Kang Jin-hyuk had experienced it firsthand when he first went for the back alley deal.

‘As a new type of monster’s corpse, it might have drawn more attention from other monsters.’

Or perhaps the food he was carrying was the target.

In any case, since it was almost certain that one of the items he was carrying had attracted the stalker, Kang Jin-hyuk stopped.

Kang Jin-hyuk had no intention of handing over either the monster corpse or the expensive desserts.

The hidden stalker paused when Kang Jin-hyuk put down the bags in the alley.

And seeing Kang Jin-hyuk looking around, he realized his presence had been detected.

‘Tsk.’

Clicking his tongue inwardly, the stalker approached Kang Jin-hyuk’s left side silently.

‘Even if he knows my location, he can’t block this.’

The stalker believed that this swift, piercing strike would never fail.

However, when he came within reach, Kang Jin-hyuk accurately grasped his location.

Now that he knew the location, there was no reason to be hit.

Thanks to his passive skill, his body, infused with holy power, reacted several times faster than ordinary people.

“Huh?!”

Kang Jin-hyuk dodged the sword thrusting towards his side and was shocked to see the stalker’s identity.

The stalker, whom he had assumed to be a monster, was wearing a black mask to conceal his identity, but his overall appearance was unmistakably human.

Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t understand why a person, not a monster, would try to take his life in broad daylight.

‘Could this person be the murderer?’

Kang Jin-hyuk immediately dismissed the thought that came to mind.

‘No, that madman wouldn’t bother with me, someone not affiliated with any guild.’

Then who was this person in front of him?

The mystery deepened as he couldn’t fathom the stalker’s identity.