The Forsaken Awakening

Jinhyuk stood on the rooftop of his apartment complex, staring at the city skyline. The neon lights flickered in the distance, but his mind was elsewhere.

Two months left.

That was all the time he had to qualify for the DHR entrance exam. His experience in the C-Class dungeon had opened his eyes—he was strong, but not strong enough.

Jinhyuk clenched his fists.

"If I want to pass, I need to be at least B-Class."

He had already surpassed D-Class and C-Class hunters in skill, but on paper, he was still ranked as a D-Class hunter.

That wouldn't be enough.

"I have to push myself harder."

He opened his Hunter System and checked his status.

---

[Jinhyuk's Status]

Name: Jin Jinhyuk

Class: D-Class (Unofficially stronger)

Level: 6 → 7

Experience: 20/300

Abilities:

Unique Ability: Lord of Illusions (Level 2) – Alters perception and distorts reality.

Shadow Manipulation (Level 1) – Controls shadows for attacks and defense.

Stats:

Strength: 22

Agility: 31

Endurance: 24

Mana: 35

Perception: 28

Luck: 14

---

He needed to level up faster.

To do that, he had to increase his dungeon raids.

"Three D-Class dungeons and one C-Class dungeon per week."

That was his new goal.

Grinding through multiple dungeons would be exhausting, but he had no choice.

"Two months…" He exhaled. "I can do this."

The first step was finding a reliable hunting party for C-Class dungeons.

He couldn't always depend on random groups. He needed to work with people he could trust.

And he had an idea where to start.

Jinhyuk pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

Kang Jisoo.

He was the C-Class hunter jinhyuk had mate him in his early days as hunter. He was experienced, skilled, and had connections to reliable hunters.

The call rang twice before he picked up.

"Jinhyuk?" Jisoo's voice came through. "Didn't expect to hear from you."

"Jisoo-hyung," he said, leaning on the railing. "I need a favor."

There was a pause. "A favor?"

"I need to raid multiple dungeons every week. Three D-Class, one C-Class."

He whistled. "That's… ambitious." But did not asked the reason behind the rush.

"I don't have time to waste," Jinhyuk admitted. "Do you know any teams that could use a temporary hunter?"

Jisoo was silent for a moment before replying.

"I might know a few people."

"Perfect."

"Are you sure about this, though?" He asked. "Overworking yourself like this could get you killed."

Jinhyuk chuckled. "If I don't get stronger, I'll die anyway."

Jisoo sighed. "Alright. I'll send you some names. But don't blame me if you collapse in a week."

Jinhyuk grinned. "I'll be fine. Thanks, hyung."

As he ended the call, he took a deep breath.

Step one: Find a reliable hunting party. ✅

Step two: Raid dungeons non-stop.

His training arc had officially begun.

---

The Training Begins

Jinhyuk leaned against the railing, staring at the city lights below. His conversation with Kang Jisoo had gone better than expected.

Jisoo wasn't just a C-Class hunter—he had solid connections in the hunter community. If anyone could help Jinhyuk get into more dungeons, it was him.

A message notification popped up on his phone.

[Kang Jisoo: I found a team for you. Meet them tomorrow at 9 AM. Sending location.]

Jinhyuk exhaled. "Here we go."

He closed his phone and turned back inside.

Tomorrow, his path to B-Class truly began.

---

The Next Morning – First Dungeon Raid

Jinhyuk arrived at the meeting spot—a run-down hunter's office near Seoul's eastern district. Inside, five hunters were gathered, chatting amongst themselves.

Jisoo stood at the center, arms crossed, waiting for him.

"Jinhyuk, you're late," Jisoo smirked.

Jinhyuk scratched his head. "Traffic."

Jisoo sighed. "Alright, listen up. This is a temporary D-Class raid party. They needed a last-minute replacement, so I got you in."

Jinhyuk nodded and looked at his new teammates.

D-Class Dungeon Party Members

Park Minho – Tank, shield user.

Yoon Hyesung – Swordsman, dual-wield.

Kim Mirae – Archer, long-range support.

Han Jiwon – Magician, fire spells.

Jinhyuk – Utility (illusionist, shadow manipulation).

The leader, Park Minho, eyed Jinhyuk skeptically. "Jisoo says you're reliable. That true?"

Jinhyuk grinned. "I try not to die. That count?"

The team chuckled, breaking the tension.

"Alright, let's head out," Minho said.

With that, Jinhyuk's training officially began.

---

The morning sun cast long shadows over the Hunter Hub as Jinhyuk adjusted the straps on his lightweight armor. The day was warm, the air buzzing with the faint hum of mana as hunters moved in and out of the bustling raid preparation area.

He stood with his new temporary party, preparing to enter his second official training raid. This time, he wasn't just tagging along—he had to prove himself.

Park Minho, the shield-wielding tank and team leader, finished checking his gear. His broad frame made him look like an immovable wall, and judging by the confidence in his stance, he had plenty of experience keeping his team alive.

"Alright, listen up," Minho said, his deep voice cutting through the noise of the Hunter Hub. "This is a standard D-Class dungeon, but we're treating it as a serious training exercise. Stick to your roles, watch each other's backs, and—"

He paused, his gaze landing on Jinhyuk. "And no heroics. You're here to learn, not to show off."

Jinhyuk chuckled awkwardly. "Got it. No heroics."

"We'll see," Yoon Hyesung, the dual-wielding swordsman, muttered with a smirk.

The archer, Kim Mirae, adjusted her quiver. "We should head in before another team claims the dungeon."

Han Jiwon, the magician, gave a short nod. She wasn't much of a talker, but Jinhyuk had seen her fire magic in action—it was powerful for a D-Class hunter.

With a final nod from Minho, the team stepped forward. The D-Class Gate shimmered under the bright daylight, its swirling blue surface reflecting the clear sky above.

With a deep breath, Jinhyuk stepped in.

---

A Shrouded Battlefield

Jinhyuk's boots hit damp soil as the warm sunlight dimmed, the dungeon shifting them into a swamp-like terrain.

The sky was still visible above, but thick mist clung to the ground, limiting visibility. The area was filled with twisted trees, murky water, and half-submerged ruins.

"A swamp biome," Minho muttered, scanning their surroundings. "Expect slow movement and ambush predators."

Jinhyuk had read about swamp-type dungeons before—tricky terrain, low visibility, and creatures that hunted from below.

"Stay close," Mirae said, her sharp eyes scanning the shifting fog as she pulled an arrow from her quiver. "I don't like this."

Jinhyuk flexed his fingers, feeling the mana inside him stir. His Shadow Manipulation was still weak, but the dim lighting and mist worked in his favor. Illusions would be harder to detect here.

A faint ripple in the water to their left made Minho raise a hand. "Hold."

Everyone froze.

Then—

SPLASH!

A scaled creature burst from the water, its serpentine body lunging toward Minho with a maw full of jagged teeth.

"Block!" Minho roared, raising his shield as the Swamp Fang slammed into him. The impact forced him back, but he held his ground.

Three more creatures erupted from the water.

"Formation! Close ranks!"

Jinhyuk moved fast, positioning himself behind Minho. Hyesung dashed forward, twin blades flashing as he slashed at one of the beasts.

Jiwon muttered an incantation, her hands glowing with fiery energy. A blast of flame shot forward, scorching one of the creatures.

Mirae's arrow whistled through the air, striking another beast in the eye.

But one creature circled behind them, moving straight for Jinhyuk.

His pulse quickened.

Time to act.

---

Illusions & Shadows – Jinhyuk's First Test

The Swamp Fang lunged, its sharp teeth inches from his face.

Jinhyuk focused his mana.

At the last second—

Its vision warped.

To the monster, Jinhyuk vanished.

The creature hesitated, confused, as Jinhyuk sidestepped, using the mist and his illusion ability to trick its senses.

"It works," he murmured, adrenaline surging through him.

But he didn't stop there. He extended his shadow, willing it to harden—a crude attempt at shaping it into a weapon.

A black tendril shot up from the ground, piercing the creature's leg.

The monster shrieked in pain, thrashing wildly.

"Jinhyuk, down!" Mirae shouted.

He dropped instinctively—just as an arrow zipped over his head, hitting the beast straight in the throat.

It collapsed, twitching.

Jinhyuk exhaled sharply, his hands trembling slightly. He had actually done it.

Minho stomped on the last creature's skull, making sure it was dead before turning to Jinhyuk.

His expression was unreadable for a moment.

Then, a smirk.

"Not bad, illusionist."

Jinhyuk grinned, wiping sweat from his forehead.

---

A Long Way to Go

The party regrouped, taking a moment to breathe. The battle had been short but intense.

"That illusion of yours… That wasn't just misdirection," Jiwon noted, studying Jinhyuk.

"It's perception distortion," he admitted. "I made the monster believe I wasn't there."

Hyesung let out a low whistle. "That's borderline C-Class material, man."

Jinhyuk opened his system menu subtly.

[EXP Gained: 19]

[Total EXP: 56/100]

Still not enough to level up, but progress was progress.

Minho stretched, rolling his shoulders. "We're not done yet. That was just the welcoming party. If you're still alive by the end of this, maybe I'll consider you for more raids."

Jinhyuk chuckled, already feeling exhaustion creeping in. But he nodded.

"Let's keep going."

As they ventured deeper into the dungeon, Jinhyuk knew one thing for sure—

He was finally moving forward.