Chapter 20 – Request for Help

“Please help us, Hunter! Our Hunter is in danger!”

The manager pleaded with Min Do-jun again.

At that, Park Dong-yun was more flustered than the person in question.

“No, what are you doing all of a sudden? This will make our Hunter uncomfortable…”

“I’m fine.”

Min Do-jun looked at the manager.

“Calm down and explain slowly.”

“There’s no time for this! We need to go help quickly…!”

“You need to tell me the situation before I can help or not.”

Only then did the manager calm down and explain the situation.

“I’m Bae Sung-hoon, manager of the Platinum Guild.”

Each guild has a manager.

They were ordinary people who supported hunters, like the handlers at the Hunter Management Center.

“Ah, so you’re from the guild.”

Min Do-jun spoke calmly, but he was inwardly surprised.

‘The Platinum Guild is where Jung Tae-sik is, isn’t it?’

Jung Tae-sik was the next target Min Do-jun had marked for revenge.

‘This is perfect.’

Min Do-jun listened attentively to the manager’s words.

“Today, as usual, we came to clear a dungeon with three guild members, but they haven’t come out even though time has passed. Normally, they should have come out with an hour to spare.”

“Something must have happened.”

“I thought so too, so I checked the entrance. But it was green!”

The color of the dungeon entrance portal changes depending on the situation.

It’s usually blue, turns purple when entered, and red when a dungeon break is in progress.

And green corresponds to when help is requested from inside.

“A request for help, I see.”

A help request is a system that allows awakened ones inside a dungeon to request help from outside, available only in dungeons level 150 and above.

Generally, once someone enters a dungeon, no one else can enter midway, but in case of a help request, it’s an exception.

“That’s right! But that help request thing only happens in bad situations, right?”

To make a help request, there’s a condition that all party members except oneself must be dead.

“So two people have died, it seems.”

“Yes…”

There was no other reason besides death.

The entrance turning green meant something that bad.

“What level are the people who went in?”

“251, 253, and 254.”

All three were experienced, over level 250.

It was a suitable level to challenge the Mantis dungeon.

‘Yet for the party to face near annihilation…’

Armored Mantis.

‘It must have appeared.’

There was no other possibility.

‘This is perfect timing.’

Min Do-jun’s eyes sparkled.

“Hunter, your name is?”

“Min Do-jun.”

“Hunter Min Do-jun. Please help our Hunter.”

He grasped Min Do-jun’s hand tightly and pleaded.

“It’s been 20 minutes since the help request came in. There’s not much time left. Hunter, please help!”

At that moment, Park Dong-yun frowned and interjected.

“Listen here. Why do you keep trying to involve our Hunter? Anyone watching would think they’d die if time runs out. They’ll just receive a penalty and come out, aren’t you overreacting?”

“No, but two people have died. I don’t know the details, but it’s clearly an urgent situation!”

“Even so, our Hunter doesn’t have to go in! Responding to a help request uses up an entry opportunity!”

As Park Dong-yun said, responding to a help request counts as an entry.

It’s considered entering the dungeon, regardless of the reason.

“Once you enter, it takes 12 hours until you can re-enter. Would you want to go in if you were in our position? A dungeon with little hunting time left?”

“B-but it’s a matter of human life, can’t you help?”

“It may sound cold, but we didn’t come here to clean up after your party. We came to hunt properly like everyone else.”

“How can you say such…”

“That’s enough, both of you.”

It was Min Do-jun who stopped the two.

“Isn’t this my decision to make?”

“That’s right. Hunter, please tell that person firmly.”

“Hunter, please…”

Min Do-jun had made his decision long ago.

“I’ll go in.”

He decided to respond to the help request.

Because there was a boss he wanted in the dungeon.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.

‘If I make the Platinum Guild owe me a debt, I can meet Jung Tae-sik.’

It was also groundwork laid with revenge in mind.

“Th-thank you! Thank you, Hunter!”

The manager bowed repeatedly as if the rescue had already been accomplished.

“Save your thanks for after the rescue.”

Min Do-jun said as he walked towards the entrance, equipping his gear.

Tssss-

Park Dong-yun followed, seemingly unable to understand the decision.

“But Hunter, why are you helping when you don’t have to…”

“Isn’t a human life at stake?”

“…”

Park Dong-yun couldn’t refute those words.

He could only marvel at Min Do-jun’s character that didn’t disregard life.

‘Most people these days would calculate all the pros and cons. He really has good character, doesn’t he?’

Not just Park Dong-yun, but the soldier and manager were also looking at Min Do-jun with admiring eyes after hearing those words.

However, unlike the gazes of others, Min Do-jun was thoroughly calculating his gains.

‘I’ll take down the boss. And I’ll rescue the guild members to make the guild indebted to me.’

The talk about human life was just words uttered to create a plausible justification.

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

Normally he would have been blocked at the entrance, but Min Do-jun went all the way inside.

And he disappeared with a bright white light.

Entry was permitted because it was in a help request state.

“Phew.”

The guild manager who watched him enter let out a sigh of relief.

With one hunter going to rescue, the remaining guild member should be safe.

“Huh? Come to think of it…”

As if a strange thought occurred to him, the manager asked Park Dong-yun.

“Um, aren’t there other hunters?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“You said you came to hunt. Didn’t you come as a team?”

“Team? There’s no such thing.”

“Ah.”

The manager nodded as if he understood.

“So he came alone. To party with other people.”

“He doesn’t do parties.”

“What?”

“Our Hunter prefers to go in alone.”

No parties?

What was this nonsense?

“Th-then you mean he’s soloing…”

“Yes.”

An expression of shock appeared on the manager’s face.

Park Dong-yun said smugly.

“You should know how lucky you are. You’re receiving help from one of the strongest hunters in history right now.”

* * *

The first thing Min Do-jun did upon entering the dungeon was to open the progress window.

-Progress: 110/120 Mantises

-Time remaining: 36 minutes 11 seconds

‘Just 10 more to kill for success.’

Min Do-jun was planning not only to take down the boss but also to complete the dungeon.

‘I don’t want to receive a penalty myself.’

Once inside the dungeon, Min Do-jun is also a party member.

If the dungeon fails, he’ll inevitably receive the same penalty.

‘To think I’d have to receive a penalty after entering so late.’

It was an undeniably unfair situation.

That’s why most people ignore help requests.

They just turn a blind eye, not caring.

Of course, that was natural.

The benefits were small, and the risks were big.

‘But if I can take down the boss, it’s a different story.’

Thinking of the rewards for defeating the boss, he could bear any risk.

‘But I don’t intend to fail.’

Defeating the boss and succeeding in the dungeon.

That was the best-case scenario.

The second best was to at least succeed in the dungeon to avoid the penalty.

‘I should take down a few Mantises first.’

Having finished his calculations, Min Do-jun moved while buffing his weapon.

* * *

“Huff, huff.”

A woman in armor ran through the forest path.

She had a youthful appearance in her early 20s.

It was Hyun Su-ah of the Platinum Guild.

“Haa, haa.”

She ran and ran until she was out of breath.

‘I can’t run anymore.’

She leaned against a tree to catch her breath.

Suddenly, the events from 20 minutes ago came to mind.

-Aaaagh! S-save me!

-Su-ah! At least you run away!

Armored Mantis.

The moment it appeared, hell broke loose.

The sight of her comrades being torn apart was still vivid before her eyes.

“Sob, hic…”

Tears flowed belatedly.

She hadn’t had time to be sad while fleeing, but now she could cry.

‘Oppa Chan-young, Oppa Se-chan…’

The oppas who took especially good care of her in the guild.

Although only a year apart, they were reliable and like real older brothers.

Because their levels were similar, they always moved as the same party and worked in sync…

‘It’s all over.’

It was futile.

Teamwork was useless in front of the Armored Mantis.

They were just torn apart like paper with an overwhelming difference.

‘I’m scared…’

Just thinking about it was scary.

The boss’s strength was that overwhelming.

She didn’t know where it had gone, but she was afraid to encounter it.

She hoped it wouldn’t find her like this.

‘I just need to hold out for the remaining time.’

30 minutes left.

If she could endure that much, she could leave the dungeon.

Although she couldn’t avoid item destruction as a penalty, it didn’t matter.

Nothing in the world was more important than life.

Anyway, she could feel safe for now.

Was that why?

She didn’t even realize there was a Mantis approaching her.

Kiiit!

“Ah!”

She only noticed when it lunged at her, but it was already too late.

Its spikes were about to pierce her neck.

Pung-!

Kiit!

But the dreaded misfortune didn’t occur.

An invisible force knocked the Mantis back 5 meters.

Her A-rank trait, Survival Shield, had activated.

“Ah.”

Hyun Su-ah made a frightened expression as she grasped the situation.

If not for her trait that activates in moments of crisis, she would have been a cold corpse by now.

‘I let my guard down too much!’

This is a battlefield.

There are no safe zones in a dungeon full of monsters.

Realizing this belatedly, she raised her sword.

The Mantis that had risen was now looking this way.

‘Can I take it down?’

It takes a day for the shield to recharge.

She couldn’t expect the trait’s effect in this situation.

Tremble tremble-

The hand holding the sword shook without her realizing.

Fear crept in.

She had experience fighting a Mantis one-on-one, but that was when her trait was active.

Having a shield or not makes a world of difference in mindset.

One mistake could mean death.

Kiiiik!

As if reading her fear, the Mantis charged confidently.

Clang!

Hyun Su-ah blocked its foreleg with her sword and pushed it back while slashing horizontally.

Kiit!

The wounded creature retreated.

Taking advantage of the opening, she activated a skill as trained.

‘Sword Dancing!’

A powerful skill with a slightly long preparation stance.

If timed right, it could slice up a Mantis.

Swish swish swish swish swish!

A series of flashy sword strikes slashed at the Mantis’s body.

But it only inflicted minor wounds, unable to deal critical damage.

‘Too shallow…!’

It was a combo she had practiced many times, but the timing was off, perhaps due to haste.

She only managed to thoroughly anger the Mantis.

Kiiiiiit!

The creature charged with its spikes raised.

But in the end, Hyun Su-ah was the one left standing.

“Haa, haa. I won.”

She managed to defeat one Mantis after a fierce battle.

It was her first time winning after failing Sword Dancing.

And that too without the safety net of her trait.

‘I barely beat one, but if more appear…’

As if on cue.

Kiit!

Mantises appeared suddenly in an ambush.

Not one, but two.

‘Ah…’

For a moment, everything went dark and her mind went blank.

Even as the two Mantises swung their forelegs, she couldn’t take any action.

‘So this is how it ends…’

Her whole body froze in helplessness.

Swoosh!

Surprisingly, she didn’t feel any pain.

Kiiiiiik!

She heard the Mantises’ agonized cries.

Even then, she couldn’t grasp the situation.

“What are you doing? Snap out of it!”

“Huh!”

As she heard the voice, her vision cleared.

When she came to her senses, the shattered Mantises were turning into smoke.

“What are you doing standing there blankly?”

And a man was scolding her, looking this way.

It was none other than Min Do-jun.