Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The damp air stabbed deep into his lungs.

Amid the rotten-moss stench unique to a C-rank dungeon, Lee Chaeho crouched on the ground and held his breath.

Up ahead, brilliant skill effects flashed through the darkness as the party's main Hunters shouted and cut down monsters one after another.

The clash of metal and the dying screams of monsters constantly hammered against the cave walls.

That was not a place where Chaeho belonged.

He had a different role.

Hidden in a dark corner, Chaeho's eyes moved sharply.

The angle at which the tank pushed forward his shield.

The exact moment the mage finished casting.

Even the path of the dealer's sword as it shattered the monsters' formation.

Chaeho quietly observed the flow of battle and predicted what would happen next.

"Grrrk..."

Just as he expected.

A low-level monster that had been thrown aside by the battle rolled toward the spot where Chaeho was hiding.

It was a goblin, its body already half-crushed after being caught in one of the main Hunters' area-of-effect attacks.

Without hesitation, Chaeho pulled the dagger from his waist and stabbed it into the back of the goblin's neck.

It was a precise strike aimed directly at the soft vital point between the bones.

The monster twitched briefly before dying.

There had been no unnecessary movement or wasted strength in his attack.

It was clean and efficient.

Chaeho skillfully cut open the goblin's chest and extracted a small mana stone.

After putting the bloodstained mana stone into his pouch, he lowered himself again and checked his surroundings.

D-rank Hunter Lee Chaeho.

His responsibilities in this party were simple and clear.

Guard the rear.

Finish off weakened monsters that were knocked away from the main battle.

And collect the materials dropped by monsters before carrying everything out of the dungeon like a porter.

Some people might laugh at him.

They might wonder why someone who had awakened as a Hunter was doing nothing more than cleaning up monster blood and carrying luggage.

After all, many believed that an awakened person should naturally stand on the front lines, cut off monsters' heads, and act like some glorious hero.

But Chaeho understood reality painfully well.

He didn't possess a flashy skill capable of overturning an entire battle.

Nor did he have the physical ability needed to stand at the front and withstand the attacks of a boss monster.

His eyes were sharper than most people's, and he had a talent for calmly reading the battlefield.

However, none of that mattered if his body couldn't keep up.

If you don't know your place and start showing off, you just become monster food in this line of work.

Chaeho wiped the blood from his dagger with a cloth before sheathing it again.

A heavy backpack almost as large as his body hung from his back.

It was a special bag filled with mana stones and monster materials collected by the party.

The weight pressing down on his shoulders made his back ache, but he silently continued watching the situation ahead.

He had to perform his role perfectly.

Cover any openings.

Protect the party's back.

For an ordinary D-rank Hunter with average stats, that was the only way he could keep working as a porter for a C-rank party and continue earning a living.

Before long, the noise coming from the front completely died down.

"Situation cleared! Good work, everyone!"

Party Leader Oh Sangmin's voice boomed through the cave.

Only then did Chaeho straighten the back he had kept bent for so long.

The long dungeon raid was finally over.

When he stepped outside the Gate, the polluted city air mixed with exhaust fumes washed through his lungs.

Compared to the stench of rotten blood inside the dungeon, even that felt refreshing.

The party members put away their weapons one after another and stretched their bodies, trying to shake off their exhaustion.

"Ah, today was seriously brutal. Isn't that way too many monsters for a C-rank dungeon?"

"Seriously. There wasn't even time to breathe. But at least nobody got hurt. The rewards should be pretty good too."

The man grinned.

"We're definitely having beef tonight!"

Laughter spread through the group.

While everyone chatted noisily, Chaeho quietly walked to the corner of the clearing and lowered the backpack from his shoulders.

He dropped onto the dirt and firmly massaged his stiff legs.

Sangmin soon approached and carefully inspected everything inside the backpack.

"You worked hard, Chaeho. You collected everything perfectly again. Nothing's missing."

"It's just my job. You're the one who worked hard, Party Leader. You were tanking at the front the whole time."

Chaeho answered calmly.

Sangmin smoothly pulled out his tablet and began calculating the settlement.

An employee from the Dungeon Association who had been waiting nearby approached, evaluated the monster materials, and quickly began the purchase process.

A short while later, the smartphone in Chaeho's pocket vibrated.

He turned on the screen.

A deposit notification had appeared.

It was exactly the percentage promised to him as the party's porter.

The work was physically exhausting, but seeing the money safely enter his bank account somehow made the fatigue disappear.

That's a relief.

This should be enough to cover Mother's hospital bill next week and repair Father's old truck.

Chaeho switched off the screen with his calloused finger and quietly exhaled.

"Everyone else, go wash up and meet at the restaurant first. Chaeho and I will finish cleaning things up before we come."

Sangmin waved toward the other party members.

One by one, the others gathered their equipment, climbed into their cars, and left.

Eventually, only Sangmin and Chaeho remained in the clearing in front of the Gate.

Normally, they would have finished organizing the luggage and gone to eat together.

But today, the atmosphere felt strangely heavy.

Sangmin pulled a cigarette from his pocket and placed it between his lips.

Yet for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to light it.

His gaze wandered through the air as he avoided Chaeho's eyes.

Chaeho was quick to notice things.

He could already roughly guess what this awkward silence meant.

And why Sangmin had deliberately asked only him to stay behind.

"Party Leader."

Chaeho brushed some dirt from his clothes before breaking the silence.

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

Sangmin flinched.

He removed the cigarette from his mouth and released a long sigh.

"Chaeho."

"Yes."

"Well..."

He scratched the back of his head roughly.

"Damn, this is harder to say than I thought."

His rugged face was filled with a complicated mixture of guilt and discomfort.

"You know our party is going to start properly preparing to enter B-rank dungeons from the next raid onward, right?"

"I know. Everyone's been replacing their equipment recently, and the teamwork has gotten much better too."

"Right."

Sangmin hesitated before continuing.

"But once you reach B-rank, the monsters and the dungeon environments are completely different from what we've been dealing with until now."

He paused.

"We'll need actual combat power in the rear as well. At least a C-rank sub-dealer or a backup tank."

Sangmin's words became slower.

Chaeho simply watched his face and quietly listened.

"There are more ambush attacks from above, and formations often collapse during boss fights."

Sangmin lowered his voice.

"To be completely honest... it's too dangerous for you to keep working as a porter in the rear while you're still D-rank."

He had tried to soften the explanation as much as possible.

But the conclusion was obvious.

Chaeho was no longer considered useful combat strength.

He was being removed from the party.

Normally, someone in this situation would become angry or complain about how unfair it was.

After all, a stable job that supported their livelihood was disappearing overnight.

At the very least, most people would probably beg to be taken along one more time, saying that they were willing to accept the danger.

But Chaeho only answered calmly.

"I understand what you're saying."

Sangmin looked at him in surprise.

"Uh..."

He blinked.

"You're not angry?"

"What would I be angry about? Your judgment is completely reasonable."

Chaeho casually shrugged.

"If area attacks or ranged monsters start targeting the rear in a B-rank dungeon, I'll already have enough trouble keeping myself alive."

He continued without hesitation.

"If the formation breaks because everyone has to protect me, I'll only become a burden. Someone like me could probably die just from being grazed by a B-rank monster's attack."

No one understood Chaeho's limits better than Chaeho himself.

He didn't possess even one skill capable of dramatically increasing his combat power.

There was no way he could force himself into an elite party preparing to enter B-rank dungeons.

Rather than greedily risking his life and becoming a burden on everyone else, it was better to step away cleanly here.

Reality was cold.

Complaining and blaming other people because he lacked ability would only make him look pathetic.

If anything, Chaeho was grateful to Sangmin for keeping someone with so little combat ability as the party's dedicated porter until now.

"Thank you for taking care of me all this time."

Chaeho gave a faint smile and lowered his head.

"You've always paid my share exactly on time too."

Sangmin was left speechless by how cleanly Chaeho accepted everything.

It might have weighed less heavily on his conscience if Chaeho had cursed at him or demanded to know why he was suddenly being abandoned.

Instead, Chaeho simply accepted the situation for what it was.

That somehow made Sangmin feel even guiltier.

He's always been such a hardworking guy.

His natural ability rank might have been low, but Hunters who performed their responsibilities as silently and perfectly as Chaeho were rare.

He knew exactly how to handle minor tasks at the correct moment without attracting the monsters' aggro.

His natural instinct for supporting the rear was something even many C-rank Hunters couldn't match.

Sangmin tightly bit his lip before rummaging through his clothes and pulling something out.

"Take this."

It was a thin booklet covered in old leather.

Chaeho's eyes widened slightly.

"Isn't this a skill book?"

"Yeah."

Sangmin nodded.

"I got lucky and landed the final blow in the previous dungeon, so this dropped. It hasn't been appraised yet."

He held it out.

"It's a one-use random skill book, so even I don't know what skill it'll give."

"Why are you giving me something this expensive? You should add it to the party's shared assets and divide the profit."

"I already paid the other party members their shares with my own money and took this as personal property."

Sangmin grabbed Chaeho's hand and forcefully placed the skill book in his palm.

"I haven't had the Association appraise it yet either."

Then his expression became serious.

"Think of it as severance pay. Don't ask questions. Just take it."

"Party Leader..."

Sangmin continued.

"You've worked your ass off handling all the dirty work for our party."

His thick voice carried unmistakable sincerity.

"If it weren't for you, all of us would've spent every dungeon raid running around without getting a moment to rest."

He looked directly at Chaeho.

"Thank you. Seriously, Chaeho."

His voice was filled with deep guilt and genuine gratitude.

Chaeho alternated his gaze between the old booklet in his hands and Sangmin's face.

He wanted to refuse and say that the thought alone was enough.

But a random skill book was far too valuable to Chaeho, who didn't possess a single notable skill.

If he was lucky enough to obtain even a utility skill useful in everyday life or dungeon support, it would become a major advantage when applying for another porter position.

"...Thank you."

Chaeho carefully placed the booklet inside his bag.

"I'll gratefully accept it."

"Rest properly before looking for another party. Take care of yourself."

Sangmin smiled faintly.

"I hope you get a good skill."

Chaeho nodded.

"You should take care too, Party Leader. Once you start climbing higher, don't push yourself too hard."

His voice became firm.

"And don't get hurt."

After their short farewell, Sangmin turned around and began walking away.

His broad back, which had been reluctant to leave because of his guilt, slowly disappeared into the distance.

The clearing around the Gate became completely empty.

Chaeho stood there alone.

A cool breeze blew past him, scattering his sweat-soaked bangs.

"I really am unemployed now."

A hollow chuckle escaped his lips.

Then anxiety began creeping in.

Starting next month, how was he supposed to earn money?

To find a new party, he would have to start visiting places again, submit applications, and prove his ability from the bottom.

Even porter positions had become increasingly competitive lately.

Young awakened people with excellent physical abilities were entering the field in large numbers.

With nothing more than a D-rank Hunter license and no decent skill to his name, competing with them wouldn't be easy.

Chaeho pulled the random skill book from his bag once again.

The worn leather felt rough beneath his fingertips.

From the outside, it looked so unimpressive that it could have been thrown into a neighborhood recycling bin filled with old books.

I just need something useful.

The most likely outcome was some minor passive skill.

Something like a one-percent increase in stamina or improved night vision.

In the worst case, random skill books could even produce completely useless negative skills such as generating foul smells or temporarily glowing.

But Chaeho wasn't in a position to be picky.

Even if the rope was rotten, he had no choice but to grab it.

He took a deep breath and placed his hand on the cover of the skill book.

Then—

His fingers stopped just before he began channeling mana into it.

He had absolutely no idea what kind of ability might appear.

Using it carelessly in the open clearing in front of the Gate could cause trouble.

Let's go to the Association first.

Chaeho placed the book deep inside his bag again and closed the zipper.

He would visit the nearest Association branch, confirm the settlement, and then find somewhere quiet before using it.

Until today, his footsteps had always followed behind the familiar members of his party.

This time, Lee Chaeho walked toward the Association building alone.