Chapter 128 – Meeting Shin Kyung-min

‘I never expected to meet Shin Kyung-min here…’

It wasn’t entirely unexpected. Shin Kyung-min was an S-rank hunter, so it was natural for him to frequent S-rank dungeons.

‘But I didn’t think he’d be here during my time slot.’

Min Do-jun stared intently at Shin Kyung-min emerging from the portal. There was no mistaking him—the face of the man who had stolen everything from him in an instant: his wife, his unborn child, and all his happiness. The surge of rage was so intense his teeth ground together.

[Revenge Trait Effect: Damage increased by 2x.]
[Hunter Slayer Trait Effect: Damage increased by 2x.]

‘No. I need to stay calm, especially now…’

Perhaps because of the killing intent he unconsciously emitted, Shin Kyung-min’s gaze shifted toward Min Do-jun.

‘…!?’

In that instant, Min Do-jun’s murderous aura vanished as if it had never existed—so abruptly that even he was surprised.

‘It’s not time yet… Not yet.’

He knew better than anyone that revenge required absolute emotional control.

‘Killing him now and ending up in prison wouldn’t be the worst outcome…’

But doing so would mean failing to complete his vengeance against the others.

‘There are still six more left, excluding him.’

And if Justin Walker, the world’s top-ranked hunter, was truly the mastermind, he might have to add him to the list as well.

‘After all, he’s the one who put my teacher in danger.’

Of course, that was still speculation.

Either way, he couldn’t end Shin Kyung-min’s life here and now.

‘But would I even be able to kill him?’

Min Do-jun’s combat power was around 1,000,000—equivalent to his past self when he was nearing level 4,000.

‘Shin Kyung-min is level 3,247. No matter how good his traits are, his combat power shouldn’t exceed mine.’

But assumptions were just that—assumptions.

Without using Weakness Detection, he couldn’t be sure whether he could win or not.

‘He’s too far. I need to get closer.’

Just then, Shin Kyung-min began walking toward him.

The Weakness Detection window automatically appeared.

[Shin Kyung-min]
– Description: ??? ??? ???
– Combat Style: ??? ??? ???
– Weakness: ??? ??? ???

‘I can’t see anything?’

This meant Min Do-jun’s combat power was still below Shin Kyung-min’s.

‘He’s only in the 3,200s, yet his combat power exceeds 1,000,000?’

In his past life, Min Do-jun hadn’t reached that level of power until he was nearly 4,000.

‘Does this mean he was stronger than me in my previous life?’

Back then, Min Do-jun had been ranked number one—but only in terms of level. If combat power had been the metric, the rankings might have been completely different.

‘Is his Psychokinesis trait really that powerful?’

Assuming Shin Kyung-min’s trait was Psychokinesis, its strength was still unknown. But without seeing his weaknesses, revenge would have to wait.

Besides, this wasn’t the right place, with so many people watching.

‘Still…’

Min Do-jun gave Shin Kyung-min a puzzled look.

‘What does he want with me?’

As far as Shin Kyung-min knew, this was their first meeting. They had no reason to cross paths, let alone for Shin Kyung-min to stare at him like this.

‘Did he sense my killing intent earlier?’

He had suppressed it quickly, but there was no guarantee Shin Kyung-min hadn’t noticed.

‘Damn it, I got careless.’

Letting his emotions slip just because his target appeared before him—what kind of revenge was that?

‘How am I supposed to get my revenge like this?’

Acknowledging his mistake, Min Do-jun tensed as he faced Shin Kyung-min.

But contrary to his worries, Shin Kyung-min’s interest stemmed from something else entirely.

“Hello. I’m Shin Kyung-min from the Emperor Guild. You’re Hunter Min Do-jun, right?”

Shin Kyung-min extended his hand. Min Do-jun, caught off guard, shook it hesitantly.

“How do you know me…?”

“I saw your videos on YouTube. You’re famous online as the Magic Swordsman who stopped the Dungeon Break.”

“Ah… Really?”

Relieved that he hadn’t been exposed, Min Do-jun kept his composure.

“Honestly, I’m not the type to watch those things, but our guild master insisted I check them out. You might not know this, but lately, he’s been very interested in you…”

The master of the Emperor Guild, where Shin Kyung-min belonged, was Kang Hyuk-soo—ranked second in the country.

Another target on Min Do-jun’s revenge list.

‘Kang Hyuk-soo is interested in me?’

He knew the Emperor Guild had sent him recruitment offers, but Kang Hyuk-soo taking personal interest was different.

‘Does he want me by his side?’

It made sense. Kang Hyuk-soo was the type who only paid attention to the strongest. He wouldn’t even speak to lower-ranked hunters.

Because of that, only a handful in the Emperor Guild could hold private conversations with him.

‘He once said he wanted to surround himself only with the strongest.’

To form the ultimate party and hunt down every monster in existence.

In his past life, Min Do-jun had believed those words and eventually joined the Emperor Guild.

‘I never thought he’d betray me.’

Looking back now, it was almost laughably naive.

‘I won’t be fooled this time. Not by Kang Hyuk-soo, not by Shin Kyung-min.’

Whether Shin Kyung-min sensed his resentment or not, he smiled and continued.

“Our guild master has been desperate to meet you. I didn’t expect to run into you here, though. Since we just came out of the dungeon, he should be… Ah, there he is now.”

As Shin Kyung-min turned, Min Do-jun’s gaze locked onto the back of his head.

‘If I’m going to kill him, now’s the chance.’

No matter how high Shin Kyung-min’s combat power was, he was completely defenseless right now.

But the thought lasted only a moment.

‘I just told myself to wait, and now I’m thinking like this?’

Suppressing a bitter laugh, Min Do-jun followed Shin Kyung-min’s gaze.

Emerging from the portal was Kang Hyuk-soo—a towering figure with an imposing presence.

[Kang Hyuk-soo]
– Description: ??? ??? ???
– Combat Style: ??? ??? ???
– Weakness: ??? ??? ???

‘I can’t see his info either.’

No wonder he was ranked second in the country.

For Min Do-jun, who had thought his 1,000,000 combat power was impressive, this was a slight shock.

His eyes then shifted to the man beside Kang Hyuk-soo.

‘Kim Ji-hoon is with him too.’

He remembered Kim Ji-hoon—the one who had helped him secure the Black Centipede and gain the Trinity Effect.

“Kyung-min, what are you doing over— Oh?”

“Huh? Hunter Min Do-jun?”

Kang Hyuk-soo and Kim Ji-hoon stared at Min Do-jun in surprise.

“Wait, is that really Hunter Min Do-jun?”

“Yes, it’s him.”

“I went to the Hunter Center looking for you, but to think we’d meet here…”

Kang Hyuk-soo strode forward and abruptly extended his hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kang Hyuk-soo, master of the Emperor Guild.”

Every fiber of Min Do-jun’s being wanted to smack the hand away and drive a fist into his face—but he held back.

“Min Do-jun of the Guardian Guild.”

Reporters nearby buzzed with excitement.

“Who is that hunter?”

“Why are the top two ranked hunters in the country shaking hands with him?”

“No idea, but film it! This is a scoop!”

In an instant, the area was filled with the sound of camera shutters.

Unfazed by the attention, Kang Hyuk-soo continued the conversation.

“I heard you started your own guild. Guardian Guild? That’s a good name.”

“Thank you. But it seems you know a lot about me.”

“Of course. Anyone in this industry would know about your achievements. Well, unless they’re completely uninterested.”

Kang Hyuk-soo discreetly licked his lips.

‘To have such talent right in front of me, yet I can’t recruit him…’

Honestly, he wanted to tell Min Do-jun to disband his guild and join the Emperor Guild immediately—but that wasn’t something he could say outright.

‘I can’t just tell someone who just started their guild to quit.’

It was like staring at a delicious cake he couldn’t eat.

“Ugh…”

As Kang Hyuk-soo stared with barely concealed frustration, Kim Ji-hoon spoke up.

“Did you come to raid the dungeon too, Hunter?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, if we’d known you were coming, we could’ve teamed up…”

Ignoring Kim Ji-hoon’s disappointment, Min Do-jun turned toward his party members. They had all gathered.

“I should get going now.”

“Already? That’s too bad.”

“Let’s meet again if we get the chance.”

“Be careful, Hunter. Good luck with the raid.”

After parting ways with the three, Min Do-jun rejoined his party.

Oh Yoon-sik, the leader of the party, approached him with a surprised expression.

“You know those people?”

“A little.”

Every hunter knew Shin Kyung-min and Kang Hyuk-soo of the Emperor Guild. To see Min Do-jun shaking hands and chatting with such famous figures…

The party members stared at him with a mix of envy and admiration.

Oh Yoon-sik was no exception.

‘Min Do-jun, was it?’

He hadn’t checked his level, but if he could mingle with hunters of that caliber, he must be strong.

‘Surely he’s not stronger than me?’

The fact that Min Do-jun had yielded the leader position suggested otherwise.

“Everyone, gather up!”

At Oh Yoon-sik’s command, the 19 other party members assembled.

“The dungeon we’re about to raid is S-rank. It’s on a completely different level from what we’ve faced before. But don’t worry—the ‘Shadow of the Desert’ dungeon exists in other countries too, so there’s already a known strategy. And I’ve studied it thoroughly. If you follow my lead, we’ll all make it out safely. Understood?”

The party members nodded in unison.

Though they had just met their leader today, something about him inspired confidence.

‘Not bad for a leader.’

Everyone here was a skilled hunter, but this was their first S-rank dungeon. Even with a strategy, tension was inevitable.

In such situations, a leader needed to exude confidence and guide the party forward.

Oh Yoon-sik had the qualities of a leader—the nervous looks in the party members’ eyes had already begun to fade.

“Before we enter, we’ll split into four teams of five.”

With so many members, giving orders would be chaotic without organization.

“State your level, class, and role.”

Oh Yoon-sik moved through the group, collecting information.

“Level 2,301. Dual-blade warrior, close-range DPS.”

“Level 2,011. Archer, ranged DPS.”

“Level 2,121. Mage, support.”

As he recorded the details, Oh Yoon-sik smirked.

‘No one here has a higher level than me.’

Naturally, he was the most qualified to lead.

The realization boosted his ego.

‘Good, good.’

He loved the spotlight, the authority—the feeling of people moving at his command.

‘Seeing everyone’s eyes on me, hanging onto my words… It’s intoxicating.’

At first, he hadn’t understood.

He never knew being a leader could feel this good.

But once he did, he began vying for the role in every party he joined.

‘This feeling is why I can’t stop being a leader.’

But he couldn’t let his guard down.

Sometimes, higher-level hunters would challenge his authority.

‘I just need to watch out for this guy.’

Oh Yoon-sik stopped in front of Min Do-jun.

Just how high was his level to have connections with the Emperor Guild?

But the answer was disappointing.

“Level 2,008. Magic Swordsman, melee DPS.”

The level wasn’t impressive—if anything, it was underwhelming.

What surprised him was something else.

“Magic Swordsman…?”

In his experience, some hunters had bizarre class combinations.

Assassins who used magic.

Mages who wielded shields.

To Oh Yoon-sik, the Magic Swordsman was one such class—a mismatched, inefficient hybrid.

Of course, such abominations usually only existed at lower levels and disappeared as hunters grew stronger.

‘But this is the high-level bracket.’

Why would anyone stick with such an impractical, experimental class?

He gave Min Do-jun a puzzled look but didn’t press further.

It was a personal choice, after all.

Still, in his mind, he downgraded Min Do-jun’s standing to the lowest rank.

‘Low level and a Magic Swordsman? He’s practically dead weight.’

He assigned him to a random team without a second thought.

Once the four teams—A, B, C, and D—were finalized…

“Let’s move out.”

The twenty hunters stepped into the S-rank dungeon.