Levelling Up In An Exclusive Dungeon

Chapter 9

The monster hunt of ‘Titan,’ one of Korea’s top five large guilds, came to a smooth end.

Since the hunt was conducted for the purpose of training new recruits, only three out of the 15 Hunters were veterans, including Vice Guild Master Ahn Do-yoon.

However, thanks to the strict interviews and screening process for accepting new recruits, there were no problems at all.

“Extermination complete.”

After confirming the death of the last remaining monster and the rookie finished their report, Ahn Do-yoon packed his equipment.

“Alright, let’s withdraw.”

“W-wait a moment, please!”

One of the guild members, sensing something amiss, shouted urgently and pointed with their finger at what they saw.

Following the finger, everyone’s gaze landed on a large purple vortex.

“Damn it!”

They hadn’t expected monster reinforcements to arrive at this point.

Was it because they had hunted a large number of Lizardmen, known for their strong camaraderie?

As if they had been waiting for this day, the Lizardmen appeared before the Hunters in a more organized formation than ever before.

“They didn’t show up when we wanted them to, but they show up now……!”

The other guild members were away, hunting large monsters.

The only ones who could stop these monsters now were the current personnel.

Seeing the number of monsters, more than three times the original number, the new recruits were terrified.

“Wh-what should we do?”

“Let’s quickly ask the other Hunters for help!”

At other times, they would have been happy to have the opportunity to rake in money, but not now.

There were only three veteran Hunters, and most of the others were newbies who had never been in battle more than three times.

Their strength was ridiculously insufficient to deal with a large number of monsters.

However, Ahn Do-yoon had no intention of responding to the new recruits’ pleas for help.

“What if we gather people in a hurry and a murderer is among them?!”

“Now’s not the time to be thinking about that!”

A serial killer who only targets Hunters from large guilds.

His existence was certainly bothersome, but it didn’t make sense not to seek reinforcements because they were afraid of him.

At this rate, they would be wiped out by the monsters before they were killed by the murderer.

“Don’t be scared and fight! If you keep your wits about you, we can stop them!”

They had used the guild’s power to prevent other Hunters from coming, but if they backed down now, it might damage Titan’s reputation.

As the Vice Guild Master of Titan, Ahn Do-yoon could not tolerate such a situation.

Even though the other guild members knew they were outnumbered, they reluctantly grabbed their weapons, knowing that disobeying the guild’s rules could lead to expulsion.

◈◈◈◈◈◈

Kang Jin-hyuk, having signed a contract with Lee Jun-chul, visited the Association after a long time.

Since he had passed level 50 and had changed his job a while ago, he wanted to update his Hunter rank.

『Kang Jin-hyuk』

Level: 51

Race: Human

Class: Cleric

Strength: C

Agility: C

Magic: C

Stamina: C

Checking his stats, he noticed that all of his abilities had just reached C-rank.

With this, it seemed like he would be able to be promoted from a D-rank to a C-rank Hunter without any problems.

As Kang Jin-hyuk took a number ticket and headed to the reception desk, the receptionist greeted him with a smile.

“Welcome, what can I do for you?”

“I’m here to update my Hunter rank.”

“Then please fill out this form.”

The form the receptionist handed him requested his personal information and stats.

Since it was the same format he had used when he first became a Hunter, Kang Jin-hyuk filled in the blanks without hesitation.

“Here you go.”

“Yes, thank you. Please wait a moment while we verify the information.”

Reporting false stats was a serious crime that could lead to imprisonment, so a thorough verification was necessary.

Kang Jin-hyuk sat in a chair and waited while the examiner, contacted by the receptionist, came to see him.

After about five minutes, a man with a sturdy build and brown skin walked over to Kang Jin-hyuk.

“Hello, Mr. Kang Jin-hyuk. I’m Heo Jin-woo, and I’ll be in charge of your promotion evaluation. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet you too.”

Kang Jin-hyuk lightly clasped Heo Jin-woo’s outstretched hand and shook it.

After the handshake, Heo Jin-woo pointed towards the inside of the building and led the way.

“Please follow me this way.”

Kang Jin-hyuk entered a room that looked to be about 10 pyeong (330 sq ft) with Heo Jin-woo.

The room was filled with various measuring equipment, including a punching bag.

Heo Jin-woo brought a flowerpot from among them.

On the palm of his hand, the flowerpot held a single flower that looked like it was about to wither.

“First, we’ll confirm that you’re a Cleric.”

“Are you asking me to use Heal on this flower?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

As Kang Jin-hyuk extended his hand and cast Heal as instructed, the wilted flower began to regain its vitality.

When the flower, which had been tinged with brown, regained its original color, Heo Jin-woo marked a passing grade on the document he was holding.

“Now that we’ve confirmed that you’re a Cleric, your certificate will be issued today. Did you bring a photo?”

“Yes, here it is.”

Kang Jin-hyuk handed Heo Jin-woo the ID photo he had prepared in advance.

“Then we’ll measure the rest of your stats. Please stand in front of the punching bag.”

Since Kang Jin-hyuk had only written the truth on the submitted documents, the subsequent tests proceeded smoothly.

Having achieved a passing grade in all aspects, Kang Jin-hyuk left the room and waited for the procedures to be completed.

“Mr. Kang Jin-hyuk!”

“Yes.”

The receptionist handed Kang Jin-hyuk his Cleric certificate and C-rank Hunter license as he walked to the reception desk.

As Kang Jin-hyuk accepted them, the receptionist smiled once again and offered congratulations.

“Congratulations on your promotion.”

“Thank you.”

The C-rank Hunter license, which he thought he would have to wait for several more years to receive, was in his hands.

Kang Jin-hyuk wondered if he was dreaming.

It was funny that he felt this way just because he had become a C-rank Hunter, but it couldn’t be helped because the life of a Hunter had been so tough.

“Let’s go for B-rank with this momentum.”

If anyone else had heard him, they would have scoffed and told him not to even dream of it.

But Kang Jin-hyuk had something to believe in, so he could be confident.

Kang Jin-hyuk was planning to go straight home and head to the dungeon.

Now that he didn’t have to worry much about money, he wanted to focus on leveling up for the time being.

However, as Kang Jin-hyuk was about to leave the Association, his footsteps stopped due to a Hunter who suddenly rushed in.

The Hunter, who had burst in out of nowhere, leaned against Kang Jin-hyuk, who was near the entrance, and let out a ragged breath.

Judging by his torn clothes and wounded body, it seemed he had just been through a fierce battle.

“Huff, huff……! Is there a Cleric here who’s free?!”

Even though he could barely breathe, the Hunter shouted in a desperate voice.

Because the situation seemed so urgent, Kang Jin-hyuk raised his hand out of pity.

“I’m a Cleric, but…… Is it okay if I’m a C-rank Hunter?”

“Of course! Please come with me right away!”

Since Clerics were such a rare profession, many people didn’t mind if their rank was low.

This Hunter seemed to be one of them, as he didn’t care at all even after hearing that Kang Jin-hyuk was C-rank.

The Hunter grabbed Kang Jin-hyuk’s hand and immediately took out a Return Stone and smashed it.

“Whoa.”

The sudden teleportation brought them to the outskirts of the city, where few people were around.

There, they saw numerous Lizardmen and Hunters struggling against them.

Kang Jin-hyuk frowned at the sight of the bloody battle.

It wasn’t because the situation was more serious than he had expected.

It was because he recognized that the Hunters fighting the Lizardmen were from Titan, based on their attire, black coats, and the emblem they wore.

‘Of all people, it had to be them.’

Observing them with a displeased look, he noticed that their fighting style was not befitting a named guild.

Dealers who were hesitant about where to attack first, and a Tanker who couldn’t even hold aggro properly.

Ahn Do-yoon was desperately trying to command them, but they were all inexperienced, unable to maintain formation properly, and moving like a disorganized mob.

Seeing this, Kang Jin-hyuk could roughly guess how the situation had come to this.

“They must’ve stepped on a landmine while messing around with rookie training.”

Kang Jin-hyuk chuckled inwardly, thinking it served them right.

The Hunter who had brought him here, oblivious to his inner thoughts, spoke urgently.

“Just focus on healing from the back! We’ll take care of the fighting! We’ll make sure you get your reward later, so don’t worry!”

After spitting out his words like a rapper, the Hunter rushed back into the battlefield.

Kang Jin-hyuk didn’t like who he was helping, but he silently obeyed because they promised to pay him.

One should hate people, not money.

As he walked to the rear of the formation, Kang Jin-hyuk saw a few other Clerics who seemed to have been brought in abruptly like him.

Those who made eye contact with him exchanged awkward greetings.

“Ah, hello.”

At a glance, they seemed to have been dragged along without knowing what was going on.

Kang Jin-hyuk nodded slightly and joined them, casting Heal without a break.

However, there were too many Lizardmen compared to the number of Hunters.

Even with continuous healing, the Hunters’ HP was decreasing faster.

“This is…… like pouring water into a bottomless pit.”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

The Clerics became increasingly anxious as time passed.

There was a problem when the situation wasn’t looking good even with five Clerics supporting the battle by restoring HP.

Unable to stand the unchanging situation any longer, Kang Jin-hyuk sighed and said,

“They should just swallow their pride and ask other guilds for support, instead of being stubborn.”

“Hahaha…….”

The other Clerics also agreed with Kang Jin-hyuk’s words, but they were all meek people who had never voiced a complaint, so they couldn’t bring themselves to protest out loud.

‘If this goes on, they might all get wiped out.’

Ahn Do-yoon, who was directly commanding the battle, couldn’t help but feel what Kang Jin-hyuk was feeling.

Even his mentality, hardened by countless battles, began to waver like a reed in the wind amidst the continuous disadvantage.

If only the new recruits would follow his orders promptly, he would feel a little more at ease.

Seeing the rookies so flustered that they couldn’t even distinguish between left and right made him furious.

“Damn it!”

Ahn Do-yoon swung his greatsword, larger than his own body, trying to break through the Lizardmen’s formation somehow.

However, it didn’t go as planned because the Lizardmen blocked his sword in groups with their shields.

Even Ahn Do-yoon’s sword, which boasted formidable attack power, could only fade in the face of overwhelming numbers.

“Damn bugs, relying on their numbers and acting all high and mighty!”

Finally exploding, Ahn Do-yoon gulped down all the buff potions he had stored in his inventory at once.

Then, he broke away from the formation and charged towards the Lizardmen with fierce momentum.

One of the veteran Hunters, witnessing Ahn Do-yoon’s actions, sighed and covered his face with his hand.

“That crazy bastard is at it again……!”

Ahn Do-yoon’s bravery was commendable as a warrior, but he was currently in a commanding position.

What kind of commander charges recklessly, abandoning his subordinates?

Furthermore, because Ahn Do-yoon had charged without even assessing the situation, he didn’t even notice that the Lizardmen were forming a scouting party to target their rear.

A small number of Lizardmen, with camouflage abilities like chameleons, were quietly approaching the Clerics while Ahn Do-yoon was rampaging.

Only Kang Jin-hyuk’s baseball bat noticed their actions.