Chapter 208 – City of the Dead

Sichuan Province, Ya’an City, China.

Here lies the S-rank dungeon known as the City of the Dead.

It was early morning, and S-rank hunters were gathering for this very reason.

‘Not everyone’s here yet?’

Upon arriving at the assembly point, Min Do-jun saw five hunters.

Since the dungeon allowed up to ten people, only half had arrived so far.

“Hello.”

Min Do-jun approached the person who seemed to be the leader and greeted him.

He already recognized the leader’s face from the file Hong Se-yeon had given him.

“Hunter Min Do-jun?”

Leader Jin Gar-yun also recognized Min Do-jun.

But unlike Min Do-jun, Jin Gar-yun looked surprised-mainly because of Min Do-jun’s fluent Chinese.

“You speak Chinese?”

“Yes, a little.”

“Judging by your accent, it’s more than a little…”

Anyone who didn’t know better might have mistaken him for a native Chinese speaker.

“Ah, let me introduce myself. I’m Jin Gar-yun, the leader of this raid. My level is 3,960.”

“I’m Min Do-jun. My level is…”

“You just reached 3,000, right? I know. You’re famous in Korea.”

Jin Gar-yun smiled and began introducing the rest of his team.

They were all Chinese.

“Are the five of you a fixed team?”

“Yes. The five of us have been working together as a team for a while now.”

“And the rest…?”

“The others aren’t. We recruited them individually from different countries. Looks like they’re arriving now.”

As the scheduled time approached, more party members showed up and introduced themselves.

One was from India, another from the Netherlands.

It was a truly international mix.

‘Who will show up next?’

The next to appear was a British hunter, someone Min Do-jun recognized.

“Gilbert.”

“Oh, Hunter Min Do-jun! Didn’t expect to see you here!”

They’d met during the Vampire’s Night raid and were now teaming up again.

“I didn’t expect to see you again.”

“Same here.”

Gilbert’s level was in the 3,500s-slightly early for a dungeon with a recommended level of 3,800.

‘Come to think of it, only that leader is close to 3,800.’

Min Do-jun glanced at Jin Gar-yun.

Even his team members were barely over 3,500.

“Leader, the overall levels seem a bit low. Was that intentional?”

“Not at all. We just accepted applicants as they came, so the average ended up lower.”

But Min Do-jun didn’t buy it.

‘He says he didn’t notice the levels were low? That’s nonsense.’

What kind of leader doesn’t check the levels of applicants for a national dungeon raid?

‘He must have deliberately chosen lower-level hunters.’

There must have been a reason he accepted someone like Min Do-jun, who was only level 3,000.

Min Do-jun’s guess was correct.

Jin Gar-yun’s nervous sweat wasn’t just from the heat.

‘For someone only level 3,000, he’s sharp.’

When picking his team, Jin Gar-yun had intentionally chosen lower-level hunters.

‘That way, I’ll stand out more in the party.’

Anyone might want to shine, but Jin Gar-yun was especially eager for attention.

‘If I handle things when the others struggle, I’ll be admired even more.’

That’s why he took the leader role: to be in the spotlight.

He was what you’d call an attention-seeker, though he tried to hide it.

‘If I’m the strongest, I’ll get all the credit and experience. Heh.’

His plan was to monopolize the experience among weaker teammates.

“Don’t worry. I’ve cleared City of the Dead over ten times. Just follow my lead and we’ll get through safely. Haha!”

As Jin Gar-yun puffed up his chest, Min Do-jun finally understood his intentions.

‘So it was all about wanting attention?’

With ten years of experience, Min Do-jun had met all types.

He’d seen plenty like Jin Gar-yun before.

‘He wants to play king among weaker hunters. As long as it doesn’t affect me, I don’t care.’

He didn’t mind as long as he wasn’t inconvenienced.

‘I just want to get my experience and go.’

At that moment, Jin Gar-yun approached.

“By the way, Hunter Min Do-jun, you speak English too?”

“Yes.”

“Wow… Trilingual at your age? Impressive.”

Jin Gar-yun, having seen Min Do-jun converse with Gilbert, didn’t hold back his praise.

‘Is he trying to flatter me to cover up his own attention-seeking?’

Unaware that his motives were transparent, Jin Gar-yun kept complimenting him.

“Koreans really are amazing. How does such a small country produce so much talent? Oh, and I heard there’s another Korean in the party… There she is.”

Min Do-jun turned his head and was surprised.

It was a familiar face.

‘Jeong Hye-won?’

She was the only comrade who hadn’t betrayed him before his regression.

‘I thought we’d meet eventually, but I didn’t expect it to be here.’

He felt a rush of emotion but didn’t greet her.

‘If I act too familiar, I’ll look crazy.’

Unlike his previous life, they were strangers now.

The short-haired woman introduced herself in English.

“Hello. I’m Jeong Hye-won from Korea. My level is 3,530. My profession is Fighter.”

Even those who didn’t speak English recognized the rare profession and looked surprised.

Fighter was as uncommon as Magic Swordsman.

The reason was simple: Fighter gear and skills dropped less often, making them ten times more expensive than other classes.

Performance was similar, but the cost was much higher.

‘But Hye-won was born with a diamond spoon, so money was never an issue.’

Only close acquaintances knew she was the granddaughter of the chairman of the world-famous Daehyun Group.

‘Better not act like I know her.’

But unexpectedly, Jeong Hye-won spoke to him first.

“You’re Hunter Min Do-jun, right? The Hongdae Hero?”

“Yes.”

“I saw your video. You’re an amazing fighter.”

“In front of you, that was just child’s play.”

“You know my skills?”

Of course he did.

But Min Do-jun feigned ignorance.

“You’re ranked 3rd, so you must be stronger than me.”

“Rank doesn’t always mean stronger.”

“That’s true.”

“My rank is high because of my level, but I’m sure there are stronger people in Korea. Not to mention globally.”

Her humility made Min Do-jun smile.

“What’s funny?”

“Oh, nothing. You just remind me of a friend I know.”

“And what’s my personality like?”

“Straightforward, down-to-earth, humble, strong, and with a deep hatred for monsters.”

Jeong Hye-won was startled.

“How did you know I hate monsters…?”

“Don’t misunderstand. I meant my friend is like that.”

“…”

“Are you similar?”

“Yes… very much so.”

While they chatted, the ten party members gathered.

“Alright, let’s go in. Gear up.”

At Jin Gar-yun’s instruction, the hunters equipped their S-rank gear.

“Wow, is that the famous Fighter gear?”

“Just the knuckles cost over 20 billion won, right?”

“That’s for A-grade. S-grade knuckles are over 100 billion.”

People whispered, but Jeong Hye-won was unfazed.

She was used to being the center of attention.

She flexed her fists, checking her gear, then noticed something odd.

‘Why is it so quiet?’

She looked up and realized people were staring-not at her, but past her.

‘What’s going on?’

She turned to see Min Do-jun, clad in gear that looked anything but ordinary.

Especially striking was his sword, which shimmered from red to black depending on the angle.

“What’s that sword?”

“….”

Jeong Hye-won’s direct question made Min Do-jun laugh.

“Was that rude? Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

He didn’t bother explaining it was Excalibur.

“Have you ever seen a one-handed sword like that?”

“It looks insanely expensive.”

“It’s got to be a top-tier sword.”

He was also wearing the EX-grade Tarnhelm, but it was invisible.

“Alright, let’s go in if everyone’s ready.”

Jin Gar-yun, trying to hide his discomfort at the attention shifting away from him, led the party.

[Ya’an City – City of the Dead Dungeon]

-Difficulty: S

-Player Limit: Min 5, Max 10

-Entry: Level 3,000+

-Goal: Survive within the time limit

-Failure Penalty: None

-Time Limit: 48 hours

-Time until dungeon break: 312 hours 51 minutes 24 seconds

“Let’s go!”

And so, ten S-rank hunters entered the dungeon.

Inside the Dungeon

Squelch-thud!

The hunters were startled as soon as they set foot inside.

The ground was muddy and slick.

On top of that, the stench was overwhelming.

But a few, including Min Do-jun and Jin Gar-yun, were unfazed.

“If this is your first time, you’ll need to get used to the environment. You’ll be here for two days.”

Jin Gar-yun spoke in awkward English.

“To proceed smoothly, we’ll split into two teams. Our Chinese team will be Team A, the rest will be Team B.”

People nodded in understanding.

“I know the way, so Team A will take the lead. Team B, follow behind and watch the rear. Be careful of the ground-undead can pop up without warning.”

Faces tensed at the idea of monsters erupting from the ground.

No one could let their guard down.

“Don’t worry too much. I’m here, after all. If things get rough, I’ll help.”

Jin Gar-yun smiled confidently and took the lead.

“Let’s move out.”

As planned, Team A led while Team B followed.

Min Do-jun, in Team B, strolled along at a relaxed pace.

While others scanned their surroundings anxiously, he seemed completely at ease.

That was because he was checking his stats.

-Strength: 10,107 Health: 10,796

-Agility: 12,265 Magic Power: 14,344

‘All my stats are over 10,000.’

It was a beautiful sight.

‘Even without the Avatar of the Battlefield buff, I’m incredibly strong.’

He hadn’t tested his full power yet, but by the numbers, he felt he could even beat Justin Walker.

Just then-

“Prepare for battle!”

KIAAAAK!

Three grotesque ghouls appeared up ahead.

BAM! BAM!

SWISH! SWISH!

The Chinese team moved in perfect sync to dispatch the ghouls.

Leader Jin Gar-yun was especially impressive.

SHING SHING SHING SHING!

Each swing of his sword sent ghoul flesh flying.

It was over so quickly that Team B didn’t even get a chance to act.

‘Heh, impressed?’

Jin Gar-yun felt a thrill as Team B stared in awe.

This was why he loved being in charge.

“Don’t let your guard down. They can appear from behind at any time.”

He offered a cool tip to Team B and pressed on.

Just as he advised, Team B stayed tense.

Except for Min Do-jun.

‘Isn’t he nervous? Why does he look so relaxed?’

Jeong Hye-won glanced at Min Do-jun, puzzled.

His face and gait showed no tension at all.

He didn’t even bother watching the rear, as if he were a noble being protected by mercenaries.

Jin Gar-yun, noticing this, frowned.

‘What’s with him? Everyone else is on alert, but he’s just staring at me.’

Jin Gar-yun was about to scold him when Min Do-jun turned his head.

His presence detection had picked up approaching ghouls.

KIAAAAK!

Six ghouls attacked from behind.

Team B readied themselves, but-

FLASH!

In a burst of light, the ghouls vanished into smoke.

“What was that?”

No one could say what happened.

But one thing was certain: it happened right after Min Do-jun passed by.