….
Three Hours Later.
Jin-Woo's first ever Gate ride was over.
It was, after all, an E-rank.
And yet, if he had to sum up the experience in a single word, it would be - 'funny'.
Alas, it isn't the kind of 'funny' that lightens the heart, but a cruel, bone-deep absurdity - the sort of harsh truth that mocked him with every step, every blow, every drop of blood.
By the time they came out from the dungeon's entrance, Jin-Woo wanted nothing more than to collapse on the ground and laugh like a fool.
Not out of joy, but sheer disbelief.
His body shook with it, an instinctive release, the only way his muscles could let go of the tension wound inside them.
So unfair… He muttered under his breath, the words tasting bitter in his mouth.
This dungeon had made that crystal clear again:
The immense difference between each rank.
Also, it demonstrated how unbalanced the scale was between life and death, between human and monster.
But in that absurdity, a strange clarity formed in his mind.
He felt a hardened resolve settle over him.
Determination. It wasn't merely to endure, but to claw forward, to carve strength into himself until the balance no longer felt so lopsided. One day, he swore, the scales would tilt his way.
And another truth had become undeniable. Two, in fact.
Jin-Ho.
Cha Hae-In.
Both of them - they are so far out of his league that the thought alone made his stomach twist.
Especially Jin-Ho… he couldn't shake him off anymore.
Throughout the entire dungeon, that idiot hadn't shown the slightest hint of nerves. Instead, he treated the crawl as though it were some kind of field trip.
He laughed at his own jokes, complained about being bored, and tossed out teasing remarks without a shred of restraint.
….
In the short time Jin-Woo had known him, he had already pieced together a fair picture of what kind of person Jin-Ho was.
A kind guy.
Yes - kind, in his own careless and clueless way.
What stood out more was how Jin-Ho treated everyone the same. Even the E-Rank porter received the same casual friendliness, the same inclusion.
So, should Jin-Ho treating him the same way as everyone else be seen as kindness?
Maybe. But to Jin-Woo, it felt different.
Nobody takes an E-Rank along on a dungeon raid for free, just because they happened to test on the same day - that would be absurdly generous.
Contrary, Jin-Ho looked at him as though he were someone capable, someone worth standing beside.
He respected him more than just being kind, even if he had absolutely no respect for personal space.
Why?
Jin-Woo couldn't understand.
But in truth, he didn't care.
What mattered was his own determination - to gain as much experience as possible, to measure where he stood against others, and to carve out the gap with his own effort.
His eyes flicked toward Jin-Ho.
Right.
He wouldn't say it aloud, but he was grateful.
Grateful for this chance, for this team - something he never could have dreamed of having on his first dungeon raid.
Think about it:
One C-Ranker, three D-Rankers, and two E-Rankers including him.
Of course there are these two monstrous B and A ranks.
For the level of this party, an E-Rank dungeon should have been a piece of cake.
And it had been that way… just not in the way he imagined.
Even the experienced C-Rank Hunter, who should have taken the lead, never even got the chance to swing his blade.
All the years of training and fieldwork he carried meant nothing when stacked against sheer rank.
And when he realized that even rookie Hunters like Jin-Ho and Cha Hae-In could cut down monsters faster than he ever could, it hit harder than any blow: despair.
Because at that moment, he understood - there had never been a contest to begin with. The pack of goblins he once considered dangerous opponents were being torn apart in single strikes.
With every fight, questions about his own worth crumbled until all that was left was silence.
He simply gave up.
It was the same for the rest of the D-Rankers.
Unlike Jin-Woo, they lacked the determination to push through the difference, to resist.
And so, they stopped comparing themselves altogether.
Against Jin-Ho and Cha Hae-In, it was hopeless.
Far too easy.
"Haaah…!" Jin-Woo staggered backward, breath ragged, shallow cuts stinging across his arms.
He had been locked in a messy struggle with a single goblin for nearly two minutes, trading clumsy blows as if it were some back-alley brawl.
The C-Rank hunters trailing behind exhaled in relief at the sight.
At least this one looked human - struggling, bleeding, pushing through. World apart like the two monsters who fought as if dungeons were playgrounds.
Jin-Woo was clearly having a hard time.
But even so, giving up wasn't an option. He had to measure himself, had to see exactly where he stood, even if it meant swallowing the sting of being outclassed.
Finally, with one desperate thrust, his blade pierced the goblin's skull.
The monster fell.
Jin-Woo collapsed with it, chest heaving.
"Good job, man…" Jin-Ho's voice came from behind, while Cha Hae-In moved quickly to his side, worry written across her face.
"Soo-Min, check him." She called sharply.
The healer flinched, then rushed over. "Y-Yes!"
Jin-Ho crouched next to him. "Does it hurt, dude?"
"Some stuff hurts." Jin-Woo muttered between breaths.
"Don't be too mean." Cha Hae-In scolded lightly, her gaze still fixed on Jin-Woo.
By now, the three of them had grown close. Closer than anyone would expect, given how little time had passed since they met.
"Yeah, yeah." Jin-Ho sighed, grinning faintly. "Take care of your man. Guess I will just wonder where my angel is in this universe."
While the healer worked, Jin-Ho's eyes flicked to the goblin sprawled on the ground.
The monsters in this dungeon were simple, almost textbook:
===
[Goblins | Humanoid | E-Rank]
Height: ~4 feet
Intelligence: Low (cunning, but not smart)
Strength: Weaker than a typical E-Rank Hunters individually, but dangerous in groups.
===
That was the information Jin-Woo had memorized from the Dungeon Monsters Encyclopaedia.
Weaker than an E-Rank Hunters, huh? He let out a dry, bitter chuckle as he forced himself upright, having just downed his second goblin of the raid.
And yet—
To Jin-Ho and Cha Hae-In, these things weren't opponents - they were ants.
Worse, at least Cha Hae-In dispatched them cleanly.
Jin-Ho, on the other hand… didn't simply kill them.
He played.
Just then, five more goblins burst from the shadows, snarling as they charged.
"G-g-g-obbin"
Their sudden appearance made the group of hunters flinch, hands tightening on weapons.
But Jin-Woo, barely steady on his legs, and Cha Hae-In, didn't move.
Because Jin-Ho was already stepping forward.
"Oii, pick yourself up, man." He called over his shoulder, voice annoyingly casual. "We got a few more playmates."
The goblins skidded to a halt the instant he spoke the next word.
And no matter how many times Jin-Woo witnessed it, he couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
….
An Hour Ago.
It was the first time Jin-Woo saw Jin-Ho's ability at work.
Barely five minutes after stepping into the dungeon, they ran into a pack of three goblins, charging forward with crude blades raised high.
Before anyone else could react, Jin-Ho stepped ahead.
He turned to the five Hunters in the back and said. "Can you let the three of us handle this one?"
The group hesitated. Their job was supposed to be guiding rookie Hunters through the basics, showing them how to fight before letting them test themselves.
But something in Jin-Ho's tone, his certainty, his quiet authority, made them stop.
They watched instead, curious.
Jin-Ho strode forward, hand raised in a toy gun shape and spoke a single word:
"Statue."
Huh…? Statue? Whats that–!
The goblins froze mid-stride, their eyes bulged, their bodies straining against invisible restraints, but they couldn't move an inch forward.
The five Hunters stiffened. Even Cha Hae-In's gaze sharpened, and Jin-Woo felt his stomach twist at the sight.
Unfazed, Jin-Ho walked straight past the immobilized monsters and clapped Jin-Woo on the back.
Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In, both slightly startled by what had just happened, came to their senses as Jin-Ho clapped Jin-Woo on the back–
"Alright guys, let's start. Cha Hae-In, you are up first, I will release one, so get ready for some action."
A flick of his fingers - one goblin sprang free.
That was how it began, a strange one-on-one battle, each taking turns like some private tournament in the depths of a dungeon.
For the first time since stepping inside, Jin-Woo let out a small laugh. It wouldn't be the last.
Cha Hae-In's movements looked slightly awkward at first, but it didn't last.
She was faster, stronger, and precise, it was over quickly.
"Nice." Jin-Ho said, giving her a thumbs-up. "Next round, let's make it two."
Then his eyes slid to Jin-Woo.
"Your turn, buddy, time to shine. Show her what you have got…" His tone was full of false encouragement.
….
.
[To be continued…]
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
For additional content please support me in Patreon and gain access to +20 more chapters.
--> [email protected]/WrightBrothers