Chapter 56 – Priority Rights

Min Do-jun took a taxi home after arriving in Korea.

Leaning back in his seat, a satisfied smile played on his lips.

It was because of the rewards he’d obtained from Ghost Island.

‘Gaining 30 levels in half a day, plus an A-rank item and a hidden achievement…’

As expected, the rewards from a unique named boss were on another level entirely.

‘The Ghost Mask and Ghost Sword are the biggest gains from this dungeon.’

Who could have imagined there would be items capable of transforming one’s face and weapons?

‘Thanks to them, I could disguise myself as Japan’s murderer, make some money, and escape safely.’

Though he’d robbed the Japanese Association hunters who were trying to rob him, there was no way he’d get caught.

They would be chasing Hatsuichi, the Japanese murderer, not him.

‘I used invisibility to move around and changed clothes before leaving the hotel, so there shouldn’t be any trail to follow.’

Anyway, the Ghost Mask would be useful for his revenge in the future.

“We’ve arrived.”

As Min Do-jun got out of the taxi and was about to enter his home with a satisfied expression.

Freeze-

He had to stop in his tracks with a stiff expression.

Because he spotted Lee Se-yun standing in front of his house.

‘What’s this b*st*rd doing at my house?’

Min Do-jun frowned at Lee Se-yun’s unexpected appearance.

He was annoyed to see someone he despised at his doorstep.

But only for a moment.

‘I need to endure.’

Hiding his discomfort, he approached him.

“Mr. Lee Se-yun?”

“Ah! Hello, Mr. Do-jun. We meet again.”

“What brings you here?”

“I have something to tell you.”

“To come all the way to my house though…”

“Ah, I apologize for that. It wasn’t suitable for a phone call, and I wanted to see you in person, so I came to your registered address, but you weren’t home.”

Then he glanced at the carrier Min Do-jun was pulling.

“Were you away somewhere?”

“Yes. I went on a vacation trip.”

“Oh, traveling is nice. I go sometimes too, it’s great for refreshing yourself. Haha.”

Though it was unpleasant having an enemy visit his home, he didn’t show it.

Unlike him, the other seemed to harbor goodwill.

“What did you want to tell me…?”

“Since we’re both busy, I’ll get straight to the point. Our Blue Dragon Guild Master wants to show you a small gesture of goodwill.”

“Gesture of goodwill?”

“Yes. Our guild has priority rights to an A-rank dungeon. Ah, are you familiar with priority rights?”

‘Of course I am.’

There are about 50 A-rank dungeons nationwide.

Meanwhile, there are just over 400 A-rank hunters in the country.

Given that each dungeon can accommodate 3 to 5 people minimum, there aren’t enough dungeons compared to hunters.

Therefore, from A-rank dungeons up, reservations are required. While some can be entered in a day, popular dungeons might have up to a month’s wait.

This made it difficult for guilds to make group reservations, and after complaints, the Association created the priority rights system.

‘It’s a system that allows specific guilds to have priority access on their preferred dates.’

In other words, it was a privilege allowing specific guilds to rent entire dungeons, like a lease.

‘Though this privilege can only be used once a year.’

Though he didn’t know why the priority rights were being brought up suddenly, Min Do-jun nodded.

“I know about priority rights.”

“Then this will be quicker. Our Guild Master wants to include you as a member for an A-rank dungeon raid using our priority rights.”

“Me?”

“Yes. And it’s the Cat-Eye Tiger Dungeon, which attracts the most people.”

The Cat-Eye Tiger Dungeon was an A-rank dungeon accessible at level 1,000.

Since even B-rank hunters could enter, it was quite popular.

“You may know this, but this dungeon requires at least a month’s wait after reservation. You know you need to meet the entry level requirement first, right? Meaning you need to hit level 1,000 and then wait a month to enter. However, if you join us with our priority rights, you can enter immediately.”

It was clearly an opportunity to enter a dungeon right away instead of waiting a month.

“What do you want from me?”

“Haha, we don’t want anything. Just join our guild members for the raid, that’s all. We won’t distribute or take your items like with other guild members. Whatever items you get during the raid are yours to keep. What do you think?”

“Hmm…”

Min Do-jun pondered.

‘Surely it’s not a trap?’

It could be a plan to lure him in and have the guild members work together to kill him.

But thinking about it, the Blue Dragon Guild had no reason to do that.

‘Is it really just a gesture of goodwill?’

Of course, behind the goodwill probably lay an intention to scout him for the Blue Dragon Guild.

‘If that’s the case, I could just take what I can get and wash my hands of it, so there’s no reason to refuse, but…’

You never know, right?

It could be a trap to eliminate him as a competitor.

Seeing Min Do-jun’s continued hesitation, Lee Se-yun, probably thinking he felt pressured, said:

“As I said at first, it’s just a small gesture of goodwill from our Guild Master, so don’t feel too pressured. We’re just offering you a spot and asking if you’d like to join us.”

“Well… in that case, I’ll do it. It’s not a bad offer for me.”

“You’ve made a good choice.”

Though he was suspicious of the other party’s intentions since they were targets for revenge, it didn’t matter.

He was confident he wouldn’t fall for any surprise attacks.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your current level?”

“780.”

“It’ll take at least five months to reach 1,000. Take your time leveling up. The priority rights won’t expire anyway. Just contact our guild when you hit level 1,000 and are ready to enter the dungeon.”

“Understood.”

“Well, I’ve said what I came to say, so I’ll be going now. I’ll tell the Guild Master you gladly accepted.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Get some rest then.”

After Lee Se-yun left, Min Do-jun frowned in displeasure.

‘To think I’d be thanking that guy…’

But he was grateful nonetheless.

‘Thanks to him, I can raid an A-rank dungeon without waiting.’

From A-rank dungeons up, solo runs are impossible due to the high number of people.

Meaning forming a party is inevitable.

‘This works out well, I wanted to raid the Cat-Eye Tiger Dungeon anyway.’

Min Do-jun’s lips curled up in anticipation.

* * *

-Did you talk to him? About giving him a spot?

“Yes.”

-What did he say?

Lee Se-yun grinned at his uncle’s, the Guild Master’s, voice.

“He accepted.”

-Oh, so offering a dungeon spot instead of money was the right choice?

“Seems so. He looked more interested in hunting itself than money.”

-Well, hunters want either money or experience. So when can he come to the dungeon?

“Since he needs to reach level 1,000, it’ll take about five months.”

-That’s quite a wait.

“Wasn’t it too much of a concession?”

-What concession? We just gave up one spot from our yearly priority rights.

“Still, it’s like giving away one guild member’s worth of profit for free.”

-So what? Consider it an investment in someone who might become our guild member in the future.

“Oh, I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

-When Min Do-jun becomes our guild member later, our guild’s prestige will rise. Since he chose Blue Dragon Guild over Wanted Guild.

“I’m looking forward to that time.”

Lee Se-yun had absolute faith that Min Do-jun would eventually join the Blue Dragon Guild.

* * *

“Hunter! You said you were taking a break, what happened?”

Park Dong-yun spoke with a disappointed voice as soon as he saw him.

“Where did you hunt secretly without telling me…”

It was natural for him to feel let down, as someone who said they’d rest had returned after gaining 30 levels without his knowledge.

“I just ran some dungeons briefly with acquaintances.”

“…That doesn’t seem brief? Looking at how you gained 30 levels in just a few days…”

Going from 750 to 780 normally takes at least ten days.

Naturally, one would assume he’d been hunting throughout his entire break period.

‘Would they believe me if I said I gained 30 levels in six hours of hunting?’

Anyway, he couldn’t tell anyone about the hidden dungeon.

“You know I level up quickly. Anyway, I’ll start hunting today, so please match me with a dungeon.”

“Which one would you like?”

“The Giant Nutria Dungeon.”

The Giant Nutria was a B-rank dungeon accessible after the Archaeopteryx dungeon.

‘Even if I want to go to higher dungeons, my level isn’t high enough.’

For now, he’d hunt Giant Nutrias until reaching level 1,000.

Then he’d run the A-rank dungeon with the Blue Dragon Guild.

Having made his plan, Min Do-jun headed to the nearby dungeon with Park Dong-yun.

* * *

A vast forest.

Min Do-jun walked through the area where even a lake was visible.

He had entered the Giant Nutria Dungeon.

‘I need to hunt as quickly as possible.’

He needed to reach level 1,000 quickly to enter the A-rank dungeon.

He had no desire to linger in this lower-grade(?) dungeon.

‘Giant Nutrias are slow, so they’re good for herding.’

Conveniently, he had a summon perfect for herding right beside him.

‘Au, do you know what a Giant Nutria looks like?’

[Awoo?]

Though the Ghost Wolf’s tilted head looked cute, he didn’t show it.

‘I guess I need to help you recognize their appearance first.’

Min Do-jun searched for Giant Nutrias.

Finding them wasn’t difficult.

Thump- Thump-

He just had to follow the loud sounds.

‘There it is.’

He spotted one Giant Nutria.

It was the size of a walking boulder.

‘Au, look carefully. That’s what you need to remember.’

[Awoo!]

Though Giant Nutrias are B-rank monsters that look big and slow, they’re extremely dangerous.

While their walking speed is slow, their attack speed increases several times when targeting prey.

That’s why surprisingly many hunters died from letting their guard down.

Not only were they tough, but their teeth were as massive as their bodies, making it easy for them to bite someone in half.

However, Min Do-jun’s face showed no sign of tension.

He was aware of how much stronger he’d become thanks to the rewards from Ghost Island.

‘Shall we test the sword’s performance?’

Woong-

Min Do-jun’s Ghost Sword emitted a blue light.

Tap tap tap-

As he approached quickly, the Giant Nutria slowly turned its head.

Swoosh-!

Slash- Boom-!

[Experience +8,400]

Min Do-jun lowered his sword limply at the notification.

‘What…? One hit?’

The Giant Nutria, famous for its toughness, was split in half without even managing to respond.