Chapter 3 – First Dungeon

Dungeons are nests of monsters.

If left unattended for a certain time, dungeon breaks occur and monsters emerge.

To prevent this, the government provides extensive support to hunters.

This includes tax reductions or dungeon matching services.

“It’s here.”

At the entrance of Bukhansan National Park.

That’s where the dungeon was.

The ownerless dungeon Min Do-jun was looking for.

“This is the closest empty F-rank dungeon.”

Min Do-jun nodded at Park Dong-yun’s words.

He was satisfied.

But Park Dong-yun’s expression wasn’t good.

“Hunter, why don’t you reconsider? You’re only level 1, isn’t this too reckless? You may not know, but this is a 5-person dungeon.”

Park Dong-yun repeatedly tried to dissuade him, thinking it was unreasonable for one person to clear a 5-person dungeon.

He was worried about Min Do-jun, but also partly concerned about potential repercussions on himself as the person in charge if an accident occurred.

Min Do-jun wasn’t unaware of Park Dong-yun’s position.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility for whatever happens. You won’t be affected.”

“No, but still…”

Min Do-jun got out of the car, seemingly no longer willing to listen.

He intended to enter the dungeon right away.

There was a reason for his confidence.

[Characteristic – Revenge]

-Rank: S

-Description: Damage is doubled against targets for revenge.

-Currently applies to: Monsters, Shin Kyung-min, and 14 others.

‘This alone gives me a huge advantage.’

Even before regression, he showed incredibly rapid growth with just this characteristic.

Doubling damage was an enormous benefit.

Combined with the experience of being ranked 1st, clearing a 5-person dungeon alone shouldn’t be impossible.

‘Hunter hunter, huh…’

Though he didn’t show it, Min Do-jun’s feelings were complicated.

It was because of a characteristic that didn’t exist before regression.

‘It’s not even a wordplay like Destiny of Fate…’

It was absurd, but it was a good thing nonetheless.

It was the optimal characteristic for revenge.

“What brings you here?”

As soldiers guarding the dungeon entrance blocked Min Do-jun, Park Dong-yun stepped forward.

“Park Dong-yun, deputy of Ilsan Hunter Management Team 1. I contacted you in advance.”

“Ah, you’re from the center? When do you plan to enter?”

“We’re going in now.”

The soldier looked around curiously.

“It seems not everyone has gathered yet?”

“I’ll be going in alone.”

The soldier looked at Min Do-jun after his words.

“Are you a hunter?”

“Yes.”

“Excuse me, but what level?”

“One.”

The soldier’s face hardened for a moment.

“You shouldn’t joke around.”

“What do you mean a joke?”

“How can a level 1 enter a 5-person dungeon alone?”

“Is there a law saying I can’t enter?”

“Hah…!”

The soldier was at a loss for words at such a confident attitude.

The soldier looked at Park Dong-yun.

“Was this agreed upon in advance?”

“Ah, yes…”

“Shouldn’t you stop him?”

“He’s very stubborn…”

Park Dong-yun shook his head as if he had given up.

“So you’re saying he’s entering under agreement? I won’t be responsible if anything happens?”

“Of course.”

The soldier opened the barbed wire.

Min Do-jun walked confidently towards the dungeon.

[Bukhansan Horned Rabbit Dungeon]

-Difficulty: F

-Personnel limit: 5 people

-Entry requirement: Level 1 or higher

-Conquest goal: Exterminate 100 horned rabbits

-Failure penalty: Random stat decrease by 1

-Time limit: 4 hours

-Time remaining until dungeon break: 85 hours 59 minutes 31 seconds

Most hunters don’t enter a dungeon alone that can accommodate up to five people.

Because they receive penalties if they fail to clear it.

They try to fill the maximum number of people to clear it easily and safely, rather than taking risks like Min Do-jun.

“Can you do it?”

This is why Park Dong-yun kept worrying.

It wasn’t easy to kill 100 horned rabbits alone within the time limit.

“Yes. Don’t worry.”

“Sigh… How can I not worry? You’re deliberately putting yourself in danger.”

While sighing, Park Dong-yun no longer tried to dissuade him.

He keenly felt that trying to persuade him would be a waste of time.

“You received all the equipment, right?”

“Yes.”

Helmet, armor, shoes, gloves, etc.

Min Do-jun was wearing the basic beginner equipment provided by the center.

These were the basic items for hunters that provided some protection against monsters.

Even so, they were only slightly better than ordinary clothes.

“Then be careful, and if you feel it’s dangerous, run away no matter what. You can escape after the time limit, so don’t think about the penalty. Understand?”

“Yes. I’ll see you later then.”

Min Do-jun strode into the dungeon.

Watching his back disappear into the two-dimensional world, Park Dong-yun shook his head.

‘That confidence will only last until he enters.’

Park Dong-yun thought he was putting on airs because he didn’t know better.

It happened sometimes.

Fools who looked down on low-level monsters, their eyes raised by high-level information floating around the internet about raids and attack parties.

When they actually see them, they’d be too scared to even move.

‘Just come back alive.’

Park Dong-yun had already accepted as fact that Min Do-jun would fail to clear it within four hours.

* * *

What greeted Min Do-jun as he entered the dungeon was a vast forest.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary forest, but upon closer inspection, the trees and plants were unlike anything on Earth.

This was, after all, a different dimension.

‘It’s been a while since I entered a beginner dungeon.’

For Min Do-jun, who had been ranked 1st, it had been nearly 10 years.

He only entered them at low levels; at high levels, he was too busy running raids.

‘Anyway, I don’t have time to waste.’

Min Do-jun took out a wooden club from his inventory.

‘I need to clear it quickly to get the hidden achievement.’

There was a reason he insisted on entering alone.

Hidden achievement.

It was to obtain an achievement that could only be received when clearing one’s first dungeon solo.

Rustle-

Moving through the undergrowth, Min Do-jun soon spotted his target.

A horned rabbit.

The appearance of a rabbit with a horn on its forehead.

But unlike its cute appearance, its size rivaled that of a wild boar.

Kiyuung-

The horned rabbit that was making a strange sound spotted Min Do-jun and hopped towards him.

Its speed wasn’t fast, but due to its size, it felt quite threatening.

Kiyuuung!

The approaching horned rabbit lowered its head.

Intending to stab with the horn on its forehead.

But Min Do-jun wasn’t one to be easily caught.

[Revenge characteristic effect doubles damage.]

Whoosh-

He dodged lightly.

Thwack-

He struck the horned rabbit’s chin hard with the club.

Kuueong-

The horned rabbit collapsed helplessly from one club strike.

He struck its skull twice more to finish it off, and it disappeared like smoke as its life ended.

[Experience +10]

Just three hits.

It was easy to kill not only because the damage was doubled, but also because he targeted the weak point, the chin.

‘When I didn’t know better, I used to just hit the body hard and it took forever.’

Like its huge body, the horned rabbit had quite tough defenses.

Its body was all muscle, so it goes without saying.

This was why beginners struggled against horned rabbits.

But if you knew its weakness, the horned rabbit was easier to deal with than anything else.

Kyuuung-

Two horned rabbits spotted Min Do-jun and hopped towards him.

Thwack-

Thwack-

[Experience +10]

[Experience +10]

Knowing their weakness, horned rabbits were no match for Min Do-jun.

As Min Do-jun was hunting smoothly, he spotted a group of horned rabbits gathered in the forest.

Kyuuuung?

The horned rabbits all spotted Min Do-jun and hopped towards him.

Over ten horned rabbits hopping towards him might have been scary, but Min Do-jun rather happily leaped towards the group.

Thwack!

Thwack!

The horned rabbits turned to smoke one after another.

For the slow creatures, it wasn’t easy to catch Min Do-jun as he dodged around.

After cleanly dispatching them all, a welcome notification appeared.

[You have acquired an F-rank magic stone.]

‘A magic stone after killing just a few…’

He was quite lucky.

Magic stones were something that might or might not appear after killing 200 F-rank monsters.

‘With this, I’ve earned a day’s wages.’

Magic stones were rocks that could be used as alternative energy.

In an age of depleting energy, they were indispensable.

Thus, the country bought magic stones at high prices, with even the lowest F-rank going for 1 million won.

‘I’ll clear this as quickly as possible and get out.’

Min Do-jun continued to focus on hunting horned rabbits.

After hunting for a while, Min Do-jun opened the ‘conquest window’.

-Conquest progress: 54/100 horned rabbits

-Time remaining: 2 hours 59 minutes 32 seconds

In just one hour, he had already killed over half the horned rabbits.

An ordinary beginner would have taken 6 hours.

Min Do-jun gripped his club and moved again.

The horned rabbit hunt proceeded smoothly.

When he had killed over 80, it happened.

[Your level has increased!]

[Distribute your stats.]

-Name: Min Do-jun (Born 2000)

-Level: 2

-Rank: F

-Combat Power: 381

-Domestic Ranking: 41,383rd

-World Ranking: 6,128,417th

-Strength: 3, Vitality: 3

-Agility: 3, Mana: 3

-Undistributed stats: 1

-Characteristics: Revenge(S), Hunter Hunter(EX)

-Skills: None

Looking at the status window, he saw that his previously unmeasured combat power had been reflected.

‘It’s increased quite a bit for my level.’

Combat power is a simple numerical representation of the damage dealt to monsters.

Therefore, combat power increases based on how quickly one kills monsters.

A combat power of 381 was usually achievable only at level 10.

‘I should allocate my stat point.’

Leveling up increases stat points by 1.

While ordinary beginners agonize over which of the four stats to choose, Min Do-jun was decisive.

‘I’ll invest in vitality.’

Vitality is the most necessary stat in the early stages.

Only clueless beginners allocate points to strength or agility, which aren’t particularly needed in the early stages when weapons or techniques can cover for them.

As for mana, it’s not very useful without learned skills.

It’s more efficient to allocate to vitality and run as many dungeons as possible to level up quickly.

As Min Do-jun continued hunting, he opened the conquest window.

-Conquest progress: 99/100 horned rabbits

-Time remaining: 2 hours 5 minutes 21 seconds

Just one more to kill for a successful conquest and to exit the dungeon.

At that moment, an unexpected monster appeared.

‘That is…?’

It was a giant horned rabbit.

Unlike the other rabbits with one horn, this one had three, and its body was over three times larger.

‘King Horned Rabbit.’

It was the boss of this area.

‘I heard they appear occasionally, but I didn’t expect to see one here.’

It’s not easy to encounter a boss in a beginner dungeon.

They appear so rarely that some never meet a boss while they’re still beginners.

That’s how it was for Min Do-jun before his regression.

Due to rapid leveling up, he had left the beginner area before encountering a boss.

‘It’s my first time seeing a King Horned Rabbit in person.’

Though it was his first time seeing one, he wasn’t afraid.

To him, bosses were mere prey.

Min Do-jun ran towards it with his club, feeling pleased.

Thwack-!

The club struck the King Horned Rabbit’s toe.

Kyueeong!

Belatedly noticing Min Do-jun, it swung its head.

Whoosh- Whoosh-!

Though it could have crushed him with its body, it insisted on trying to stab with its horns.

This was due to its low intelligence, like regular horned rabbits.

‘In the end, it’s just a bigger horned rabbit.’

Knowing its attack pattern, Min Do-jun nimbly moved his body and targeted the rabbit’s toes.

It was the second weakest point after the chin.

Thwack- Thwack- Thwack-!

Kyuuuu!

As the horned rabbit lowered its head in pain, Min Do-jun didn’t miss the chance and struck its weak point, the chin, with all his might.

Thwack-!

He struck upwards once more.

Thwack-!

He continued striking upwards.

Thwack-!!

Kyuuueeeong-!

Kuung-!

Finally, the horned rabbit collapsed.

[You have achieved an achievement!]