SLR 03

 Chapter 3

Corruption.

That was the term used to describe the phenomenon in which the blue mist leaking from a Gate contaminated its surroundings.

An area tainted by mana from another world gradually transformed into an environment where magical beasts could thrive.

If the world beyond a Gate was called a Dungeon, then the contaminated area surrounding it became what Hunters referred to as a Field-Type Dungeon.

Once corruption began, the area was essentially no different from a dungeon.

Which meant that the Korea University Art Museum…

had become a land of death.

“…That student is probably…”

The Hunter trailed off.

But everyone already knew how that sentence ended.

* * *

Meanwhile…

[Level Up!]

This…

It’s really happening, isn’t it?

Something unbelievable had occurred.

Words floated before his eyes.

The Level-Up System…

the one he had only ever seen in his dreams…

had appeared in reality.

No way…

Am I dreaming again?

No.

Absolutely not.

The vivid sensation of reality brushing against his skin proved it.

And the instant the Level Up message appeared…

every trace of accumulated fatigue vanished.

Even the minor burns left by the Mist Burns had completely healed.

Then another message appeared.

[You have fulfilled the completion conditions for the Secret Quest: Courage of the Helpless.]

[You have unread messages.]

Unread messages?

The Level-Up System from his dreams had only displayed his level.

There had never been messages like these.

This felt…

far more complete.

As Suho looked at the notification, a message window opened automatically.

[You have two unread messages.]

• [Welcome to becoming a “Player” in reality.] (Unread)
• [A Quest has been generated.] (Unread)

A Player… in reality?

He opened the first message.

[Secret Quest: Courage of the Helpless]

You have earned experience while unawakened, proving your qualifications.

You have awakened from Level 0 to Level 1, allowing access to the Status Window.

[Information]

This System exists to support the growth of the Player.

This is not Tutorial Mode.

In reality, you only have one life.

Please proceed with caution.

Tutorial Mode…?

Does that mean… those dreams?

Suho instinctively understood.

Everything he had experienced during adolescence…

had merely been practice.

The real game…

started now.

And because this was the real game…

features unavailable during the tutorial had now been unlocked.

Like the…

Status Window.

[Status Window]

Name: Sung Suho

Level: 1

Class: None

Title: None

HP: 100/100

MP: 10/10

Stats

Strength: 10

Vitality: 10

Agility: 10

Intelligence: 10

Perception: 10

Available Stat Points: 0

Skills

Passive Skills: None

Active Skills: Ruler’s Authority Lv.1

The Status Window summarized Suho’s abilities…

exactly like a game.

Without hesitation, he opened the second message.

[Quest: Rescue the Survivors]

There are people nearby awaiting your rescue.

Save as many survivors as possible.

Your reward will vary according to the number of people rescued.

Current Survivors: 52

Currently Rescued: 0

A rescue quest…?

This was another feature that had never appeared in his dreams.

The reward changes depending on how many people I save…?

It really was like a game.

Except…

this was reality.

People were dying every second.

[Current Survivors: 52 → 51]

[Current Survivors: 51 → 50]

Seeing the number decrease snapped Suho back to reality.

Just then—

“Grrraaaah!”

Damn it!

He had become so absorbed in the interface that a Mist Burn had already closed the distance.

“Oh, crap!”

Instinctively, Suho swung his fist.

BAM!

Then…

something unbelievable happened.

“Kyaaagh!”

The Mist Burn flew backward.

“…Huh?”

Suho stared at his own hand.

He had just punched blazing blue flames with his bare fist…

Yet it hadn’t even felt hot.

Another Mist Burn attacked from behind.

Without hesitation…

Suho punched again.

THUD!

“Kyaaagh!”

The result was identical.

The creature was blasted backward by what looked like an ordinary punch.

“Grr…?”

Even the Mist Burn looked confused.

This human appeared completely ordinary…

yet every hit hurt unbearably.

But Mist Burns acted purely on instinct.

“KRAAAAAAH!”

Its roar summoned every nearby Mist Burn.

They all rushed toward Suho at once.

Yet…

Suho didn’t feel the slightest fear.

He had realized something.

These monsters…

were no longer a threat to him.

Now…

it was time to fight back.

He dashed forward.

BAM!

THUD!

SMASH!

CRACK!

“Kyaaah!”

“Grrraaaah!”

The battle looked nothing like a normal Hunter raid.

Ordinarily…

Hunters first assessed the enemy’s strength.

The Tank held the front line.

The Damage Dealers attacked safely from behind.

Suho ignored every rule.

He simply charged straight into the monsters…

throwing punches with both fists.

Yet…

it worked.

[You have defeated a Mist Burn.]

[You have defeated a Mist Burn.]

[You have defeated a Mist Burn.]

…

One by one…

Suho crushed every Mist Burn in his path.

[Current Survivors: 37 → 36]

Even while he fought…

the survivor count kept dropping.

Which meant…

the number of Mist Burns continued increasing.

The more of them there are…

…the faster people will die.

He had to hurry.

Suho searched every corner of the museum.

“Quick! Get outside!”

Each time he found survivors…

he sent them toward the exit.

[Currently Rescued: 12]

* * *

“What’s going on?”

“How are so many people getting out?”

Outside the museum…

the Hunters were baffled.

They had only just finished checking their equipment before entering…

yet survivors kept emerging one after another on their own.

“Someone inside rescued us.”

“A student saved us!”

The Hunters were even more astonished.

“Someone is still fighting the magical beasts in there?”

“Did another Hunter arrive before us?”

Assistant Lim shook his head.

“I don’t think so.”

“There aren’t any Hunters among the students…”

“And no other Hunter teams have arrived yet.”

Standing nearby, Dae-hyun spoke hopefully.

“Could it be Suho?”

“Suho?”

Assistant Lim and the Hunters exchanged uncertain glances.

The odds of an ordinary civilian surviving inside a Field-Type Dungeon were almost nonexistent.

But…

none of them could bring themselves to tell Dae-hyun that his friend was probably dead.

Then one of the newly rescued survivors stepped forward.

“It’s true!”

“Senior Suho saved us!”

“What?!”

“Suho?”

“How?”

“He was beating the monsters with his bare fists!”

“…Bare fists?”

The Hunters exchanged sympathetic looks.

The survivors must have imagined things in their panic.

Fighting Mist Burns barehanded…

was suicidal.

His hands would be burned to ash.

No ordinary person could do that.

Unless a Hunter reinforced their fists with mana…

they needed gauntlets to avoid severe burns.

Still…

one fact was undeniable.

Suho was alive.

And he was rescuing people.

One Hunter spoke quietly.

“That student may have…”

“…awakened.”

“Suho awakened?”

Assistant Lim looked back toward the museum.

Even now…

more survivors continued emerging.

Every one of them…

rescued by Suho.

At that moment, the Hunters finished their preparations.

“Captain.”

“Mana measurements are complete.”

“It appears to be a D-Rank Dungeon.”

“I see.”

“Then we’d better move.”

The Hunters’ expressions hardened.

If it was truly a D-Rank Dungeon…

then monsters far stronger than Mist Burns would also be inside.

Even if Suho had just awakened…

no one could guarantee that a complete novice would survive much longer.

* * *

Psssh…

[You have defeated a Mist Burn.]

Having eliminated every Mist Burn in sight…

Suho breathed heavily.

That should be almost all of them.

His body felt ready to collapse.

Yet his mind remained crystal clear.

Then—

Ding!

[Level Up!]

Transparent light enveloped his body.

Vitality surged through every muscle.

I can keep going.

Just as Suho prepared to continue searching for survivors—

BOOOOOOM!!

“…!”

The ceiling above him exploded.

A massive shower of rubble and dust rained down.

Suho instinctively rolled across the floor.

Even so…

he couldn’t avoid everything.

A stone sliced across his forehead.

Fresh blood trickled down.

But that wasn’t the real problem.

A gigantic wolf descended through the hole in the ceiling.

“Grrrrrr…”

Every hair on Suho’s body stood on end.

I can’t beat this.

The realization came instantly.

It wasn’t logic.

It was instinct.

The primal survival instinct possessed by every living creature.

Unlike the Mist Burns…

this monster radiated overwhelming terror.

“Grrr…”

The enormous wolf looked down upon Suho with arrogant eyes.

The gaze of a predator…

looking at wounded prey with nowhere left to run.

Its crushing pressure bore down on him.

“…Tch.”

Suho clenched his teeth.

He hadn’t come this far…

only to be paralyzed by fear.

There was only one thing to do.

If I can’t run…

Then I’ll attack first!

He kicked off the ground.

Grabbing the nearest chunk of broken stone…

he hurled it with all his strength.

The giant wolf casually batted it aside with one paw.

Now!

Suho charged in immediately.

His fist—

the same fist that had crushed dozens of Mist Burns—

shot toward the wolf’s head.

But…

it wasn’t enough.

“GRRRR!”

CRUNCH!

The wolf’s jaws clamped onto Suho’s shoulder.

“Ghh!”

Ignoring the agony…

Suho repeatedly smashed his fist into the wolf’s skull.

Again.

And again.

It changed nothing.

BOOM!

The wolf flung him violently across the floor.

Its massive forepaw pressed arrogantly against Suho’s chest.

This had never been a fair fight.

Knowing that…

the wolf leisurely savored its inevitable victory.

Its vicious fangs slowly descended toward Suho’s throat.

Then—

At that exact moment…

a miracle occurred.

[SKREEEEEEEEEEEE—!!]

SHWAAAAAAAAAA!!

From somewhere beyond the distant stars…

far above the endless heavens…

a bolt of black lightning descended straight down.

KRAAAAAAAASH!!

“…!”

The ceiling exploded apart.

The space between Suho and the giant wolf split in two.

As the dust settled…

a towering figure emerged.

The King of Ants, wrapped from head to toe in black smoke.

Beru — Lv. MAX

Marshal Grade

With one hand…

Beru effortlessly pinned the giant wolf’s jaws shut.

Then…

he lowered his gaze.

Looking directly at Sung Suho.