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Chapter 5
[You have hunted monsters inside the dungeon that are stronger than you.]
[You have been awarded 4 stat points.]
[A reward has been granted.]
[You have acquired the trait ‘Level Up’.]
“Four stat points. Not bad.”
Normally, clearing a dungeon only rewarded about two stat points.
That was natural—most people tackled dungeons in parties, not alone.
“This method’s better after all.”
On top of that, he could keep all the magic stones to himself.
Eugene carefully packed all the gathered stones into his bag.
“I’ll have to hire a porter soon.”
Even if it was called a bag, it didn’t have infinite capacity.
There was limited space for storing magic stones.
Luckily, the monsters were low-tier, and their magic stones were small in size.
Clink.
Among them was one particularly large magic stone. Eugene’s eyes sparkled.
“A boss drop, huh.”
A brilliantly glowing E-rank magic stone—probably E+ if you wanted to be precise.
“Perfect for a future enhancement.”
Money was important, yes.
But enhancements were even more important.
If he had materials like these, he had to make use of them efficiently.
“…I could even enhance the bag.”
Since it crossed his mind, might as well do it now.
His entire body was already aching from enhancement side effects anyway.
He set the bag down. Eugene’s hand began to glow.
“Enhance.”
[Using skill ‘Soul Enhancement’.]
[1+ Ordinary Backpack]
Weight Reduction +30%
“Nice.”
A regular bag like this had its limits in terms of enhancement.
Even a 30% weight reduction was a great improvement.
He slung it over his shoulder and smiled in satisfaction at the lighter feel.
“Still, my whole body hurts.”
Physical enhancement.
Technically, calling it “physical” was just formality—just like when he previously enhanced only his knees, this time he had simply strengthened his whole body.
It consumed a lot of mana, and the muscle soreness was intense. Best avoided if possible.
“I need to rope in a warrior eventually.”
And he had the perfect candidate in mind.
With that, the minor rewards were taken care of.
Now came the main one:
“Level Up.”
Eugene smiled and opened the trait window.
[Trait: Level Up (1)]
Gain a portion of experience from defeated enemies.
Accumulated experience can be used to increase your level. Each level up grants 1 stat point.
Your current level will be displayed next to this trait.
Cannot be enhanced. User level too low.
“!”
Yes!
Eugene clenched his fist tightly.
This was the trait he had long desired.
In his first playthrough, he had given it up to Park Seungcheol.
Because this trait could only be acquired by a limited number of people.
So he had let it go then—but not anymore.
“If I monopolize all the gear and skills, that’s all that matters.”
Even better—
“I can enhance this too.”
He’d suspected as much.
The reason the Soul Enhancer class evolved in the first place was thanks to ‘enhancement.’
Enhancing skills or traits wasn’t possible right now—it could even drain his life force if he messed up.
“I’ll settle for this for now.”
Eugene smiled in satisfaction.
“Allocate all 4 stat points to mana.”
[Mana increased by 4.]
Eugene opened his status window.
[Status Window]
Name: Han Eugene
Class: Soul Enhancer (Enhancement)
Trait: Level Up (1)
Unique Skill: Soul Enhancement
Stats:
-
Strength [5]
-
Agility [5]
-
Stamina [5]
-
Mana [15]
Unassigned Points: 0
Uses mana to enhance skills, equipment, and more.
Your soul is intact and clearly defined. Soul Enhancer abilities are amplified.
“Good.”
Compared to when he first entered, his mana had increased by 5.
And now his trait window proudly displayed Level Up.
“No absolute probability trait yet, though.”
But that could come later.
“Absolute Probability” was a skill that guaranteed enhancement success once a day.
Not very useful early on, but in the late game? Game-changing.
Whether the chance of success was 10% or even 0.1%, it made it succeed no matter what.
“This staff isn’t bad either. I’ll sell it.”
A walking treasure goblin, perhaps?
Eugene made sure to collect every last reward.
Though it was a bit disappointing he couldn’t grab the loot at the bottom of the cliff.
“I wouldn’t have had space anyway.”
“Alright, that’s everything—”
Time to leave.
[You have successfully cleared the dungeon.]
[You may now exit the dungeon.]
Whooom!
A portal appeared before him.
Eugene stepped into the exit, expecting nothing more than a few guards outside.
“…Huh?”
But what awaited him wasn’t a restricted, controlled scene.
Instead, the factory outside was packed with people.
As soon as he emerged, a barrage of stares locked onto him.
Why are there so many people?
20 Years Ago
After the Great Cataclysm, the appearance of dungeons had become common.
Nowadays, it was so normalized, they even called it the Age of Stabilization.
People had adjusted to hunters, monsters, and dungeons.
Some had even developed a kind of danger immunity—when dungeons appeared, YouTubers and journalists would flock in to film them.
“Hey! Control the crowd better!”
“You can’t come in here! This is private property! You could be charged with trespassing!”
“I said I’m going in! Who are you to stop me?!”
“We have the right to report on dungeon incidents! This is a violation of our rights!”
Hunter Association Team Leader Han Taemin, dispatched to contain the sudden dungeon appearance, rubbed his temples.
His face was visibly contorted with frustration.
“A dungeon appears out of nowhere—”
Yes, dungeons appeared randomly, but usually there were signs.
This time, there were none.
“To make matters worse, it’s a Red Grade.”
Among the same ranks, Red Grade meant increased danger.
It meant double the usual team size was required, or members with a higher average rank.
“Someone entered the dungeon… hope they’re okay.”
A worker had apparently gone inside.
Whether it was bravery or stupidity was unclear.
“But this is a mess.”
Han Taemin massaged his face.
This factory was secretly sponsored by the Mir Guild.
It wasn’t public, but industry insiders all knew.
If you weren’t a well-connected hunter, you probably didn’t.
But such people weren’t important anyway.
“They said something about mass-producing enhancers…”
So it’s come to this?
It had good intentions on the surface. But in reality?
“Exploitation, plain and simple.”
No one had intervened—neither the Hunter Association nor major guilds.
Because it hadn’t been worth interfering.
Now, though, it looked like that free pass had expired.
“With a dungeon appearing, this operation’s over.”
The factory manager was in terrible shape.
The employees were in panic—unfit to answer questions.
One younger worker had explained a few things, but it was hard to trust.
“Hmm.”
At that moment, a man with red hair and glasses stepped forward through the crowd.
Cha Jeongwoo.
A B-rank hunter affiliated with the Mir Guild, known for being a “promising” magic-type hunter.
But also known as the Mir Guild’s hatchet man or lapdog, doing their dirty work.
That man now wore a relaxed expression.
“He’s here to cut ties.”
Han Taemin frowned.
Everyone in the industry knew about Mir’s backing of this factory.
If it got out, the guild would face major backlash.
But Jeongwoo’s calm demeanor could only mean one thing—they were burning the bridge.
They’d probably already erased all evidence and links.
“Even used aura-killing magic. Wow.”
Jeongwoo casually glanced around and approached Han Taemin with a friendly smile.
“Long time no see, Team Leader.”
“…Indeed, Mr. Cha Jeongwoo.”
“You’re looking tired.”
“Haha. That’s life as a civil servant.”
Hunters in the Association were technically government workers.
They got tax benefits and a decent salary, but compared to guilds, it was nothing.
They also rarely went into dungeons, so guild hunters called them “cowards.”
“Pfft. Yeah, civil servant.”
‘This son of a bitch…’
Jeongwoo was no different.
Though he was a middling B-rank, his value had been inflated thanks to his role in Mir’s shady operations.
He adjusted his glasses, smirking.
“At Mir Guild, we regret this incident. Fortunately, since the dungeon rights were already sold to the Association, we won’t be held responsible.”
“…Haha. Right.”
So they’re going to let the factory owner take the fall.
Han Taemin clicked his tongue internally.
Jeongwoo turned toward the factory, where the dungeon entrance sat, chained and sealed.
“By the way, someone went in, right? Have they come out?”
“Not yet. It hasn’t been long, and they went in alone.”
“Then it’ll take a miracle.”
No hope in his voice.
And reasonably so.
The factory employees were all low-grade enhancers. Zero combat ability.
If one of them had actually cleared the dungeon, Mir wouldn’t be cutting ties—they’d be recruiting them.
“But that’s impossible.”
Failure was assumed.
Which is why Mir was cutting its losses now.
Dungeon clear rights could be repurchased anyway.
They weren’t wrong.
Who would believe a factory worker—treated like a tool—cleared a dungeon?
Even the Association’s own Han Taemin had no such expectation.
Until—
Whooom!
The dungeon entrance shook.
The chains barring it clanged to the ground.
Dungeons sealed after 10 minutes of entry. If the entrance opened—
“Someone’s coming out?”
Did they really clear it?
Han Taemin’s eyes widened.
But Cha Jeongwoo, more experienced, remained indifferent.
“Probably just used a Return Stone.”
Oh. Right.
Han Taemin swallowed his disappointment.
Buzz!
“Hyung!”
A young man stepped out of the dungeon.
Expressionless, with shaggy hair as if he hadn’t cut it in a while.
Typical factory style. Except—he was taller and better looking than most.
‘Hmm.’
Jeongwoo narrowed his eyes.
The glasses he wore were Scout Glasses, an item.
They displayed the current growth status of someone.
Not their potential—just current stats.
Most hunters never surpassed their awakening level, so this was usually enough.
The number displayed: E.
Mediocre.
“Nothing special.”
Still, surviving a Red Grade gate solo? That was something.
He wasn’t sobbing or crawling. He walked out upright, heavy bag slung over his shoulder.
Looked like he brought something useful.
But that was it.
Being brave didn’t mean much in this world.
What mattered was power.
Potential? Sure.
But everything depended on your starting stats.
Bzzt!
The ‘E’ on the glasses flickered.
Like a static glitch.
What the hell?
Jeongwoo quickly took off and adjusted his glasses.
Still said E.
He shrugged.
“Guess not.”
Sometimes gear malfunctioned too.
Stupid overpriced magic gear.
“…He looks fine. Probably used a Return Stone.”
“Must’ve gotten lucky.”
Han Taemin sighed internally.
A perfect chance to stick it to Mir, gone.
But regrets aside—work was work.
Wearing a professional smile, he approached the young man.
“Hello there. I’m Han Taemin, team leader at the Korean Hunter Association.”
“…Yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Han Eugene.”
Eugene stared at him for a beat before responding slowly.
Han Taemin assumed he was just nervous.
But—
‘This guy died about four years ago.’
Eugene delayed his answer out of shock seeing someone alive who he knew should be dead.
“Did you bring anything out? We can help you sell it.”
“Hmm… what’s the going rate these days?”
He’s got something good.
This should’ve been a low-level staffer’s job.
But manpower was stretched thin. Han Taemin figured he could recruit this guy.
“We usually sell for about 10% above market value.”
“Then—”
Thud!
Eugene dropped his bag.
He mentally counted its contents:
‘Thirty magic stones, four stone spears, two stone axes, and the shaman’s staff—’
All this.
‘E-rank stones go for about 500,000 won each, right?’
If he sold everything, that was a decent haul.
“You want to sell all this?”
“Yes.”
Han Taemin’s face stiffened.
This wasn’t loot someone could’ve gotten by luck.
Just glancing at the spears, they were standard weapons for hobgoblins!
Eugene, as if to emphasize, tipped the bag.
Clatter!
“!!!”
“M-Magic stones?!”
Stones spilled out in a cascade.
Magic stones—only obtainable by defeating monsters!
Everyone’s gaze shifted.
Bringing out this much meant only one thing—he had cleared the dungeon himself.
“With this much… you’re only offering 10% above market?”
“…”
“Well?”
Eugene looked straight ahead—not at Han Taemin, but at someone behind him.
Cha Jeongwoo.
That look—like he knew something.
Cha Jeongwoo’s face tensed.
“These magic stones and items—”
Eugene’s eyes didn’t waver.
They seemed to say:
“So? How much will you pay to shut me up?”
