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Chapter : 8. Finishing Sword Life and Starting Life (6)
It was said that F-rank dungeons without a boss-type monster didn’t bring in much money, so there weren’t many people who actively sought them out.
Sometimes, the revenue from selling byproducts didn’t even cover the cost of the dungeon clearance permit, resulting in losses.
“Alone, I won’t be running a deficit. Right now, I need to focus on growth. As long as I’m not in the red, it’s fine.”
Having made his decision, he picked up his phone.
He accessed the Dungeon Management Office app, <K.D.M.A>, and applied for the clearance rights for two F-rank dungeons that had appeared in Hanam City.
The clearance permit for an F-rank dungeon cost one million won. For two dungeons, that made two million won—but the money found in the pockets of the assault team that died in the sealed site, along with the pay he received today as a helper, was enough to cover it.
The next day, he headed to an F-rank dungeon near the entrance of Geomdansan.
Alone, he stood before the dungeon, while a supervisor kept rambling on about the dangers of dungeons. Then he stepped through the gate.
Whoosh.
As he was pulled into the gate, his vision flipped, and after a moment, he found himself inside the dungeon.
“Is this a plain?”
It was a wide, grassy field covered in green.
No other terrain was visible, and no monsters were in sight.
“It’s an F-rank dungeon, so it shouldn’t be very large.”
That was his judgment based on his experience with E-rank dungeons and the information he had seen on the <Dungeon Mate> app.
After choosing a direction, he started walking without hesitation.
“I just have to kill everything anyway.”
That was why he moved forward without hesitation.
As expected, it didn’t take long before he spotted a monster.
It was a rabbit hiding in tall grass.
“Is that a Cone?”
A giant rabbit-type monster called a “Bislabbit” on Earth, known for its sharp front teeth that made it dangerous.
“As long as I avoid its charging bite, it shouldn’t be too hard.”
Recalling its straightforward attack pattern, he prepared for battle.
His weapon was a small dagger used for collecting byproducts.
“If I had a bit more money, I would’ve bought a machete…”
Since he had spent nearly all his savings to buy the clearance permits, he regretted his lack of proper equipment.
“I’ll buy a weapon once I get out.”
Perhaps sensing the dagger’s sharpness, the monster, which had been watching him closely, suddenly charged.
It was faster than expected, but he didn’t panic. He twisted his body halfway, trying to dodge the charge with a simple rotation.
The moment he turned—
Thud.
Thump.
He was knocked over and sprawled onto the ground in an embarrassing heap.
“Faster than I thought?”
The Cone’s charge exceeded his expectations, and Shin Hyun-woo’s body couldn’t react in time.
Angered by not landing a clean hit, the monster bared its sharp teeth and distorted its face before charging again.
Thud. Thump.
Again, he failed to fully dodge and ended up falling back.
The attacks continued repeatedly, and each time he was knocked down. But during that process, his body gradually began adapting to the Cone’s speed.
“Let’s move a little earlier.”
This time, he didn’t just dodge.
He twisted his body to evade the charge and drove the dagger in his hand toward its neck.
It was a simple attack—but the result was decisive.
Stab. Thump.
The creature, stabbed in the neck, lost all strength and collapsed, dying instantly.
“Finally got it.”
Even though it was an F-rank dungeon, Shin Hyun-woo’s body had to roll on the ground just to kill a single monster.
“How much will assimilation rate increase?”
Now it was time to absorb its soul.
“Spirit Transposition.”
As he repeated the name of the ability, his body began drawing in the surrounding souls.
Ding.
[Monster soul ‘Cone (F)’ has been absorbed.]
[Magic power has increased slightly.]
[Assimilation rate has increased slightly.]
[Current assimilation rate: 8.51%.]
[Due to the increase in assimilation rate, your body has been slightly strengthened.]
Following the mechanical sound, an unfamiliar female voice informed him of the increase in magic power and assimilation rate.
“Only 0.01%?”
As announced, the assimilation rate had increased only marginally.
“So I need to hunt a hundred of these Cones just to raise it by 1%?”
An F-rank dungeon usually had around 30 monsters. That meant he would need to clear three or four F-rank dungeons just to gain 1%.
“No need to rush. I have time.”
He was a human mage who knew a way to replace the heart of magic power itself.
Since he had already grasped future strength, he could afford to be calm in the present.
“Let’s collect the byproducts and keep hunting.”
From the creature known as Bislabbit (Cone), the obtainable byproducts were its powerful front teeth and liver.
The teeth were used for weapon crafting, and the liver had recently been reported to improve human liver function, causing its value to skyrocket.
After pulling out the teeth and dissecting the body to collect the liver, he moved on to his next target.
“I’ve adapted to the speed now.”
As if confirming the message echoing in his head, his body had indeed grown sturdier. Even after multiple collisions with monsters, not a single bone broke.
He had also adapted to the Cone’s speed, so future hunts should be easier.
But he soon realized how naïve that thought was.
Three pairs of red eyes were staring at him from another patch of grass.
“Huff… huff…”
His breath became ragged, rising to his throat.
The simultaneous charge of three Cones shut down his ability to think. He was tossed left and right, rolling on the ground for a long time before finally managing to stab their necks with his dagger.
Only after catching his breath for a while could he move again.
Before collecting the byproducts, he absorbed their souls.
Ding.
[Monster soul ‘Cone (F)’ has been absorbed.]
[Monster soul ‘Cone (F)’ has been absorbed.]
[Monster soul ‘Cone (F)’ has been absorbed.]
[Magic power has increased slightly.]
[Assimilation rate has increased slightly.]
[Current assimilation rate: 8.54%.]
[Due to the increase in assimilation rate, your body has been slightly strengthened.]
“Same as expected… still only 0.01%.”
A small hope was crushed, but he quickly accepted it and reignited his determination.
The dungeon raids continued.
As he hunted dozens of Cones, he was gradually adapting to combat. But whenever he faced multiple monsters, he still ended up rolling on the ground.
“Once I get out, I should learn swordsmanship or something.”
Various weapon techniques and martial skills used by countless contractors came to mind.
If he learned something suitable from those memories, dungeon clearing would become much easier.
Stab. Rip.
Vwoom.
Another Cone collapsed, and a blue portal opened in the empty space.
“So this was the last one.”
The gate leading back to reality had opened, but there was still something left to do.
“Spirit Transposition.”
Ding.
[Monster soul ‘Cone (F)’ has been absorbed.]
[Magic power has increased slightly.]
[Assimilation rate has increased slightly.]
[Current assimilation rate: 8.85%.]
[Due to the increase in assimilation rate, your body has been slightly strengthened.]
The number of Cones hunted in this dungeon was 35 in total.
He carefully packed 70 front teeth and 35 livers before returning to reality.
He handed over basic dungeon information to the supervisor waiting for clearance, and sold all the byproducts to the Hunter Association staff.
“After tax, the total is 1,120,000 won. I’ll deposit it to your account right away.”
Even though Cone liver prices had surged, they were still just F-rank monster byproducts in the end.
After subtracting the clearance cost, he had only earned 120,000 won.
“I understand now why they say you need two or three people, and that even with a helper, it becomes a loss.”
Since he hunted alone without a helper and also handled all the collection work himself, even making 120,000 won was fortunate.
“For now, there’s no helping it.”
After greeting the staff, he moved on to the next dungeon.
Hanam City Hall underground parking lot.
Dungeons appeared anywhere.
They could manifest on city streets, in parks, apartment complexes, subway stations—anywhere. But strangely, they were less likely to appear in rarely visited places.
It was almost as if they deliberately manifested in places where people lived.
This dungeon was in the underground parking lot of the city hall, a place used by many citizens.
Although it was an F-rank dungeon, entry was prohibited due to the danger of a “break.”
After showing his hunter registration, he entered the parking lot, where a supervisor from the Dungeon Management Control Bureau greeted him.
“You’re Hunter Shin Hyun-woo, right? Citizens are complaining nonstop about when the parking lot will reopen. Please hurry. If this drags on, even the mayor might come down to complain.”
Because it was a heavily used place, complaints from citizens were piling up, and the supervisor looked anxious.
“Hunter-nim, please hurry inside. Clear it quickly. Of course, don’t get hurt. Haha.”
He awkwardly smiled, as if embarrassed by his own urgency.
Leaving the supervisor behind, he stepped through the gate.
Whoosh.
Inside, the dungeon was a subterranean waterway.
“What an unpleasant place.”
It was a tunnel-type dungeon stretching far ahead, so he moved forward without hesitation.
Zzt. Zzzt.
Soon, he encountered the dungeon’s inhabitants.
They were rat-shaped monsters—Big Mouse.
Known as “Tara” in continental terms, they attacked using powerful front teeth and a highly elastic tail.
“I’ll have to approach while blocking that swinging tail.”
The creature was only about 50 cm in size, but its tail stretched nearly 2 meters, creating a severe range disadvantage for someone using a dagger.
Zzzt.
While he was thinking, the attack began.
The creature twisted its body and swung its tail, and with a whooshing sound, the elastic tail shot toward him.
Whoosh.
There was no time to think.
Only one option remained.
Thump.
He quickly leaned his body backward.
Whoooosh.
The tail narrowly passed over his head—but the attack wasn’t over.
The monster rotated forward, swinging its tail again toward the fallen him.
Thud.
He rolled sideways in haste, narrowly avoiding it.
The sound of the tail striking the ground echoed loudly, and the attacks continued without pause.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
He was covered in dust from rolling across the ground, but he couldn’t stop.
If he paused even for a moment, the tail would smash into his head or torso.
He moved—again and again—without a chance to breathe.
Thud. Thud.
But he wasn’t just dodging.
Bit by bit, he was closing the distance.
“Just a little more… just a little more…”
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Stab.
Screech!
Thud.
At last, the long-awaited moment arrived.
While evading another strike, he rolled forward and drove his dagger into the monster’s neck as it prepared its next attack.
With a piercing scream, it collapsed, bleeding out, and stopped moving.
“Harder than the Cone…”
The giant rat’s tail attacks were more dangerous than the giant rabbit’s charges.
But the raid was only just beginning.
“Spirit Transposition.”
Ding.
[Monster soul ‘Tara (F)’ has been absorbed.]
[Magic power has increased slightly.]
[Assimilation rate has increased slightly.]
[Current assimilation rate: 8.86%.]
[Due to the increase in assimilation rate, your body has been slightly strengthened.]
He absorbed the monster’s soul to increase magic power and assimilation rate, and did not forget to collect byproducts.
Swish. Swish.
He pulled out its teeth and cut off its tail, stuffing them into his bag.
Then he began walking again.
Toward the end of the dungeon.
