Chapter 59 – The Tiger Dungeon with Cat’s Eyes

“Welcome to the Blue Dragon Guild. I am the Guild Master, Lee Han-seok.”

“I’m Min Do-jun.”

Min Do-jun’s eyes gleamed as he shook hands with the Guild Master.

‘He hasn’t changed at all, then or now.’

Min Do-jun had met him exactly once before his regression.

It was at a dinner meeting arranged to recruit him.

‘Back then, when I flatly rejected his offer, he was such a rude person who left the table saying he lost his appetite.’

He would show a smiling face to hunters he wanted as guild members, but would coldly turn his back if not.

He was nothing but a materialistic person who only thought about money.

‘Just like his nephew, tsk.’

Min Do-jun also knew that the Guild Master was Lee Se-yun’s uncle.

That’s why he had absolutely no intention of joining the Blue Dragon Guild.

‘But I can’t openly show my dislike. I’ll pretend to consider joining the guild while taking what I can get and then reject them.’

This was why Min Do-jun was now speaking with a smile.

“I heard that you helped arrange for me to enter the dungeon. Thank you.”

“Haha, it’s nothing. Helping talented hunters like yourself is what keeps our country going, isn’t it?”

‘This person who’s only busy filling his own stomach, let alone the country…’

Though it was disgusting to see him speak with such a shameless face, he endured it.

“I’d like to show you around the guild, but we’re short on time. Tae-ho!”

“Yes!”

A manager quickly rushed over from the side.

“This is our manager Kang Tae-ho. Introduce yourself.”

“Hello! I’m Kang Tae-ho!”

“Our manager will inform you about everything related to the dungeon. Tae-ho, take good care of our important guest.”

“Don’t worry! This way please, Hunter Min Do-jun!”

Following the manager, four hunters were waiting in front of a van.

“These are the hunters who will be entering the dungeon with you today.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Jin-woo, the team leader.”

“Min Do-jun.”

When the bear-like man extended his hand, Min Do-jun lightly grasped it.

“These are our team members.”

“Pleased to meet you, I’m Jo Seong-hoon.”

“Park Kwang-jin.”

“Choi Da-hye.”

“It takes 3 hours to get to the dungeon, so let’s talk more on the way.”

After brief introductions, everyone got into the car.

“Then, we’ll depart.”

At the manager’s words, the car left the city.

Three hours before Min Do-jun came to the Blue Dragon Guild.

Kim Jin-woo and his team members’ faces were full of dissatisfaction.

It was because of what they heard from the Guild Master.

“Fine, having an outside hunter join our team is one thing! But the Tiger Dungeon with Cat’s Eyes?”

“Right. We graduated from there two years ago.”

The appropriate level for clearing the Tiger Dungeon with Cat’s Eyes was around level 1,300.

It wasn’t a place for them who were in their late 1,600 levels.

“Plus, they say the joining hunter is only level 1,000?”

“That means they’re B-rank?”

“Are they telling us to babysit or what?”

That wasn’t the only incomprehensible thing.

They were strictly ordered not to offend the joining hunter and to hunt as diligently as possible.

“Just who is this hunter anyway?”

“Are they some corporate chairman’s son or something?”

At that moment, someone opened the waiting room door.

“Huh!”

“H-Hunter Lee Se-yun?”

Kim Jin-woo and his team members couldn’t hide their excitement at Lee Se-yun’s sudden appearance.

Indeed, Lee Se-yun was the only hunter in the guild who exceeded level 2,000.

He was famous for his good personality and excellent skills as much as his handsome face.

Therefore, every guild member wanted to meet and emulate Lee Se-yun.

Even if he was younger than them.

How could they not be nervous when such a celebrity visited?

However, what actually came out of Lee Se-yun’s mouth was different from their expectations.

“You’ve all heard about going to an A-rank dungeon with an outsider tomorrow, right?”

“Yes.”

“We need to make the best impression possible on them.”

“…Pardon?”

“Don’t show any complaints and act as politely as possible. When hunting in the dungeon, fight your best as if your company boss is watching.”

“…”

To think their first meeting with their idol would be about making a good impression on an outsider.

By this point, team members couldn’t help but be curious.

Who was this hunter that warranted such earnest requests from both the Guild Master and Hunter Lee Se-yun?

So they asked.

Who this hunter was.

And the answer they got was:

“They might become our future guild member. Please treat them well.”

It was different from what they had expected.

‘Just a hunter who might become a guild member?’

The team members were dumbfounded.

They hadn’t gone this far even when recruiting themselves…

‘Just how amazing could this person be?’

With such thoughts, they were now traveling by car after meeting Hunter Min Do-jun, but…

‘Is he really such an amazing hunter?’

Just looking at his appearance, they couldn’t help but tilt their heads in doubt.

In the car filled with silence, team leader Kim Jin-woo broke the ice.

“You said your name was Min Do-jun?”

“Yes.”

“Is this your first time at the Tiger Dungeon with Cat’s Eyes?”

“That’s right.”

Min Do-jun naturally lied.

There was no point in telling them he had cleared it dozens of times before his regression.

“We’re all in the 1,600 level range and graduated from this dungeon long ago. Moreover, we’re veterans with 6 years of experience, so you can relax.”

“I understand.”

Though it wasn’t much to hear for Min Do-jun with his 10 years of experience, he listened anyway since it wasn’t said with bad intentions.

“First, let me tell you about the precautions…”

During the car ride, Min Do-jun heard various things from Kim Jin-woo.

Things to be careful about before entering the dungeon, methods to tackle the Cat-Eyed Tiger, and so on.

Though he knew the strategy better than anyone and let most of it go in one ear and out the other, there was one part he paid attention to.

It was the party members’ positions.

“I’m a sword-wielding tank, the two men are assassin and axe warrior DPS, and the woman here will be our magic support.”

One tank, two DPS, and one support.

“Hmm, that’s a good composition.”

“Right? We’ve been working together for a while now, so our coordination is perfect. You’ll be surprised when you see us in action.”

The comment about the good composition wasn’t just empty words.

While parties composed of all DPS might be faster and better for low levels, at higher levels, including a tank or support actually becomes more efficient.

As levels increase, growth slows down while monsters become exponentially stronger, making it overwhelming for just DPS alone.

That’s why having either a tank or support makes hunting twice as easy, and Kim Jin-woo’s team had both.

In other words, an ideal party composition.

‘They managed to find both tank and support positions when they’re in such short supply.’

Naturally, DPS gets more experience points than the two positions with lower damage output.

As a result, tanks and supports have a harder time leveling up, and few people want to play these roles.

That’s why guilds offer additional compensation when recruiting tanks and supports.

They need to make up for the lack of experience points with money to attract players.

“I heard Do-jun’s level is 1000, but what’s your class?”

“Magic Swordsman.”

“Ma… what?”

“Magic Swordsman.”

“…”

It wasn’t that they didn’t know about Magic Swordsmen.

They just couldn’t understand why he’d chosen such an ambiguous class.

“Magic Swordsman is… DPS, right?”

“That’s correct.”

The conversation stopped there.

Seems they had nothing more to say.

After the silence, the manager spoke.

“We’ve arrived.”

After driving for three full hours, they arrived at Geunjang-gol in Daejeon.

As the team members got out of the car and stood in front of the portal, an information window appeared.

[Geunjang-gol Cat-Eyed Tiger Dungeon]

-Difficulty: A
-Party Limit: 5 people
-Entry Requirement: Level 1,000+
-Clear Objective: Survive within time limit
-Failure Penalty: None
-Time Limit: 24 hours
-Time until Dungeon Break: 96 hours 5 minutes 21 seconds

Until now, dungeons had time limits of 6 hours at most, but this one was 24 hours.

The objective wasn’t elimination but survival.

“This place is different from the dungeons you’ve cleared so far. Rather than simply defeating designated monsters and leaving, you need to endure for a long time.”

Kim Jin-woo volunteered to explain for the first-timer Min Do-jun.

“While surviving 24 hours might not be difficult if you stay still, your stamina will naturally drain as you hunt monsters. It’s definitely not something to take lightly.”

However, they couldn’t bring food into the dungeon to replenish stamina.

No items except worn equipment could be brought into the dungeon.

“That’s why stamina management is crucial in survival-type dungeons. But unless you’re a tank, you won’t have high stamina. Especially for Do-jun at only level 1,000, it won’t be easy to endure.”

“…”

Min Do-jun’s current stamina stat was 1,000.

It was almost on par with a level 1,400 tank, but Kim Jin-woo had no way of knowing that.

Hadn’t he introduced himself as DPS?

“Looking at the portal’s color, it seems someone’s still inside.”

The portal was glowing purple, indicating there were already people inside.

“They should be out soon, so let’s equip our gear first.”

At Kim Jin-woo’s words, everyone quickly transformed.

As expected of A-rank hunters, they all had dazzling equipment.

However, no one had a weapon as eye-catching as Min Do-jun’s.

“That weapon… is a one-handed sword, right?”

“Yes.”

The ghostly sword emanating an unusual aura instantly caught the party members’ attention.

‘Are there such swords among B-rank weapons?’

‘That weapon looks unusual.’

‘Surely it can’t be A-rank?’

Though everyone was curious, no one asked Min Do-jun about his weapon.

It would be rude, and besides, they’d only be seeing him today anyway.

Shortly after, hunters emerged from the dungeon.

Seeing five people come out meant they all survived.

“Let’s go in too.”

Led by Kim Jin-woo, the five people entered the portal.

In a dense forest filled with chirping birds.

Five people appeared among the thick trees.

“Keep your eyes peeled. We need to survive for the next 24 hours.”

Of course, they couldn’t just stay still to survive.

They couldn’t just idle around when they came to hunt monsters.

“We’ll show you how we hunt, so Do-jun, please stay back for now.”

“Understood.”

Min Do-jun silently followed Kim Jin-woo’s party.

‘They said to show a good performance, right?’

Kim Jin-woo intended to demonstrate just how impressive the Blue Dragon Guild was.

So impressive that it would feel overwhelming to join!

Just then, a perfect example appeared.

A Cat-Eyed Tiger.

“Just one.”

At those words, the team members relaxed.

A single tiger posed no threat to a party of A-rank hunters.

As if to prove this…

Slash- Swish!

Crack- Thud!

Kim Jin-woo and the DPS quickly dispatched the tiger.

Before they could walk a few steps, another one appeared but…

Growl-!

Bang-!

It couldn’t withstand Kim Jin-woo’s party’s barrage of attacks.

‘How’s that? This is the Blue Dragon Guild.’

Kim Jin-woo glanced at Min Do-jun smugly, but couldn’t read his expression.

“Keep moving forward.”

They hadn’t gone far when they stopped in their tracks.

A Cat-Eyed Tiger was staring at them with fierce eyes.

“Stop. Another one spotted ahead.”

“It’s not just one.”

“…!”

At Min Do-jun’s words, Kim Jin-woo looked again and saw two more appear.

A total of three tigers were now glaring at their group.

“Alright. Let’s do this.”

Like a veteran, Kim Jin-woo remained calm.

Raising his sword and shield, he waited for the Cat-Eyed Tigers to approach.

As they sluggishly came within range…

“Haaaaaaah!!!”

Kim Jin-woo activated his taunt skill.

Growl!

All three Cat-Eyed Tigers charged at Kim Jin-woo simultaneously.

Clang-! Clang!

The tigers struck with their front paws from various angles, but Kim Jin-woo firmly blocked with his shield.

As expected of an A-rank tank, he didn’t waver under the tigers’ attacks.

Meanwhile, the assassin and axe warrior worked together to kill one tiger while the support added power with attack magic.

Boom!

Then, one tiger that lost aggro charged at Min Do-jun who was standing blankly, but…

Crack-

Tree branches sprouting from the ground bound the tiger’s four legs.

It was the support’s bind magic.

‘They’re not bad at all.’

From skill accuracy to party coordination and teamwork.

Their combat style was overall stable.

‘However.’

Growl-!

‘They’re underestimating the Cat-Eyed Tigers too much.’

The bound tiger’s eyes changed to phosphorescent, and…

Crack- Crack-!

It tore apart the tree branches with terrifying strength.

“Gasp, what?”

“It suddenly used berserk mode?”

A Cat-Eyed Tiger in berserk mode becomes three times stronger.

Tearing through tree branches was nothing.

Growl-

The tiger that had targeted Min Do-jun changed its prey.

Its new target was the support who had bound its legs.

Tap tap tap-!

With its newfound strength, it closed the 20-meter gap instantly.

“Da-hye, danger!”

“Stop it! Stop that thing!”

The team members tried to protect their support, but the tiger was already right in front of her.

“Ah…”

Yet Choi Da-hye couldn’t respond.

She had already used all her skills.

‘Mom…’

Sensing death, she briefly regretted becoming a hunter.

‘Even with awakening, I shouldn’t have done such dangerous work…’

Roar!

As the tiger raised its paw before her eyes, Choi Da-hye had almost given up on life.

There was no way she, a mage, could withstand that attack, especially with berserk mode active.

But her fears didn’t materialize.

Slash!

Thud-

“Huh…?”

The tiger’s front leg was cleanly severed by something.

Growl-!

Before the Cat-Eyed Tiger could even fall while howling in pain…

Slash- Slash!

Thud-

Its head and body separated, then vanished into smoke.

“…”

Looking up at this unbelievable sight, she saw the hunter they had barely paid attention to until now, staring at her with an expressionless face.