MSGE 21

Chapter 21

Did I Do Well?

“How do you know when he’ll come out to wait here? Are you guys free? Don’t you have work?”

Cheong Jeong-kwon asked in a grumbling tone.

Even at the guild master’s words, the siblings paid no attention.

Sitting side by side on the picnic mat,

“It’s his first dungeon, so waiting for him is only natural.”

They just gave a retort.

Well, there really is such a saying.

The superstition that if someone waits outside the Gate, the hunter will return unharmed.

“…Still, isn’t this excessive? It’s not intermediate, not even beginner, but tutorial level.”

Whoosh!

Looking back at the grumbling guild master, Seri, the older sister, said.

“What about you, Guild Master? Why did you come all the way here and act so restless?”

“You’re worried that Kang-hoon hyung might get hurt and come out injured, aren’t you?”

Even Ji-seong, the younger brother, joined in.

Cheong Jeong-kwon flinched.

“Ahem! Worried about what! What do you mean get hurt?! Don’t say such unlucky things!”

While saying that, Cheong Jeong-kwon muttered words he didn’t mean.

“It’s because it’s wasteful seeing my two aces playing around like this when their value is rising, wasteful!”

Even at the guild master’s lament.

The ‘two aces’, the siblings, didn’t budge an inch.

They just continued their impromptu picnic, sitting on a picnic mat spread in the middle of the grass field at Han River Park’s soccer field.

Turning away from them, Cheong Jeong-kwon muttered.

“With Park Kang-hoon’s skills, he probably won’t come out until tomorrow. Our two aces are going to end up sleeping outdoors.”

Only the siblings remained after Cheong Jeong-kwon left.

“Noona. What’s the shortest time record for clearing the dungeon tutorial?”

To lighten the boring atmosphere, Ji-seong asked.

“2 hours and 16 minutes.”

“Huh?!”

However, the record Seri told him was incredible.

“2 hours and 16 minutes?! That’s impossible! Just walking through the Gate would take 2 hours!”

“That’s right. I heard he used ‘Instant Kill’ on every monster he encountered.”

It meant that killing monsters only took seconds.

That’s why such a world record was possible.

“Wow…”

After being amazed by the legendary tale for a moment.

Ji-seong exclaimed “Ah” in admiration.

“I know whose record that is! You’re talking about that person, right?”

“Right. ‘Power Man’.”

“Wow, then of course. If it’s ‘Power Man’, that makes sense.”

Power Man.

Speaking of him, he’s a super-strong hunter who ranks in the top 10 worldwide hunter rankings.

Just as there are ’10 Great Masters’ in martial arts novels.

There exist ’10 Great Hunters’ in the world.

It’s a grouping of the 10 strongest hunters worldwide.

It’s somewhat different from the general ‘ranking’ system.

Because it’s unclear who among the 10 is the strongest.

‘Ten Star’.

That’s what they’re called in Korea.

In the United States, they’re given the more chuunibyou nickname ‘Ten Blood’.

In China, the homeland of martial arts, they’re called ‘Jeol-yeol-hoe’.

It means ten people who absolutely cannot be approached or interfered with.

‘Power Man’ is one of them too.

As you can tell from the ‘Power’ in his nickname, he’s a male hunter with tremendous strength.

He can even freely fire laser beams!

So the tutorial record is understandable.

Low-level monsters would only need one hit.

“Come to think of it, there’s a Korean among the Ten Star too, right?”

“Yes. ‘Mad Scientist’.”

When the topic shifted to ‘Mad Scientist’, Ji-seong’s eyes sparkled.

That’s because ‘Mad Scientist’ is a crafting-type hunter.

“Looking at that, crafting-type hunters aren’t necessarily weak.”

Seri immediately understood what Ji-seong was trying to say.

So, Park Kang-hoon.

The hope that he too might have possibilities in the future.

The encouragement that he could complete the tutorial dungeon.

“Well…”

However, Seri trailed off.

“I also like Kang-hoon… I mean, I support him! But Mad Scientist’s abilities are incredible. Bizarre, strange, strong, and scary.”

“Ah.”

That’s right.

Crafting-type hunters who make it to Ten Star are ‘special’.

Speaking of ‘Mad Scientist’, he’s a hunter who ‘crafted’ his own body.

He modified and enhanced his own body with items he created with his own hands.

The sight of his entire body armed with weapons is so bizarre.

From the outside, it’s hard to tell his gender or nationality.

“…Compared to that, Kang-hoon hyung. His Enhancement Ability is definitely special, but…”

“His combat ability is ordinary…”

“…”

“…”

And an awkward silence followed.

The monsters of Ten Star who hold various records.

They felt somehow sorry for comparing them to Kang-hoon.

“I hope Kang-hoon does well.”

Seri muttered her support for no particular reason,

“Right. He practiced until he got blisters on his palms, so he should be able to pass.”

Ji-seong also nodded.

“…Should we order some food for delivery? It looks like we’ll have to eat dinner here.”

“Okay.”

Food to help them endure the long day.

What should they order to wait less boringly?

Just as the siblings were putting their heads together to think.

【 Record Broken! 】

【 Kyungshin! 】

The ‘Status Window’ appeared before each of the siblings’ eyes.

“Huh?”

“Hmm?”

Without using any abilities, there are two types of ‘Status Windows’ that flash before a hunter’s eyes.

First, the critical moment just before the hunter’s death.

Second, a worldwide ‘announcement’ that alerts all hunters.

The Status Window that appeared before the siblings was an ‘announcement’.

─An announcement known to all hunters worldwide.

【 The Tutorial Dungeon clear record has been broken! 】

“Eh?”

“Huh?”

Once at the Status Window.

Once at each other’s faces.

The siblings moved their heads like mirror images.

And they let out a big “Whew” breath and said.

“Oh, it seems like a genius hunter appeared at some other Gate?”

“Wow. Look at that timing. For a moment I thought it was about Kang Hoon hyung, haha.”

“No way. It can’t be Kang Hoon.”

“Right. A record like that doesn’t make sense.”

That’s when it happened.

“Did you wait long?”

Step by step.

What emerged through the wide-open Gate was Park Kang-hoon.

“I didn’t know you’d be waiting here. I’m so sorry about this…”

He looked exactly the same as when he entered 1 hour, 45 minutes, and 11 seconds ago.

【 New Record! 1 hour 45 minutes 11 seconds. Crafting Hunter, ‘Park Kang-hoon’ 】

Only his hair was slightly disheveled.

On the surface, he didn’t have a single wound.

Even his breathing was normal.

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

The siblings made dumbfounded sounds,

“Huh?”

Kang Hoon also made a sound in bewilderment.

“Why are you all like this? Did I do something wrong…?”

At that, Ji-seong was the first to stand up.

“Uh, uhh…?”

Staggering a little.

Words that Kang Hoon couldn’t understand,

“The, the TenStar record…”

He muttered.

Wasn’t TenStar someone no one could approach or interfere with?

“…That record was broken by Kang Hoon hyung?”

Seri was equally surprised.

She was shocked to the point of being frightened.

“No, no. We, well… Uh, amazing. You cleared it amazingly fast? Huh? Why? How?”

Her pale face became even paler as she asked.

Because of that, Kang Hoon was rather flustered.

“What? I was fast? The Tutorial Dungeon was incredibly easy though?”

Then he laughed “Haha” and said,

“If I knew it would be this easy, I wonder why I even trained.”

He even added a joke!

A completely unexpected situation. No, the complete opposite of what they expected.

“…?”

“…?”

Seri and Ji-seong were at a loss for words.

‘Could it be that Kang Hoon hid in a tunnel instead of the Gate? Did he pop out again to pull a scam?’

Such delusions would make more sense.

Behind the bewildered siblings, guild members from ‘Cheongjeong’ began running over.

“Hey, hey!!”

“Wh, what was that Status Window just now!”

“What the hell is going on!?”

The fastest runner was undoubtedly the guild master, Cheong Jeong-kwon.

He pretended to leave without waiting.

But apparently he was guarding the area nearby.

“O, our Park Kang-hoon Hunter! No, our Enhancement Specialist! Right now! Our Enhancement Specialist’s name appeared on the Status Window! As the top record! Is this right!? What the hell is going on!”

Centered around Cheong Jeong-kwon, even the Gate staff.

Shouted at the top of their lungs.

“So he wasn’t from the crafting field but the super rookie field!”

The only one who remained calm was the person who didn’t receive any Status Window, the record holder himself.

Only Park Kang-hoon.

“Oh my.”

After spreading his name across the world.

With a bewildered face, blinking his eyes.

“…Did I. Do well?”

That’s all he asked.

* * *

1 hour and 30 minutes earlier.

Tutorial Dungeon.

There was a man and Ratmen in a standoff.

Watching each other’s moves.

A truly strange situation where an intelligent human and low-grade monster Ratmen exchanged glances.

Because the flustered Ratmen stood upright on two feet.

It was an even more bizarre sight.

“…Ha. Really, what? What was that just now?”

It was Kang Hoon’s muttering that broke the long silence.

His fingers that had just released the bowstring were still trembling.

However, the single arrow he shot with his own hands.

The fact that he instantly killed a monster with that one shot didn’t feel real.

“Getting my first kill like this? This easily…?”

The Enhancement Ability was certainly special.

This was Park Kang-hoon, who was said to have ordinary combat abilities.

The achievement he had accomplished with his own hands was so easy that it was bound to be confusing.

Rather than him, the person involved, the Ratmen were the first to grasp the situation.

A monster’s survival instinct is brutal.

Squeak, squeeeak….

Especially the Rat Man, a low-level monster, was the gutter rat of the dungeon world that had survived on reading situations.

Their instincts were sounding alarm bells.

A beginner hunter who looked utterly ordinary.

This unfamiliar human standing there with a dumbfounded expression.

Was about to eliminate all of them—that was the warning signal.

“…Should I try shooting one more?”

Kang Hoon muttered to himself again.

Talking to himself was a chronic habit of his as a homebody.

However, the Rat Man understood those words as a threat directed at them.

Squeeeak….

Making crying sounds as if timidly resisting.

Hesitantly. Rustle rustle rustle.

The Ratmen began to retreat.

Only the large mid-boss ‘Boss-level Rat Man’ was growling obliviously.

Because it had arrived late and hadn’t seen Kang Hoon’s archery skills.

To be precise, the skills of the [Beginner’s Bow +2] that Kang Hoon had enhanced.

Grrrr! Squeeeeek!

The Boss-level Rat Man threatened while spitting dirty saliva.

Toward it, Kang Hoon casually—really casually, just to the extent of pretending to aim at its arm—aimed his bow.

And lightly plucked the bowstring with his finger.

“Whoosh-.”