Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Beep-beep-beep-.

“Yes, Director. We will proceed with the annihilation procedure for one Bulkwang-dong dungeon.”

Jeong Eun-hee of the Seoul Branch External Support Department of the Hunters Association set down her smartphone.

“Destruction Team. Proceed with the operation.”

At Eun-hee’s command, two men who had been standing by moved toward the dungeon.

They pulled equipment from their work bags and began setting it up around the entrance.

“Commencing.”

As the man finished speaking, a blue light emanated from the equipment, and soon after, the dungeon entrance collapsed.

This was the operation to erase the dungeon from this world.

Before a Dungeon Break occurred.

If left unchecked, the mana composing the dungeon would destabilize, triggering a Dungeon Break.

The result? An explosion.

The explosive power varied depending on the dungeon, but in the past, there had been Dungeon Breaks that obliterated entire cities.

The time from a dungeon’s creation to a Dungeon Break is half a month, fifteen days.

In this dungeon’s case, there wasn’t even 30 minutes left.

“Mr. Dojae.”

Eun-hee examined the documents.

It contained Dojae’s ID photo and basic personal information.

‘How should I tell him…’

A part of Eun-hee felt uneasy.

Due to the nature of her work, she often had to deliver news of someone’s death.

Despite her considerable experience, she never grew accustomed to meeting bereaved families.

‘He mentioned having a younger sibling.’

Her cheerful personality meant she got along well with the day-to-day hunters.

She had particularly noticed a man who, despite being an F-rank hunter, consistently participated in dungeon raids.

That man was Lee Do-jae.

‘I should have talked to him more.’

At first, she thought he, being an F-rank hunter, would die in a dungeon soon enough.

That’s why she hadn’t really given him any special attention.

Hunters, being closest to death, don’t easily open up to others.

But Dojae stubbornly survived, and it’s been years since I first came to know him.

Over time, we occasionally—very occasionally—shared conversations, if not deep ones.

But now that Dojae was actually dead, a strange melancholy crept over me.

‘He was weaker than me.’

In truth, Eun-hee is a strong hunter.

Yet she joined the External Support Division.

Because she was afraid of monsters and afraid of blood.

While combat is something a hunter must inevitably face, she transferred to the External Support Team, which mainly handles administrative work, to avoid those battles.

That’s why she was concerned about Dojae, the weakest link.

‘That kind of grit… I could never have it.’

Eun-hee was a woman who knew herself well.

Born into a loving family, she’d lived without want, and after awakening, she’d even gained a good skill.

Having lived without any real hardship, she couldn’t help but become a coward.

“Manager? Aren’t you going?”

Thud.

Crunch-.

Eun-hee stepped on the completely burned-out cigarette butt.

He was dead anyway.

Even if she’s an office worker, she’s still a hunter.

She must remain composed in the face of someone’s death.

“Let’s go.”

***

At that moment.

Do-jae opens his eyes in an unknown place.

“Guh.”

Simultaneously, excruciating pain surged near his heart.

Do-jae clutches his chest and collapses.

Fortunately, after a brief moment, the pain vanished completely in an instant.

“What was that?”

Do-jae tugged at his collar.

Unlike usual, he felt a foreign sensation on one side of his chest.

And there it was, something that made you doubt your own eyes.

It was that very magic stone that had emitted such an intense light.

“Why the magic stone?”

I was struck by a fresh shock.

The magic stone seemed fused with the skin, as if they had always been one.

Like a fingernail attached to the tip of a finger, the skin enveloped the magic stone.

Scratch, scratch.

I tried scraping it off to remove the magic stone.

But it wouldn’t budge at all.

Only red scratch marks appeared on the skin.

I finally gave up trying to remove the stone and decided to assess the situation first.

‘I lost consciousness again.’

Do-jae had lost consciousness twice in a short span.

Worried something might be wrong with his brain, he absentmindedly touched his head.

Fortunately, this time there was no bleeding.

‘First a cave, now a desert?’

A vast expanse of wilderness stretched out before him.

A mountain range stretched far in the distance.

Only a few tall trees and large rocks are visible.

‘Nothing at all.’

After scanning the surroundings for a while, he couldn’t find any sign of human presence.

No roads, no signs, nothing man-made was visible.

Finally, he sat down on a flat rock that seemed comfortable.

And what’s the first thing a modern person would do in this situation?

[5G]

‘So this place is a dungeon too, huh.’

The smartphone network still wouldn’t connect.

An unfamiliar space, an unfamiliar place.

Even so, Dojae calmly reviewed the situation.

Thinking and acting coolly was the best he could do as an F-rank Hunter.

‘A strange temple, the vibrations of the magic stone and armor. And what was that?’

Before losing consciousness.

Something translucent and square that he had squinted at with stinging eyes.

A three-dimensional image, like a hologram, formed in his mind.

‘It definitely said “Quest,” right?’

If it was a quest, only one thing comes to mind.

A task given to a gamer in a game.

‘I wish I could read it properly again.’

But I didn’t know how.

How could he make that hologram reappear?

But the screen reappeared more easily than I expected.

“Quest. View Quest. Quest Progress. Confirm Quest?”

The hologram from before reappeared before his eyes once more.

Clichés always work well.

[Quest]

Category: Main

Content: The test to determine if you truly possess the qualifications begins. Survive within the time limit. (Achievement Rate: 0.22%)

Limit: 6 hours (Time remaining: 5 hours 58 minutes 12 seconds)

Reward: A Space

Failure: Destroy the Golem’s Heart

“Oh…!”

That kind of holographic window you’d expect to see if you’ve ever played an RPG.

In other words, it was a status window.

Dojae examined the status window from every angle for a while.

‘I guess only I can see it.’

The status window remained fixed, unaffected by his field of vision.

It remained open unless he specifically said ‘close’.

He had never heard of any hunter having a quest or holographic status window, so this was visible only to Dojae.

‘Could this be a reawakening?’

Also called dual awakening, reawakening refers to an awakening experienced by only a tiny fraction in the world.

Those who underwent reawakening all ascended to become S-rank Hunters, known as Transhumans.

The reason South Korea currently wields such strong influence on the world stage is thanks to its five S-rank Hunters, two of whom were Reawakened.

“Huh…”

Dojae calmed his excitement and carefully read through the details.

Whether it was reawakening or something else, understanding the quest details came first.

“True qualification, the heart of the golem…”

It was full of incomprehensible phrases.

What kind of qualification test was this suddenly about? And what was this Golem’s Heart that was to be destroyed?

And the reward was said to be a sub-space.

I wonder if it’s referring to inventory space.

Still, one thing was made clear.

“Survive.”

I don’t know what I’m supposed to survive.

A barren, desolate plain.

Not a single living creature was visible on this barren, arid land.

But the time limit was six hours.

Even an ordinary person should be able to survive for about six hours.

“Is it just about enduring?”

A slight unease crept over him.

Do-jae felt a tingling sensation at his temples.

Is it really just a matter of enduring for 6 hours?

And what happens after those six hours? He had no idea.

“I’ll find out eventually.”

Worrying about it wouldn’t yield any conclusions.

After all, he couldn’t even understand the quest window to begin with.

Then, I should just drop the headache-inducing worries and think about something else.

And naturally, his thoughts turned to the game.

‘If there’s a quest, wouldn’t there be information about me too?’

If you asked me to name a few crucial elements when playing a game, the information window would definitely be on the list.

You can’t play a game without knowing your character’s abilities.

Moreover, in today’s gaming market where combat power reigns supreme, the info window is essential for comparing yourself to others.

That’s why Doja thought of the information window.

“My info, check info…”

Pfft.

A new status window unfolds before his eyes.

Adding the word ‘confirm’ seems to trigger some kind of signal.

[Info]

Name: Lee Dojae

Level: 1

Title: Golem Sorcerer

Health: 1000 / Mana: 100

[Stats]

Strength: 10 / Stamina: 10 / Agility: 10 / Spirit: 10 / Resistance: 10

(Points: 0)

[Skills]

Passive: Golem’s Heart Lv Max.

Active: Golem Summon Lv 1.

‘As expected.’

As expected, an information window containing various stats appeared.

It felt strange to see a person quantified like this.

The first thing that caught my eye was the title.

‘Golem Sorcerer…’

Golem.

One type of monster.

An inanimate object powered by mana from magic stones.

They’re often found in dungeons, and if a golem appears, there’s a high chance treasure is nearby.

Therefore, among hunters, it’s sometimes treated as a lucky charm.

‘If you’re a Golem Sorcerer, does that mean you control golems?’

There are hunters who command or control certain beings.

For example, tamers who tame monsters, or necromancers who raise corpses.

Given how diverse the abilities of Awakened ones are, many hunters possessed completely unique skills if you looked hard enough.

But a hunter who summons golems?

In all my years as a hunter, I’d never heard of such a thing.

‘Life and Mana. That’s obvious. Strength, Agility, Constitution… Spirit, Resistance?’

Life and mana were intuitive.

When the numbers hit zero, death.

Strength, Stamina, and Agility were familiar concepts too.

Strength meant raw power, stamina the endurance to sustain that power, and agility signified swiftness.

But Spirit and Resistance were a bit confusing.

Spirit felt like it might be related to mana.

After all, mana is a power separate from the physical.

Resistance, though, was completely beyond my grasp.

Purely based on the word’s meaning, it could be interpreted as a refusal or defiance against some force.

‘I’ll understand once I level it up.’

It’s obvious even without looking.

Level and points.

Connecting those two words, it’s easy to deduce that points are naturally awarded each time you level up.

How many are given and what effect each point has, I’ll find out later.

‘A golem’s heart and a golem summoning skill.’

This is the important part.

An Awakener’s abilities are also called skills.

However, Awakened Ones cannot view their status screen.

Instead, the skills are imprinted in their minds upon awakening.

But for some reason, unlike other Awakened Ones, I couldn’t know anything about the skill.

“Skill, Golem’s Heart confirmed.”

If you’re curious, you can just check it out.

[Skill]

Skill Name: Golem’s Heart

Level: Max

Type: Passive

Description: The Golem’s Heart is the most crucial core that powers the golem. It will be destroyed if subjected to a strong physical impact or if all mana is depleted. If the Golem’s Heart is destroyed, you will die.

Effect: None

Mana Cost: None

‘This must be what he meant.’

Dojae looked at his chest once more.

The spot where the heart should be.

A magic stone was embedded right above it.

Tap tap.

He tapped it lightly with his finger.

It felt oddly unsettling to think this was his heart.

“Skill, Golem Summon confirmed.”

[Skill]

Skill Name: Golem Summon

Level: 1

Type: Active

Description: Summons a golem. Summoning a golem requires a core nucleus and materials to form its exterior. The golem’s properties are influenced by the skill level.

Effect: None

Mana Cost: 10

‘Anyway, let’s focus on the quest for now.’

The quest mentions stealing a heart.

Whether it’s the heart of a thief or a golem, losing it means death.

And you only need to stay here for a short six hours.

‘But it said to survive.’

The quest didn’t say to spend the time limit; it said to survive.

There must be something else.

And then.

As if confirming Dojae’s thoughts were correct, a sharp whistling sound echoed.

Whoosh-!

A strong gust of wind swept past overhead.

Then came an unpleasant scream.

“Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Looking up at the sky, Dojae instantly recognized the source of the sound.

“Harpy!”

A monster with the body of a large bird and a human face.

It let out a sharp cry from its protruding beak and gaping mouth.

The creature, grotesque enough to make one’s hair stand on end, circled the sky, targeting Dojae.

‘So this is what they mean by surviving the monsters.’

Dojae recalled the quest details.

He readjusted his stance and clenched his jaw tightly.