Chapter 8
“Are you feeling any better? You were unconscious for two whole days!”
The person who entered the hospital room was none other than Teaching Assistant Lim Do-gyun.
He looked over Suho’s complexion as he sat on the bed.
The moment their eyes met—
“I’m sorry! I really am! I’m sorry I ran away and left you behind!”
The very first thing he did was apologize.
The truth was…
there was nothing an E-Rank Hunter could have done in that situation.
E-Rank Hunters weren’t much stronger than ordinary people.
They weren’t even considered proper combat power inside Dungeons.
In fact…
the very first thing Lim Do-gyun had been taught after awakening as an E-Rank Hunter was simple:
If you see a magical beast… run for your life.
Yet Suho—
who had still been an ordinary civilian at the time—
had acted like a genuine hero.
He kept saving people until he literally collapsed…
Compared to Suho’s actions…
Lim Do-gyun had never felt so ashamed in his entire life.
But Suho simply smiled calmly.
“It’s alright.”
“You don’t have to apologize to me, Teaching Assistant.”
“No.”
“I really have no excuse.”
Still apologizing,
Lim Do-gyun opened the shopping bag he’d brought.
He carefully placed a steaming bowl of rice porridge in front of Suho.
“Come on.”
“You must be starving.”
“Your stomach’s been empty for two days, so start with porridge.”
“Here.”
“A spoon.”
“Oh.”
“Now that’s thoughtful.”
Grrrrrrrr…
The moment Suho saw the food,
his stomach roared loudly.
The fragrant aroma of sesame oil drifted through the room.
It was beef porridge—
rich, warm,
and delicious.
Without wasting another second,
Suho grabbed the spoon and began eating voraciously.
Food had never tasted so good.
After two days without eating…
even plain porridge felt heavenly.
When Suho finished the bowl,
Lim Do-gyun asked,
“Want me to peel you an apple?”
So that’s why there were apples in the refrigerator…
Apparently,
Lim Do-gyun had visited him both yesterday and today while he was unconscious.
Never thought I’d live long enough to have my department TA nurse me.
Even though leveling up already healed every injury…
Suho had already decided he would be discharged today.
Just then,
Lim Do-gyun handed him an apple and asked,
“By the way…”
“The people who just left…”
“They were from the Hunter Association, weren’t they?”
“What did they want?”
“They measured my mana.”
“Huh?”
“They already tested you?”
“So you really awakened?”
Lim Do-gyun’s eyes widened.
“How much mana did you have?”
“I heard that Dungeon was D-Rank.”
“If you survived in there, then at minimum—”
“They said I’m E-Rank.”
“…Huh?”
“For real?”
His eyes grew even wider.
Suho unfolded the mana measurement report the Association had left behind.
“Whoa…”
“It really is E-Rank.”
“Mana Capacity 46…”
“That’s actually on the lower end even for E-Ranks.”
“What?”
“Why do you look disappointed?”
“What exactly were you expecting?”
“Creepy.”
“Were you planning to suck up to me if I’d awakened as some amazing Hunter?”
“No wonder you’ve been treating me so nicely.”
“Hey!”
“That’s not it!”
“If you’d awakened as some incredible Hunter, would you have collapsed back there in the first place?”
“I figured maybe…”
“D-Rank at best.”
“There.”
“So you did think about it.”
“I—”
Lim Do-gyun protested bitterly.
Then he placed the report back down and tried to comfort Suho.
“Honestly…”
“This is probably better.”
“E-Rank isn’t bad.”
“Didn’t you know E-Ranks actually have more stable jobs than mediocre D-Ranks?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Haha.”
“Of course you wouldn’t.”
“You only awakened yesterday.”
Looking immensely proud of himself,
Lim Do-gyun threw an arm around Suho’s shoulder.
“From now on…”
“Just follow your senior.”
“As a veteran E-Rank Hunter…”
“I’ll teach you everything there is to know about surviving as an E-Rank.”
* * *
Dungeon raids relied on strict specialization.
First came the Raid Team,
which cleared the Dungeon.
Following behind them was the Recovery Team,
whose job was collecting magical beast corpses.
Finally,
the Mining Team worked in the safest rear areas,
extracting valuable Dungeon resources.
Among those roles…
E-Rank Hunters handled almost everything except the Raid Team.
“In other words…”
“E-Ranks have the most job opportunities.”
It turned out…
Lim Do-gyun had been telling the truth.
Compared to an average D-Rank,
being an E-Rank was often the safer career.
D-Rank Hunters were the weakest members qualified for combat.
Which also meant…
they were constantly exposed to danger.
E-Ranks, meanwhile,
weren’t considered combat personnel at all.
As long as they stayed in safe areas and worked hard,
they could earn steady daily wages.
“Sure…”
“There are some E-Ranks who volunteer for combat because they desperately need money.”
“But they’re rare.”
“They usually end up paying even more in hospital bills.”
“Unless they’re friends with a healer.”
The day after Suho left the hospital…
the place Lim Do-gyun brought him to was—
the Korea University Art Museum.
…I never imagined I’d come back here so soon.
Suho looked silently at the museum,
which had been left half-destroyed…
thanks to Beru.
Today’s goal…
was to become a miner.
Aside from the Shadow Dungeon,
this would be his first real Dungeon.
Since Lim Do-gyun had offered to teach him,
Suho decided to accept the help.
“Oh, right.”
“Classes have all moved online until this Dungeon is completely cleared.”
“And since you’ve become a Hunter…”
“You’re taking a leave of absence, right?”
“That’s the plan.”
“The exhibition already ended anyway.”
“And the semester’s basically over.”
“Perfect.”
“I’ll stop by the department office later and submit your Hunter leave paperwork.”
“Alright…”
“Let’s begin.”
Lim Do-gyun looked unusually enthusiastic.
His eyes practically radiated the confidence of an experienced veteran.
“Heh.”
“Today…”
“I’m going to teach you everything about being a successful E-Rank Hunter!”
“First of all—
what is a miner?”
[What a pathetic thing to brag about.]
“EEK?!”
Without warning,
Beru suddenly emerged from Suho’s shadow.
Startled,
Lim Do-gyun fell flat onto his backside.
“A-A magical beast?!”
Beru looked down at him with complete disdain.
[Tsk. You’re far too timid.]
[Young Master, I know far more about Hunters than he does.]
[You would do better to learn from me.]
He floated over to Suho,
spread his tiny arms dramatically,
and declared grandly,
[A Hunter is, above all else, a born predator!]
[To slaughter one’s enemies… rule over them… and devour them!]
[That is the true essence of a Hunter! Therefore, Young Master, kill and kill again, and seize all that pow—Gah?!]
Crunch!
Suho grabbed Beru in one hand like a baseball.
“Why did you suddenly come out?”
[Ahem.]
[I sensed the presence of a Dungeon nearby.]
[At your current strength, Young Master, you are little more than a feeble ant larva.]
[I simply cannot relax unless I remain by your side to protect you.]
Sproing—
Beru stretched his soft body like rubber,
slipped free from Suho’s grip,
then hopped onto his shoulder.
Perched there,
the tiny ant scanned the surroundings with terrifying vigilance.
But Suho wasn’t fooled anymore.
He says that…
but when the fighting starts he’ll probably just stand beside me and keep talking.
Finally recovering,
Lim Do-gyun cautiously pointed at Beru.
“Suho…”
“Is that your summon?”
[No.]
Beru answered before Suho could.
Strictly speaking…
Beru wasn’t Suho’s summon.
He belonged to Suho’s father.
“If he’s not a summon…”
“Then… what… are… you?”
After losing the first exchange so badly,
Lim Do-gyun unconsciously switched to polite speech.
Beru’s eyes flashed proudly.
[I am his nanny.]
“…A nanny?”
Lim Do-gyun blinked.
[Indeed.]
[By human standards… perhaps more like an uncle.]
“…?”
[Heh. There was a time when that was true.]
What is this guy even talking about?
Beru stared wistfully at Suho’s face,
muttering incomprehensible things.
Giving up,
Lim Do-gyun asked Suho directly,
“So…”
“You awakened as a summoning-type Hunter?”
“Yeah.”
“I guess that’s what happened.”
“Hmm…”
“Interesting.”
“I’ve never seen an E-Rank Summoner before.”
He chose not to say what he was really thinking.
There was no point mentioning how poorly summoning-type Hunters were generally regarded.
Especially…
an E-Rank Summoner.
Talk about niche among niches…
He looked carefully at Beru,
standing proudly on Suho’s shoulder.
Now that the initial surprise had worn off…
Beru actually looked rather adorable.
…He doesn’t look useful at all.
[That look in your eyes is deeply disrespectful.]
[Shall I pluck them out?]
“…”
Lim Do-gyun quietly lowered his gaze.
Still…
judging by how alert Beru was,
he would probably make a good lookout.
And since he could talk…
maybe he was more useful than he appeared.
“Ahem.”
“Well…”
“Some E-Rank Hunters don’t even have skills.”
“So you’re actually pretty lucky.”
“As for me…”
“I’ve got a Running skill.”
“I see.”
“So that’s why you escaped so quickly.”
“…”
Suho hadn’t meant anything by it.
But because it was true…
it hurt even more.
* * *
Thus,
following Lim Do-gyun’s recommendation,
Suho officially became a Dungeon miner.
“Alright, everyone!”
“Let’s work hard today!”
The Mining Team,
made up entirely of E-Rank Hunters,
felt more like a construction site than a Hunter organization.
“Hey, rookie!”
“Come grab your pickaxe.”
Thunk.
A Dungeon-grade pickaxe was placed into Suho’s hands.
The older man handing them out smiled cheerfully.
“If you break it while working, come get another one from me.”
“But the cost comes out of your wages.”
“So take good care of it.”
“Still…”
“You’re impressive.”
“I heard you’re a student here.”
“Oh!”
“You’re that kid, aren’t you?”
Surprisingly,
most of the miners recognized Suho immediately.
The news…
Suho remembered the articles that had spread across the internet.
The headline had been something like:
“Hero of Korea University Becomes an E-Rank Hunter.”
He couldn’t decide whether it was praise or an insult.
If he had remained an ordinary civilian,
he probably would have received a bravery award.
But because he awakened in the middle of the incident…
people simply saw it as a Hunter doing a Hunter’s job.
The problem was…
he’d awakened as the lowest possible rank.
From the outside,
it looked awkward no matter how you framed it.
Oddly enough…
that made the miners like him even more.
“What a shame.”
“If you were going to awaken anyway…”
“One or two ranks higher would’ve changed your whole life.”
“But don’t get too discouraged.”
“We E-Ranks make a pretty decent living ourselves.”
“That’s right.”
“The work’s tough on the body…”
“but all you really need to know is how to swing a pickaxe.”
Since it had been a long time since a polite rookie had joined,
everyone seemed eager to offer Suho advice.
Beru, however…
hated the friendly atmosphere.
[Young Master.]
[Rather than wasting time chatting with these simpletons…]
[Wouldn’t it be better to go level up?]
[This is a complete waste of time.]
“Oh!”
“Is that your summon?”
“Hah!”
“Never seen one like that before.”
“He’d look pretty cute riding around on your shoulder.”
“Too tiny to help with mining, though.”
The miners gathered around curiously after Beru suddenly appeared.
Beru immediately glared at them,
radiating killing intent.
[Stay back, you insolent fools!]
[Do not approach!]
[Our Young Master is terribly frail!]
[A mere poke might kill him!]
[Fear not, Young Master.]
[I shall protect you!]
“…?”
Suho stared at Beru.
Is this overprotectiveness…
or is he making fun of me?
“Hahaha!”
“Your summon sure is dependable.”
“Alright.”
“Let’s get back to work.”
Laughing at Beru’s antics,
the miners slung their pickaxes over their shoulders and dispersed in small groups.
Watching them leave…
an idea suddenly crossed Suho’s mind.
“Beru.”
[Yes, Young Master.]
[Simply give the order, and I shall sever the heads of those insolent wretches.]
“…Don’t.”
[Then what is your command?]
Suho smiled.
“Go into the Shadow Dungeon…”
“and bring me some of those goblin corpses.”
