The dungeon was a mess of blood, steel, and shattered stone. Taeshik, once so confident in his skill, now lay on the cold ground, blood pooling beneath him. His breath was shallow, each exhale weaker than the last. His body, once taut with tension and honed with years of combat, had finally given out under the relentless assault of Jinwoo and Rensei.
Jinwoo knelt beside him, his expression unreadable. "With every battle," he said quietly, his voice steady, "I grow stronger."
Taeshik let out a weak chuckle, his lips twitching into the ghost of a smirk despite the pain. "Then… be careful, kid," he rasped. "The stronger you get… the darker the path you'll walk."
His body shuddered one last time, and then he stilled. His eyes, once filled with arrogance and bloodlust, were empty.
[You have acquired the skill: Stealth.]
A notification flashed before Jinwoo's eyes, but he paid it little mind. He exhaled sharply, the tension finally leaving his body. The battle was over.
Rensei rolled his shoulders, feeling the residual energy of Mercury Requiem begin to settle. He looked down at Taeshik's corpse, then at Jinwoo. "He knew he was going to die," Rensei muttered. "Still went down swinging."
Jinwoo didn't respond. Instead, he turned to the others. "Joohee, Kim. Get out of here. It's over."
Joohee hesitated, her eyes lingering on Jinwoo as if wanting to say something, but she nodded. "Be careful," she said before following Kim toward the dungeon's exit.
Jinwoo and Rensei stayed behind.
There was still one more thing to do.
⸻
The last remaining prisoner stood trembling, his back pressed against the dungeon wall. His hands were shaking, his breath coming out in ragged gasps. He had survived the massacre Taeshik had unleashed, but now… now he stood before someone even worse.
Jinwoo stepped forward, his shadow stretching unnaturally in the dim light. His voice was cold. "Do you remember the faces of all your victims?"
The prisoner's mouth opened, but no words came. His eyes darted around desperately, looking for an escape. There was none.
A low growl filled the air.
From the darkness, a hulking goblin emerged, standing twice the size of a regular one. Three smaller goblins clung to its back, their jagged teeth bared in hungry anticipation.
The prisoner's screams echoed through the dungeon.
Jinwoo watched without blinking as the monsters descended upon him, tearing into his flesh. There was no mercy here.
When the prisoner's cries finally faded, Jinwoo stepped forward, his dagger gleaming under the dungeon's eerie glow.
The Hobgoblin barely had time to react before Jinwoo struck.
With a single fluid motion, he ended the creature's life.
⸻
Outside the dungeon, Woo Jinchul arrived, his face tense as he took in the carnage. He stared at the lifeless body of Kang Taeshik, his jaw tightening. "Damn it…" he muttered. "I should have realized what he was."
His eyes then landed on Jinwoo.
His breath hitched.
"You… I remember you," Woo said slowly. "From the hospital."
Jinwoo met his gaze, his expression unreadable.
Woo's sharp eyes scanned the scene before him. "Which one of you took him down?"
Jinwoo opened his mouth, but before he could speak—
"I did," Song stepped forward, his voice calm.
Woo frowned, eyeing the C-Rank hunter. "You?" His gaze flickered toward Joohee, a B-Rank healer. "With her support, I suppose it makes sense."
Jinwoo remained silent, his mind working. Woo Jinchul was dangerous—an A-Rank hunter, someone not easily fooled.
But for now, he seemed to accept the explanation.
Song turned to Jinwoo and Rensei, offering them a small smile. "I owed you both one."
Jinwoo nodded. Rensei smirked. "Guess we'll call it even, then."
⸻
A few hours later, the man who had hired Taeshik was arrested. The incident had finally come to a close.
As Rensei was leaving the scene, a subtle notification appeared in his vision.
[Secret Quest Completed: Shadows of the Battlefield]
[Reward: Omen's Sight - A skill that allow the user to read the stats of opponents.]
A sleek pair of glasses materialized in his hands.
Rensei raised a brow. "Well, well… Guess I got something out of this after all."
He slipped them on, and instantly, faint lines of data flickered across his vision, adjusting to his perception.
"Looks like things just got a little more interesting," he muttered, smirking.
Rensei found a quiet spot outside the dungeon, away from prying eyes. He let out a long breath, stretching his arms over his head before flopping down onto a nearby bench. The adrenaline from the fight had finally worn off, and now, fatigue crept in.
Then, a thought hit him.
He had never actually taken the time to check his system properly.
"Let's see what I'm working with," Rensei muttered, opening his status window for the first time.
—
[Status Window]
Name: Rensei (Judah Bond)
Race: Human
Level: 15
Class: None
Title: None
HP: 620/620
MP: 340/340
Strength: 32
Agility: 42
Endurance: 28
Perception: 38
Magic Power: 20
Luck: 14
—
Rensei's eyes widened. "Hold up… I've had this the whole time?"
He had assumed his strength and speed were purely the result of his quirk and training, but the numbers didn't lie. The system had been tracking his stats all along.
Then, he noticed something else. A small, blinking tab in the corner of his vision.
[Shop]
Curious, he tapped on it.
—
[System Shop]
[Weapons] – Unlocks at Level 10
[Armor] – Unlocks at Level 10
[Consumables] – Available
[Skills] – Available
—
His interest piqued, Rensei navigated to the skills section. A list of available abilities appeared, some grayed out due to his level, but a few were accessible.
—
[Skills Available for Purchase]
• Accelerated Recovery (Passive) – 1000 SP
Slightly increases healing speed for minor wounds and stamina recovery.
• Spatial Awareness (Passive) – 800 SP
Enhances perception of movement and surroundings, allowing for better reaction time.
• Burst Step (Active) – 1200 SP
A short-range explosive movement technique that allows the user to close gaps instantly.
—
Rensei checked his available system points.
[SP: 1350]
"Not bad," he mused. He could afford at least one skill now.
After a moment of thought, he tapped on Burst Step.
[Confirm Purchase?]
[Yes] [No]
Without hesitation, he selected Yes.
A rush of energy surged through his body. His muscles twitched slightly as if something inside him had just been fine-tuned.
—
New Skill Acquired: Burst Step (Active)
Allows for an explosive burst of movement in any direction. Short cooldown. Costs 20 MP per use.
—
Rensei grinned. "Now that's gonna come in handy."
—
Inside the C-Rank dungeon, Jinwoo, Rensei, and Jinho moved through the cavernous interior, cutting down monsters with ease. The lower-ranked hunters struggled to keep up, often reduced to spectating as the three effortlessly handled wave after wave of enemies.
As Jinwoo decapitated a lizardman with a single strike and Rensei crushed another's skull with a swift movement, Jinho wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Man, with you two around, I feel like we're just speedrunning these raids."
Rensei smirked, his purple irises glowing faintly. "That's why I was thinking… why don't I just solo another C-Rank dungeon while you guys handle this one?"
Jinho blinked. "Wait, what?"
Jinwoo remained quiet, continuing to slice through monsters as he listened.
"If I go ahead and clear another dungeon on my own, we could finish our runs twice as fast," Rensei reasoned. "I mean, let's be real—this place isn't even a challenge."
Jinho hesitated. "I mean, yeah, but… you're not officially registered as a C-Rank hunter. If someone finds out, you could get in trouble."
Rensei rolled his eyes. "Oh no, the Hunter's Association might yell at me."
Jinho frowned. "No, seriously! If an investigator gets wind of this, you could be disqualified from ranking up properly."
Rensei crossed his arms. "Then we just don't let them find out. As long as the gate gets cleared, who's gonna complain?"
Jinho opened his mouth to argue but faltered. It was true—if the dungeon was cleared cleanly, the Association wouldn't ask questions.
Jinwoo finally spoke. "You sure you can handle it alone?"
Rensei grinned. "You know I can."
Jinwoo gave a small nod. "Then go ahead."
Jinho groaned, rubbing his temples. "Fine, fine. Just don't get caught, alright?"
Rensei smirked. "Relax. I'll be back before you even notice I'm gone." With that, he turned and made his way toward the dungeon entrance.
—
Outside the dungeon, Ahn Sang-Min and Woo Kichul arrived at the gate, expecting to see a professional raid team in action. Instead, they found a group of mismatched hunters lounging around, some chatting idly, others sitting on the ground as if they were having a picnic.
Woo Kichul frowned. "This is the raid team?"
Before they could step forward, a young girl approached them, arms crossed. "This area is restricted. You shouldn't be here."
Ahn raised a brow. "And you are…?"
"I'm a hunter," she said flatly.
Woo Kichul's expression didn't change, but Ahn's sharp eyes scanned the group. Something felt off. Then, realization struck him.
"Jinwoo's in there alone, isn't he?"
The girl didn't answer, but her silence spoke volumes.
Ahn exhaled. "That guy… just how strong is he?"
Woo Kichul adjusted his glasses. "Stronger than we thought."
Just then, the gate flickered slightly—someone had just left. Ahn turned his head just in time to see a lone figure stepping out: Rensei, cracking his knuckles with a confident smirk.
Ahn narrowed his eyes. And who the hell is this?
Ahn Sang-Min immediately recognized Rensei as the hunter who had been alongside Jinwoo during their previous encounters. But right now, his main focus was still on Jinwoo.
He exchanged a glance with Woo Kichul before turning back to Rensei. "You're done already?"
Rensei stretched his arms lazily. "Yeah. Thought I'd take a little break."
Ahn's sharp gaze flickered toward the dungeon entrance. If Rensei was already out here, that meant Jinwoo was inside handling the dungeon mostly on his own. He had already suspected Jinwoo was absurdly strong, but if he was taking on a C-Rank dungeon practically solo…
His grip tightened. "Just what is Sung Jinwoo…?" he muttered under his breath.
Rensei, catching the whisper, smirked. "You wanna know? Why don't you go in and ask him yourself?"
Ahn shot him a look but didn't respond. He wasn't foolish enough to charge into a dungeon just to satisfy his curiosity.
Instead, he turned his attention back to the group of idle hunters. It was clear that they weren't here because they were elite—if anything, they looked like a thrown-together team of misfits. But that only made it more obvious that Jinwoo was carrying the entire raid.
Woo Kichul adjusted his glasses. "Even for a C-Rank dungeon, something doesn't add up. That man—Sung Jinwoo—if he's really just a newly awakened E-Rank, he shouldn't be able to handle this alone."
Ahn stayed silent for a moment before sighing. "We need to recruit him before someone else does."
Woo nodded in agreement.
Just then, the dungeon gate shimmered again. This time, it wasn't Rensei leaving—it was Jinwoo and Jinho stepping out together.
Jinwoo's clothes were barely ruffled, and Jinho looked more relieved than anything. The moment Ahn laid eyes on Jinwoo, his suspicions were solidified.
This guy is something else.
Before Ahn could say anything, Jinwoo stretched his arms and casually said, "I'm taking a day off tomorrow."
Jinho groaned. "Man, that means I have to reschedule everything again."
Rensei, leaning against a tree, chuckled. "Good. Maybe now you'll actually take a nap instead of worrying about paperwork."
Jinho shot him a look but didn't argue.
Ahn, still watching from the side, made up his mind. He stepped forward. "Jinwoo."
Jinwoo turned his head slightly, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
Ahn smiled. "Let's talk."
—
Now at the new dungeon location,Rensei stepped in the gate
As Rensei ventured deeper into the dungeon, he pulled up his system menu to review his newly acquired skill.
[Skill Acquired: Burst Step (Active)]
• A short-range explosive movement technique that allows the user to close gaps instantly.
• Activation Cost: 30 Mana per use.
• Cooldown: 2 seconds.
"Now this… this is gonna be fun."
He closed the menu just as a pair of Ironclad Ogres—hulking, muscle-bound creatures with thick, rock-like skin—emerged from the cavern ahead. Their heavy footfalls sent tremors through the ground as they spotted him and let out deafening roars.
One of them charged, raising its massive club to crush him.
Rensei smirked. "Time to test this out."
Burst Step—Activate.
A sudden explosion of energy propelled him forward in a blur, closing the gap between him and the ogre in an instant. The sheer speed caught the monster off guard as Rensei appeared right beneath its raised weapon.
Boom!
Using the momentum, he drove his fist straight into the ogre's gut, the force sending cracks through its stone-like skin. The creature staggered back, wheezing in pain.
The second ogre reacted, swinging its club horizontally to smash him against the cavern wall.
Burst Step—Activate.
In an instant, Rensei shot backward, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow. The club smashed into the first ogre instead, sending it crashing into the cave wall.
Rensei laughed, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Oh yeah, this skill is a game-changer."
Before the second ogre could recover, he dashed forward again with Burst Step, closing the distance in a blink. He twisted mid-air and delivered a devastating axe kick to its head. The impact sent shockwaves through the cavern, and the ogre crumpled like a collapsed pillar.
The first ogre, still dazed, groaned as it tried to push itself up. Rensei landed smoothly and dusted himself off.
"Let's wrap this up."
With one final Burst Step, he launched forward like a bullet and delivered a spinning knee strike straight to the ogre's skull. The force sent cracks spiderwebbing across its stone hide before it collapsed, unmoving.
As the dust settled, Rensei let out a satisfied exhale. "Yeah… I'm definitely keeping this one."
He cracked his neck and looked further into the dungeon. He could feel the presence of the dungeon boss deeper inside.
With a grin, he rolled his shoulders and activated Burst Step again. "Time to clear this thing out."
And just like that, he vanished into the darkness, moving at speeds no ordinary hunter could match.