Chapter 1:

"Do you really like ants that much?"

At Hankuk University Art Museum, painting major teaching assistant Lim Dogyoon made a disgusted face as he looked at Suho’s work. Ant paintings were plastered all over one wall of the exhibition hall. Various kinds of sketches, including oil paintings and watercolors. The types were diverse, and the appearances of the ants were also varied. Teaching Assistant Lim attached the nameplate he brought to the wall below.

[Hankuk University Painting Department Assignment Exhibition]

[3rd Year Sung Suho]

"If we gathered all the ants you’ve drawn since you were a freshman, it would fill a truck. Why didn’t you go to the Department of Entomology instead of the Art?"

"I thought about it, but there was no separate ant specialization."

"You only like ants, not other insects?"

"Yes. I’ve liked ants since I was young. When I saw a line of them, I would walk carefully so as not to step on them..."

"You liked them since you were young? Well, at least your taste is consistent." Teaching Assistant Lim chuckled and continued to look around Suho’s paintings. Then he suddenly stopped.

"This one looks a little different." There was a humanoid ant painted with black shadows blazing.

"Hmm. The movement is dynamic and good. Did you draw a magical beast?"

"A magical beast? No way. It’s just an ant that appeared in my dreams when I was young."

"Haha. You’re something else. You even dream about ants? How young were you?"

"Before the Cataclysm."

The Cataclysm. It was a term that referred to the apocalyptic crisis that suddenly came to Earth two years ago. Mysterious Gates appeared all over the world and terrifying magical beasts poured out from within, invading Earth. But fortunately, a very small number of people awakened to supernatural abilities, and humanity was able to barely overcome the crisis. That was just two years ago. When Suho was just twenty years old, a freshman in college. However the time when he had those ’ant dreams’ was much earlier, during middle and high school.

"Anyway, you’re a strange one." Teaching Assistant Lim chuckled and looked at Suho’s painting again.

"But you really draw well. It feels like it’s going to jump out of the painting and bite me. Seriously, I mean your painting is that vivid." Suho laughed inwardly at those words.

’It has to be.’

He wasn’t exaggerating; the ant in the painting was his nightmare itself. It was a monster that appeared in his dreams during puberty and tried to kill him.

’...Looking back, it was a truly terrible dream.’

Suho recalled...

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

In that dream, Suho had to fight a life-or-death battle against monsters for no reason. Armored knights and ant legions endlessly blocking his path, and later even giant dragons. He leveled up like in a game when he killed those monsters. And if he died, it was a reset. He had to go back to the beginning and start everything over from level 1. The only way to escape that dream was to somehow survive and reach the last room. And after endlessly fighting like that, he barely managed to reach the end, but absurdly, the final boss’s face...

’Resembled my father.’

Suho smiled bitterly, thinking that it was truly just a teenage dream. But at some point, he stopped having those dreams.

’That was probably... around that time.’

Yes, it was the summer of his first year of high school, to be exact. After his parents went missing, Suho’s peaceful daily life crumbled.

* * *

Around that time, an ominous thing appeared in a corner of the museum building.

"You left it here?"

"Yes, senior. The teaching assistant said he kept it here."

Creak

The painting major students opened the storage room door to collect the exhibits. And their eyes widened as they saw ’it’ inside.

"Huh?"

Crackle! Crackle!

A pitch-black hole was on the wall.

"Ugh! It’s a Gate?!"

"Report it quickly!"

The students backed away in a panic. They were about to report about the situation with trembling hands, but their senior hurriedly stopped them.

"Calm down! It’s clearly a closed Gate!"

"Ah, you’re right. The blue mist isn’t flowing out yet."

"Yes. It’s still too early for a dungeon break."

"Haa. That was a close one."

The students breathed a sigh of relief as they grasped the situation. Dungeon break was a term that referred to the phenomenon of magical beasts pouring out of a Gate. But it didn’t happen immediately after a Gate was created. First, ’blue mist’ flowed out and contaminated the surroundings, and only then would the entrance unseal and the magical beasts come out.

"So it’s still safe. Heh."

"S-senior. Why are you laughing like that? It’s still dangerous, so let’s report it quickly."

"You fools. Haven’t you heard the rumor? You can become an Awakened if you inhale the blue mist?"

"Ah!" The juniors’ ears perked up at the senior’s words.

No one knew what exactly the blue mist was. But there was a rumor that had been spreading like an urban legend on the internet for a while. It claimed that the mist was actually vaporized magic power, and if you inhaled it, even an ordinary person could awaken.

"Isn’t that just a baseless rumor?"

"It hasn’t been proven false..."

"Hmm."

"Heh. So let’s confirm it ourselves this time. Who knows? Maybe an S-rank Hunter will appear among us?"

"...!"

The juniors’ eyes changed at the senior’s words. The astronomical amount of money earned by S-rank Hunters came to mind. The corpses of magical beasts and dungeon ores became sought-after as new materials, Hunters were able to gather all these resources, so they were seen as a symbol of success and wealth. However it had only been two years since the Cataclysm. The method for awakening magical power remained a mystery.

"Besides, you guys know that Teaching Assistant Lim is an E-rank Awakened, right?"

"I’ve heard that. He always complains that he can’t earn money because he’s an E-rank Hunter. That’s why he works as a teaching assistant during the semester."

"Tsk tsk. You don’t know anything. That’s a deception, you punk. Do you have any idea how much he earns just by entering the dungeon as a miner, not even a raider?"

"How much does he earn?"

The senior whispered as if revealing a great secret, and the juniors’ eyes widened.

"What? He earns that much?"

"Even though he’s an E-rank?"

"Yes, you punk. Even the lowest-ranked Hunters earn that much if they’re lucky. Are you really going to miss this opportunity? Huh?"

"Wow, Hunters are the best after all. But why is the teaching assistant still clinging to the school if he earns that much?"

"He earns money in the dungeon and spends it lavishly when doing art. And he gets a lot of exhibition opportunities by working in the teaching assistant’s office."

"That’s amazing."

The income of an E-rank was much more persuasive than the possibility of S-rank awakening, which was rarer than winning the lottery. Eventually, the juniors subtly lowered the hands that were holding their phones at their senior’s continuous persuasion.

"Well, hmm. They say it’s safe for a while even if the blue mist flows out..."

"Th-then should we wait a little bit? Just for a bit?"

"You guys are finally getting it. Life is all about taking chances. If we just take a sip as soon as the mist comes out and then report it, there won’t be any danger."

* * *

A while later, dark blue mist finally began to seep out of the Gate.

Thud!

The building suddenly shook.

’Hmm?’

Suho, who was in the exhibition hall, looked up.

’What? Is it an earthquake?’

Something was strange. It felt like space itself was shaking. But Suho was the only one who felt the change. No one else in the exhibition hall noticed. It was then...

"Ugh."

A student walked into the exhibition hall. Teaching Assistant Lim, who was near the entrance, approached him and spoke.

"Young-chul, I told you to go to the storage room, what took you so long..."

"I-I... warned them."

"...Young-chul?"

"B-but the senior..."

"Park Young-chul?"

"The sm...oke."

’Something’s wrong.’

Teaching Assistant Lim’s expression hardened as he saw Young-chul’s condition up close. His pupils were dilated and unfocused, And his mouth was muttering incomprehensible words.

"Park Young-chul? What’s in your mouth?" At Teaching Assistant Lim’s question, Young-chul finally realized his state.

Whoosh.

Blue smoke was seeping out of his mouth and nose.

"Th-this... isn’t right. Ugh."

Young-chul panicked and covered his mouth with his hand. But that only made more smoke seep through his fingers. And then...

Flare—!

With a surge of heat, blue fire engulfed Young-chul’s body.

"Teaching Assistant!" Suho, who was running from behind, grabbed Teaching Assistant Lim’s body.

"Kugh! H-hot...!"

"...!"

Teaching Assistant Lim, who stepped back, widened his eyes. Young-chul’s body was burning, enveloped in blue smoke.

"Kyaaaaa!"

"Wh-what is that!" The students nearby screamed in terror as they witnessed the horrifying sight.

Wail—!

A chilling siren suddenly blared from the school speakers.

[Emergency!]

The students began to murmur at the sudden sound.

[A Gate has appeared on school grounds!]

"...?!"

"A-a Gate?"

[The current location of the Gate is the art museum building...!]

"Shit! That’s here!"

"Uwaaa!"

"Kyaaaaa!"

The chaos intensified. The students began to run in a panic. Having witnessed someone burning to death right before their eyes, they felt indescribable fear. However, that was not the only problem. Young-chul’s body was burning right in the middle of the exhibition hall’s entrance. They had to pass by him to get outside.

Flare—!

One of the students who ran ahead faltered at the intense heat.

’Is there another exit...?’

He hurriedly looked around, but there wasn’t one. There was only one exit. And while the students were panicking...

[Graaaa...]

Something unbelievable happened.

"Huh?"

"Wh-what’s happening?"

Young-chul’s body, which had turned into charcoal, was getting up again. Enveloped in blue mist.

"W-wait. Is that...?" Teaching Assistant Lim’s eyes widened.

"It’s a magical beast! Get away from there!" He shouted urgently.

[Kraaaaaaaaa!]

But it was too late. The blue mist magical beast, using Young-chul’s body as a wick, swung its arm like a whip.

Crash—!

"Aak!"

The students’ bodies were thrown to the ground, coughing up blood. And as the blue mist clung to their clothes, their bodies also began to burn.

"Uwaak! Fire! Fire!"

"Kyaaaaa!"

The students scattered in terror. Screams filled the air.

"Oh my god. It really was a Mist Burn..."

Teaching Assistant Lim hurriedly took out his phone. A Mist Burn wasn’t something an E-rank like him could handle alone. Suho asked urgently as he sent a request for backup,

"Mist Burn? What kind of magical beast is that?"

"If you’re hit by that guy..." Teaching Assistant Lim gritted his teeth.

"You’ll turn into the same thing."

[Kraaaa!]

Just then, the bodies of the students attacked by the Mist Burn rose again, burning with blue flames.

Chapter 2:

"Aaaaa!"

The situation was dire. Screams echoed everywhere. The emergency alarm blared incessantly. The Mist Burns, having multiplied in number, continued to claim new victims.

"At this rate, we’ll all end up like that!" Teaching Assistant Lim shouted. A Mist Burn wasn’t a monster he could handle at his level. Moreover, it triggered his deepest trauma.

Dash!

"Huh? Teaching Assistant! Where are you going?!" Suho was startled. The only Hunter here, Mr. Lim, was running away!

Teaching Assistant Lim, narrowly dodging the Mist Burn’s attacks, escaped the exhibition hall alone. Should he follow him? After a brief moment of hesitation, Suho moved, but in the opposite direction. He ran to the corner of the room and grabbed a fire extinguisher.

’I don’t know if this will work...’ He couldn’t bring himself to abandon the others and run away. Suho ran towards the Mist Burns with the fire extinguisher.

PSSSSSH—!

White powder sprayed out, covering the monsters.

[Graaaaaaaaah!]

Of course, it wouldn’t cause significant damage since it was a non-magical attack. But this much was enough to temporarily suppress their firepower.

’This is good enough for now.’

Suho, relieved that the fire extinguisher was effective, continued spraying the other Mist Burns.

PSSSSSH—!

[Graaaaaah!]

[Kraaaaaaaaa!]

He looked around in the meantime.

"Are you okay?"

Suho found a collapsed friend and helped him up.

"Ugh."

His colleague’s face was covered in tears and snot.

"Hey, snap out of it!"

Suho shook his body, but his eyes were still unfocused.

Slap! Slap!

He slapped his face to bring him back to his senses.

"S-Suho?" His friend’s eyes finally focused.

’Did he sprain his ankle?’ Suho’s gaze subtly shifted downwards.

"Let’s get out of here first."

Suho lifted his friend and carried him on his back. Thanks to the fire extinguisher, the Mist Burns’ movements were temporarily impaired. This was their only chance to escape.

"Sob. W-what about the Teaching Assistant?" His friend asked tearfully.

Everyone in the painting major knew that Teaching Assistant Lim was a Hunter. But he was nowhere to be seen in this critical situation.

"He was requesting backup from the Hunter Association earlier."

’The guy’s already scared.’ There was no need to mention that he ran away after that.

A sigh of relief escaped his friend’s lips. They got out of the exhibition hall but it wasn’t over yet. Rather, it was even more chaotic outside.

Flare—!

[Kraaaaaaaaaaa—!]

’They weren’t just in the exhibition hall.’ Suho bit his lip. It seemed like the entire art museum was swarming with Mist Burns.

’They say it’s a multiplying magical beast. This is really terrible.’ He thought they would be fine once they escaped the exhibition hall, but...

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaa!"

"S-save me...!"

"When are the Hunters coming?!"

Students were huddled together, trembling in fear. The Hankuk University Art Museum had a simple layout, Stairs and an elevator. But Mist Burns were swarming in all the passages.

’People will be in danger if we go this way.’ Suho quickly assessed the situation.

The escape routes were all blocked, and the magical beasts were increasing in number. He didn’t know what the terrified people would do. Jumping out the window was also a bad idea, if they recklessly ran out and turned into magical beasts, it would only worsen the situation.

’Wouldn’t it be better if I at least gave them a way to protect themselves?’ Suho raised the fire extinguisher and shouted,

"Everyone! Look here!" Some of the frightened people looked at him.

"There’s a way to fight the monsters!"

"...!"

Even more people turned their heads at those words. And they saw the fire extinguisher in Suho’s hand.

"I-I see!"

"Right! With a fire extinguisher...!"

"We can kill the monsters!" A light returned to the people’s unfocused eyes.

Suho was embarrassed. ’Ah, we can’t kill them with it. But does it matter? The important thing is that I gave people hope.’ Everyone scattered, desperately searching for fire extinguishers.

"F-found it!"

"Me too!"

Those who found fire extinguishers cheered. At the same time, those who weren’t able to find any turned pale. There couldn’t be that many on one floor, but this much was enough. Suho shouted at them,

"Not everyone needs to have one! Those with fire extinguishers, follow me!"

"Eek."

Those holding fire extinguishers had dismayed expressions. Now they were the ones who had to fight on the front lines. Suho led the way and aimed the ’weapon’ at the Mist Burns.

PSSSSSH—!

Actions spoke louder than words.

[Graaaaaaaaah!]

The Mist Burn’s firepower noticeably weakened. And People’s faces brightened.

"I-it’s working!"

"Okay! Me too!"

PSSSSSH—!

Fire extinguishers began to spray from their hands, now filled with confidence.

"Alright! Let’s push through like this!" Suho continued to lead the way, pushing back the Mist Burns. And people carefully followed behind him, going down the stairs. It was then...

[Kraaaaaaaaa!]

The problem was that Mist Burns were also coming from behind.

"Uwaaa!"

"There are more behind us!"

The people who were barely calming down panicked again. They rushed down the stairs in terror.

Thud Thud—!

Suho gritted his teeth. ’We’re almost there.’ If he left them like this, they would all tumble down the stairs. Suho put down his friend and said,

"You can go alone from here, right?"

"Uh? What are you going to do?" His friend looked at him with a worried face.

Suho shouted to the people holding fire extinguishers with a determined expression, "I’ll take care of the back, so those in front, please clear the way!"

"A-alright!"

Suho turned around and went back up the stairs.

’I don’t know what I’m doing.’ A non-Awakened person acting like a Hunter. But he couldn’t help it. His body moved before he could think.

PSSSSSH—!

[Graaaaaaaaah!]

Suho’s fire extinguisher attacked the Mist Burns coming from behind. But then it stopped abruptly.

"...Hmm?"

[Graa?]

The powder that was spraying out stopped. And at the same time, the Mist Burn’s that was being pushed back, and Suho’s eyes met awkwardly in the air.

"Haa." Suho laughed in frustration.

"I’m screwed."

[...Kraaaaaaaaa!] The Mist Burn lunged at him.

Flare—!

The blue flame engulfed him. He was about to be turned into a new Mist Burn. But...

Whoosh—!

[...?!]

At that moment, The Mist Burn faced it. The deep abyss that lay dormant within Suho. The creature, born from the remnants of magic power, was a weak being that only acted on instinct. But at the same time, it was a troublesome magical beast that could become endlessly stronger and increase the number of its clones as long as it had enough fuel.

Then what was the best fuel...?

Living beings. And among them, humans, who had abundant life force, were the best fuel that burned like dry firewood. In that sense, Suho was the perfect prey for the Mist Burn. But...

Whoosh—!

The moment it engulfed his body, The Mist Burn was completely devoured by the jet-black abyss hidden within Suho.

[...Kraa?]

The bewildered creature looked around. An endless abyss stretching in all directions. And someone was staring at it from the deepest part of the abyss. The Mist Burn bristled its blue smoke and growled ferociously.

[Kraaa! Kraa! Kraa...?]

But no matter how much it roared, all that came back was an empty echo. And then the Mist Burn suddenly realized. It wasn’t someone in the abyss, but the vast darkness itself, filling the surroundings, looking down at it. And even drooling as if looking at delicious food.

[Kyaaaak?!]

The abyss opened its mouth wide towards the Mist Burn that was startled and tried to escape.

Gulp—

Whoosh!

"...Huh?" Suho had a puzzled expression.

The Mist Burn that was attacking him suddenly dissipated into the air.

Crackle!

The human body that was its wick turned to ash and crumbled on the spot. It was then...

[Mist Burn has been defeated.]

[You have met the completion conditions for Secret Quest: ’Courage of the weak’.]

"...What?" Suho’s eyes widened at the messages that suddenly appeared.

[Level Up!]

Flash—!

A brilliant light engulfed Suho’s entire body.

* * *

Suho’s friend, Kim Dae-hyun, barely managed to escape the art museum.

Thud!

His legs, on which he had been walking with a limp, lost all their strength the moment he got outside. Dae-hyun’s gaze, as he collapsed in front of the art museum, instinctively searched for Suho.

"S-Suho? Have you seen Suho?"

"Who’s that? Ah, that friend from earlier?"

People remembered the student who fought with a fire extinguisher. But Suho was nowhere to be seen. Someone spoke hesitantly,

"I saw him going back up to take care of the rear..."

"D-don’t tell me..."

"He hasn’t come out yet?"

People murmured. And someone muttered with a hopeful voice,

"But he’s a Hunter, so he’ll be fine, right?"

"Suho is not a Hunter!" Dae-hyun shouted urgently.

Those words were even more shocking.

"What? He’s not a Hunter?"

"How could he... if he’s not even a Hunter?!"

Their gazes simultaneously turned towards the art museum. Suho... still hadn’t come out. Just then, the Hunters who received the report arrived.

"Here!"

It was the Teaching Assistant Lim, who ran away first, who brought the Hunters. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw those who escaped the art museum safely.

’Haa, thank goodness. It seems everyone managed to escape.’ He tried to convince himself that he chose the best option as an E-rank Hunter, but seeing the people, he felt guilty for being cowardly.

"But how did you all get out?" The Hunters who came with Teaching Assistant Lim looked at the people with puzzled expressions. So many survivors despite the Mist Burns appearing in that isolated space? It was fortunate, but they were curious about how it happened.

"There’s still someone who hasn’t escaped!" Dae-hyun shouted with an urgent expression.

"Suho is still...!"

"Suho...? Suho is still inside?" Teaching Assistant Lim was startled and turned towards the art museum.

"We would have all died if it weren’t for Suho!" Everyone’s expressions turned somber at Dae-hyun’s tearful words.

The Hunters asked in confusion, "Is that Suho a Hunter? What’s his rank?"

"...He’s an ordinary person."

"What? An ordinary person, how...?"

It was the moment when the Hunters were about to ask for more details.

Rumble—!

An ominous tremor came from the art museum building.

"...!"

Everyone’s heads turned towards it simultaneously. An ominous magic power was surging over the structure.

"Oh dear. Has the erosion begun?"

Chapter 3: 3

The erosion was a phenomenon where the blue mist flowing from the Gate contaminated the surroundings. The area tainted by the magic power from another dimension transformed into an environment suitable for magical beasts to live in. If the world beyond the Gate was called a ’dungeon’, the contaminated area around the Gate was called a ’field-type dungeon.’ In any case, a place polluted like this was no different from a dungeon, and considering that, the Hankuk University Art Museum was practically a land of death.

"It seems that student..." The Hunter’s voice trailed off.

But everyone could guess what came next.

* * *

Meanwhile, Suho...

[Level Up!]

’This... is that...’

Something unbelievable happened. Letters were floating in the air. The level-up system, which he only saw in his dreams a long time ago, appeared in reality.

’Oh my god. Is this a dream again?’

No. This definitely wasn’t a dream! The vivid sensation of reality proved that. Besides, the moment the level-up message appeared, the accumulated fatigue disappeared. Even the minor injuries from the Mist Burns were completely healed. But what was this...?

[You have met the completion conditions for Secret Quest: ’Courage of the Weak’.]

[You have unread messages.]

The level-up system he experienced in his dreams only showed the level, and there were no separate messages like that. This felt more serious. As Suho looked at the notifications, the message box automatically opened.

[You have two unread messages.]

[Congratulations on becoming a ’Player’ in reality.] (Unread)

[A quest has appeared.] (Unread)

’Player... in reality?’ He checked the first message.

[Secret Quest: Courage of the Weak]

[You have proven your worth by gaining experience points in a non-Awakened state.]

[You advanced from level 0 to level 1, and you can now check your status window.]

[Information:]

[This system supports the ’Player’s’ growth.]

[This is not ’Tutorial Mode’. Please note that you only have one life in the real world.]

’Tutorial mode? Is it referring to that dream?’ Suho instinctively realized that the dreams he had during puberty were all practice matches. The real competition started now. And just like in a real game, features that weren’t supported in the tutorial were added. For example, that ’status window’

[Status Window]

[Name: Sung Suho]

[Level: 1]

[Job: None]

[Title: None]

[HP: 100/100]

[MP: 10/10]

[Stats]

[Strength: 10]

[Stamina: 10]

[Agility: 10]

[Intelligence: 10]

[Sense: 10]

(Available stat points: 0)

[Skills]

[Passive Skills: None]

[Active Skills: Ruler’s Authority Lv.1]

Suho’s information was briefly displayed in the status window. Just like in a game. He immediately checked the next message.

[Quest: Rescue the Survivors]

[There are people near you waiting to be rescued.]

[Rescue as many of them as possible.]

[Rewards vary depending on the number of people rescued. - Current number of survivors: 52]

[Number rescued: 0]

’Rewards vary depending on the number of people rescued?’ The second one was a quest window. This quest was also a system he had never experienced in his dreams. This really felt like a game...

But this was reality.

People were continuously dying even at this moment.

[Current number of survivors: 52 → 51]

[Current number of survivors: 51 → 50]

Suho suddenly came to his senses as he looked at the status window. It was then...

[Graaaaaaaaah!]

’Ah!’

He was too focused on the status window. A Mist Burn had approached him and was attacking.

"Oh no!" Suho instinctively swung his arm.

Thud—!

And something amazing happened.

[Kraaa!]

The Mist Burn, hit by Suho’s fist, groaned and was thrown back.

"...Huh?"

He was greatly surprised as he looked at his own hand. It wasn’t hot, even though he punched those blazing blue flames with his bare fist. Just then, another Mist Burn lunged from behind. Suho threw another punch without hesitation.

Thud—!

[Kraaa!]

It was the same this time as well. The Mist Burn was helplessly thrown back by an ordinary attack.

[Graaa?]

The Mist Burn seemed bewildered too. This was clearly an insignificant human, but it hurt so much when it was hit. Nevertheless the monster was a being that moved only on instinct.

[Kraaaaaaaaa!]

At the Mist Burn’s scream, all the surrounding monsters flocked towards Suho. But he didn’t waver in the slightest at that threatening sight, because he realized that they weren’t much of a threat to him now. It was time for a counterattack.

Thud—!

Suho charged towards them without hesitation.

Thud—! Thud Thud Thud—!

[Kraaa!]

[Graaaaaaaaah!]

It was completely different from a typical raid. Originally, hunters should calmly assess the monster’s strength, have the tanker block the front, and then have the dealer attack. But Suho ignored all that and just swung his fists, wrestling with the magical beasts. Nevertheless the effect was undeniable.

[Mist Burn has been defeated!]

[Mist Burn has been defeated!]

[Mist Burn has been defeated!]

[...]

Suho continued to move, defeating them one by one.

[Current number of survivors: 37 → 36]

Even as this was happening, the number of survivors continued to decrease. Which meant that the number of Mist Burns was increasing.

’The more their number rises, the faster people will die.’ He had to hurry, Suho searched every corner of the art museum and found the survivors.

"Get out of here!"

He sent them out of the building as soon as he discovered them.

[Number rescued: 12]

* * *

"What? How are they all escaping?" The Hunters outside the art museum were surprised. Just as they finished checking their equipment and were about to enter, people were coming out on their own, one by one.

"Someone inside saved us."

"A student saved us!"

The Hunters were even more surprised by that.

"Someone is fighting the magical beasts inside?"

"Is there another Hunter who already went in?"

Teaching Assistant Lim, who heard that, tilted his head. "That can’t be. There are no awakened people among the students, and the other Hunters haven’t arrived yet."

Dae-hyun, who was listening next to him, said with a hopeful voice, "Could it be Suho?"

"Suho?"

Teaching Assistant Lim and the Hunters exchanged glances. The probability of an ordinary person surviving in a field-type dungeon was extremely low. But they couldn’t tell Dae-hyun that his friend was probably dead...

But one of the survivors who had just exited the building knew Suho. "That’s right! It was senior Suho who saved us!"

"What?!"

"Suho? How?"

"He was punching the magical beast with his bare hands."

"...Bare hands?"

The Hunters made concerned faces. It seemed like the survivors imagined something unbelievable because of how terrified they were. Fighting a Mist Burn with bare hands was too dangerous.

’His hands would be burned.’

’It’s suicide.’

Unless you were a Hunter who could imbue your fists with magic power, you had to at least protect yourself with gauntlets to avoid getting burned. Anyway, it seemed certain that the student named Suho was saving people. The Hunters muttered with serious expressions,

"Perhaps that student... has Awakened."

"Suho Awakened?" Teaching Assistant Lim’s gaze turned towards the art museum again. Even now, survivors were continuously coming out. Rescued by Suho...

The Hunters also finished preparing to enter the building.

"Team leader, the magic power measurement is complete. It seems to be a D-rank dungeon."

The Hunters’ eyes gleamed with determination at those words. There would be magical beasts much stronger than Mist Burns in a D-rank dungeon. Even if the student named Suho had just Awakened, no one could guarantee how long a newbie without proper experience could last inside.

"Alright. Then we need to hurry."

* * *

Whoosh!

[Mist Burn has been defeated.]

’It’s almost over.’ Suho, who defeated all the visible Mist Burns, was catching his breath. He was so tired that all he wanted was to lie down and rest, nevertheless his mind was clear. It was then...

Ding!

[Level Up!]

Suho’s entire body was enveloped in a transparent light, and he felt revitalized.

’I can keep going with this!’

But just as he was about to move to find the remaining people...

Crash—!

"...!"

The ceiling suddenly exploded above his head, debris and dust scattering in all directions. He was startled and rolled on the floor, but he couldn’t avoid them completely. Blood trickled down Suho’s forehead, whose wounds had just been healed when he became level 2. But that wasn’t the problem. The real danger was the giant wolf that descended from the hole in the ceiling.

[Grrrr!]

Suho’s mind cleared at its tremendous presence.

’There’s no way I can win against this.’ He knew the moment he saw it. The survival instinct that every living being had told him that. He felt a primal fear, different from the Mist Burns.

[Krrr.]

The giant wolf looked down at Suho haughtily. The gaze of a predator looking at its trapped, injured prey. At the same time, a tremendous aura pressed down on him.

"Ugh."

Suho gritted his teeth. He wasn’t going to be overwhelmed by fear here. He would just do the best he could.

’If I can’t escape, I’ll attack first!’

Thud—!

Suho grabbed a nearby rock and threw it at the beast. But the giant wolf simply raised its paw and brushed off the attack as if it was nothing.

’Now’s my chance!’ Suho lunged at the wolf and swung the fist that had beaten dozens of Mist Burns to death. But it was no use.

[Grrrr!]

Crack—!

The giant wolf’s jaw bit into his shoulder.

"Ugh!"

Suho gritted his teeth and punched the wolf’s head while still being bitten. That was also useless.

Bang—!

Suho was thrown to the ground and the giant wolf’s paw arrogantly pinned him down. It was a fight he couldn’t win from the beginning. Knowing that, the wolf simply savored its victory. And just as the ferocious fangs were about to tear into Suho’s neck, a miracle happened.

[KIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK—!]

SWOOSH—!

From the distant universe, high above in the sky, a black lightning bolt suddenly struck down.

Kaboom—!

[...!]

The ceiling exploded, and the space between the giant wolf and Suho was split in two. What appeared as the dust settled was the King of Ants, his entire body enveloped in black steam.

[Beru Lv.Max]

[Marshal Rank]

Beru was holding down the wolf’s jaw with one hand, looking down at Suho haughtily.