Chapter 8 – Level 120

“Phew…”

Park Dong-yun, sitting in the office, let out a long sigh.

Go Young-min, the section chief who happened to see this while passing by, asked worriedly.

“Park. You don’t look good this morning. Is something wrong?”

“Ah, no, sir.”

“What is it? Tell me. Is it because of a hunter?”

“Yes, well…”

Section Chief Go Young-min frowned.

“I thought so. There’s not a single decent one among hunters. Who is it? Who’s giving our Park a hard time? Huh?”

“…”

“Let me guess. It’s because of the new recruit who came in recently, right?”

“Yes…”

“Right, I knew it! This always happens when a young kid who’s never worked in society becomes a hunter. They act like they’re something special, don’t they?”

“…”

“Tell me. What did that guy say? Does he look down on you and act high and mighty just because he’s just become a hunter?”

“It’s not like that…”

“Then?”

“He doesn’t let me sleep.”

Hearing this, Section Chief Go Young-min’s expression soured even more.

“This is pure thuggery. He doesn’t let you sleep? Who does he think he is to say when you can or can’t sleep? We should report this to the Human Rights Commission…”

“Ah, that’s not what I meant.”

“Huh? Then?”

“I meant he keeps me from sleeping because he’s in dungeons until late. These days I’m always getting off work after midnight.”

“What? That late?”

Due to the nature of the job that required picking up hunters, the hunters’ quitting time was also the handler’s quitting time.

Section Chief Go Young-min knew this fact, but he didn’t know it was this late.

“Yes. I’m really exhausted. I pass out as soon as I lie on the bed.”

“But what dungeon is he running until midnight? Are there hunters who work that late?”

Most hunters return home before evening.

As a result, parties don’t gather at night.

This was why Section Chief Go Young-min expressed doubt.

After all, dungeon hunting basically requires a party.

But not everyone does party hunting.

“That hunter doesn’t do party hunting.”

“What?”

“He’s insisted on solo hunting from the beginning until now.”

At those words, Section Chief Go Young-min let out a hollow laugh.

Then he clicked his tongue, tsk tsk.

“How stupid to insist on solo hunting. Why would he do such a foolish thing? You should have stopped him.”

Section Chief Go Young-min assumed he must have failed at solo hunting.

After all, clearing a dungeon alone wasn’t an easy task.

“Tsk tsk, he must have suffered all kinds of penalties. His level must be 1.”

“That hunter is level 120.”

“…?”

Section Chief Go Young-min, whose thought process momentarily stopped, glared at Park Dong-yun as if telling him not to joke around.

“It’s not a joke.”

“Hey. As far as I know, that new hunter has only been registered for 3 weeks, right? Level 120?”

“It’s true. I’m dying trying to pick him up from seven dungeons every day…”

“Seven places a day? And solo at that?”

“Yes.”

“Where are you selling this nonsense? At that rate, each dungeon must take less than an hour?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“…”

Speechless at that serious attitude, Section Chief Go Young-min picked up his tablet.

“Should I really check the records? You better not be lying.”

When he looked up Park Dong-yun’s hunter management list on the company network, the names of the three he managed appeared.

“Min Do-jun, right?”

“Yes.”

When he clicked on the name of Min Do-jun, who had only been registered for 3 weeks, all the information about the dungeons he had entered so far, including whether they were cleared and the time taken, was displayed.

“Clear, clear, cle… ar.”

They were all cleared.

And the clearing time for the Big-Eared Monkey Dungeon was all around 1 hour.

“Crazy… Is this even possible?”

“Do you believe me now?”

“No, I can’t believe it even after seeing it. Is this possible?”

“I found it hard to believe at first too, but now I’m not even surprised.”

“You’re saying that hunter is level 120 now?”

“Yes.”

Section Chief Go Young-min went ahead and checked the rankings as well.

21,281st – Min Do-jun (Born 2000) – Level 120 (E-rank)

“It’s really true?”

It was hard to believe, but he had no choice but to believe it.

The evidence was right in front of him.

“Park.”

“Yes.”

“You’ve worked hard all this time.”

“…Pardon?”

Park Dong-yun’s eyes wavered uneasily.

You’ve worked hard all this time?

It couldn’t help but sound meaningful.

“Sir. Am I perhaps being fir…”

“From now on, you only take care of Min Do-jun.”

“What?”

“I’ll pass the rest to other kids, so from now on just focus on Min Do-jun.”

“Ah… Is that really okay?”

“Yes. You’ve worked hard managing all three until now. Don’t worry about the small fry anymore. Only Hunter Min Do-jun. Okay?”

“Ah, I understand.”

“He’s going to be big in the future.”

As they say, a promising tree shows from its sprout, Section Chief Go Young-min recognized Min Do-jun’s true value early on.

* * *

‘I achieved it faster than expected.’

Min Do-jun, who had been running only monkey dungeons without rest lately, smiled with satisfaction.

Even he didn’t expect to reach his target of level 120 in just 3 weeks.

‘Now I need to change dungeons.’

As of today, he’s graduating from the Big-Eared Monkey Dungeon.

He couldn’t keep playing in E-rank dungeons forever.

Now he needed to play in higher waters.

‘I’ll challenge a D-rank dungeon.’

For this, replacing items was essential.

The Lion’s Roar wouldn’t work in the dungeon he was about to challenge, so his current equipment was far from enough.

This was why Min Do-jun visited the Hunter Management Center from the morning.

To match the items, he had to sell all the magic stones he had collected over the past two days.

“Ah, Hunter Min Do-jun?”

Han Sang-jun, the magic stone appraiser, seemed to recognize him from seeing him a few times.

“Did you come to sell magic stones?”

“Yes.”

“It’s been two weeks since you came, right?”

“Yes. So the quantity is a bit large.”

“Ah, really?”

Han Sang-jun secretly expected how many he might have brought.

‘Maybe about ten?’

But the magic stones Min Do-jun poured onto the table were more than he could have imagined.

“Is, is this all…”

“40 E-rank magic stones.”

These were the magic stones he had collected from level 37 to level 120.

“You, you gathered these in just two weeks?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t believe it…”

Min Do-jun refrained from speaking.

There was no reason to answer his questions, and whether he believed it or not, all he needed was to receive the money.

“Please process it quickly.”

“Ah, could you wait a moment? It takes some time to check each one.”

When he nodded, Han Sang-jun carefully examined the magic stones.

He was checking if there were any fakes.

Unlike other hunter items, ordinary people couldn’t check the information of magic stones, so there were separate appraisers.

“All confirmed as E-rank. The amount will be deposited into your account immediately.”

“Okay. Then.”

As Min Do-jun turned around, Han Sang-jun bowed his head.

“Take care!”

Puzzled by the different treatment than usual, Min Do-jun tilted his head and left the center.

Watching his retreating figure, Han Sang-jun thought.

‘That person is a big shot.’

For Han Sang-jun, who received incentives based on the magic stones he appraised, Min Do-jun was nothing short of a VIP customer.

Ding-

[Deposit 200,000,000 won]

Not long after leaving the center, Min Do-jun confirmed that a large sum of money had been deposited.

‘This should be enough.’

It was more than enough to match level 120 equipment.

As always, he visited the Hunter Wholesale Market and looked around the stores.

“Customer, come this way! Looking is free. Take a look around!”

“Hey, handsome brother over there! Come to our store. We have cheap and good items!”

Merchants’ solicitations continued as Min Do-jun passed by.

With stores clustered together, they had no choice but to compete with each other.

Among them, there were even merchants who grabbed his collar.

“Customer, come to our sto…”

“Let go.”

When Min Do-jun spoke with a cold gaze, the merchant who had grabbed his collar quickly let go.

Although he looked like an ordinary college student, all the customers looking around the stores were hunters.

Real hunters who deal with monsters that ordinary people can’t handle.

The merchant who belatedly realized this fact kept bowing his head.

“I, I’m sorry!”

As he did so, he recalled a fellow merchant who had been hospitalized last month for offending a hunter.

‘I’m dead!’

But contrary to the merchant’s worry, Min Do-jun left without saying anything.

He didn’t have time to care about something as trivial as having his collar grabbed.

Ding-dong-

“Welcome!”

The place Min Do-jun visited was a skill book store.

He needed to choose three good skills from here.

‘I should erase Lion’s Roar and Shield Charge. I won’t need them for a while.’

He would have to learn Lion’s Roar again later when he needed it, but that would be after reaching level 1,000.

For now, he had to secure one more skill slot even if it meant erasing Lion’s Roar.

‘Which ones would be good?’

As Min Do-jun looked around the displayed skill books, something caught his eye.

[Skill – Ice Spear]

-Rank: E

-Effect: Low chance to freeze

-Damage: 250% of magic power

-Usage restriction: Level 120 or higher

-Description: Throws an ice spear to deal damage.

[Skill – Lightning Spear]

-Rank: E

-Effect: Low chance to electrocute

-Damage: 250% of magic power

-Usage restriction: Level 120 or higher

-Description: Throws a lightning spear to deal damage.

‘These two would be good for attacks.’

Considering the dungeons he would enter from now on, these skills were perfect for combos.

‘For the last one.’

[Skill – Energy Shield]

-Rank: E

-Defense: 350% of magic power

-Usage restriction: Level 120 or higher

-Description: Protects the body by surrounding it with magic power.

‘I’ll go with this.’

What Min Do-jun chose were typical mage-exclusive skills.

In a way, it was a natural choice since he had raised his magic power.

‘Magic swordsman-exclusive skills are useless for now anyway.’

Until he stole Sim Jin-seop’s characteristic, he had no choice but to act as a mage.

“How much is it for all of these?”

The merchant nodded as he saw the three skill books.

“These are mage skills. The total is 9 million w… Huh?”

The merchant who remembered Min Do-jun’s face opened his eyes wide.

“Aren’t you the one who bought Lion’s Roar and Shield Charge last time?”

“Yes, but.”

“Weren’t you a tank?”

“No.”

The merchant was confused.

He thought he was definitely a tank from seeing him choose skills back then.

“So, so you were a mage…”

“Yes.”

Strictly speaking, he was aiming to be a magic swordsman, but for now he had to be considered a mage.

‘But why did a mage buy tank skills?’

He was curious, but the merchant couldn’t ask.

Min Do-jun had quickly left the store after completing the payment.

‘Learn.’

[There is ‘Lion’s Roar’ in the skill slot. Do you want to remove it and learn?]

[There is ‘Shield Charge’ in the skill slot. Do you want to remove it and learn?]

‘Learn.’

As he approved, the three skill books disappeared with a flash of light.

The skill slots were filled with new mage skills.

‘Next is equipment.’

Min Do-jun looked for an equipment store.

Among the many stores, the one he chose was a shabby store in the corner.

It was a place he frequently used before his regression, selling cheap and diverse equipment.

‘Should I go with this?’

As he was looking at the displayed equipment, Min Do-jun picked up a staff.

[Old Tree Staff]

-Category: Weapon

-Rank: E

-Attack power: 13~23

-Effect: Magic power +18

-Durability: 900/900

-Usage restriction: Level 120 or higher

-Description: A staff for mages. It hurts even if you just hit with it.

It was the best weapon at the same level.

The price was a whopping 15 million won.

He would have to change to a different weapon when he transitioned to a magic swordsman, but Min Do-jun didn’t mind.

‘As long as the durability is good, I can sell it at the original price.’

When you look at hunter equipment, the durability is displayed.

When reselling equipment, the price varies depending on how much durability is left.

If you resell it without using it much, you can get almost the original price.

‘There’s no problem if I use it sparingly.’

That’s why Min Do-jun was not hesitant to spend money.

He chose only the highest quality for his level for helmet, armor, gloves, shoes, accessories, etc.

Of course, focusing on magic power options.

“Please calculate all of these.”

“All, all of this?”

“Yes. How much is it?”

The merchant who tapped on the calculator carefully said.

“It’s 64 million won, but…”

As he said this, he watched Min Do-jun’s reaction.

It meant, do you have that much money?

But the doubt didn’t last long.

Because the card Min Do-jun handed over was swiped and the payment approval screen appeared.

“Thank you, customer! Have a nice day!”

The merchant bowed deeply towards Min Do-jun who was leaving after equipping the items.

’64 million evaporated in an instant.’

Nevertheless, Min Do-jun didn’t regret it.

Not only did he have enough money left over.

-Name: Min Do-jun (Born 2000)

-Level: 120

-Rank: E

-Combat power: 3,909

-Domestic ranking: 21,281st

-World ranking: 3,151,458th

-Strength: 6, Stamina: 21

-Agility: 33, Magic power: 155

-Undistributed stats: 0

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

-Skills: Ice Spear(E), Lightning Spear(E), Energy Shield(E)

Thanks to this, his magic power had increased tremendously.

‘This should be enough to challenge D-rank.’

After checking his specs, Min Do-jun unequipped his gear and called Park Dong-yun.

-Yes, Hunter! Did you sleep well last night?

“Please set up a dungeon for me.”

-Understood! Will it be the Big-Eared Monkey Dungeon again today?

“No. I’ve graduated from there. From now on, I’ll be going to D-rank dungeons.”

-What? D-rank?

Park Dong-yun, surprised, soon said worriedly.

-Even for you, Hunter, wouldn’t D-rank be difficult alone?

“Yes. That’s why I’ll be entering with a party this time.”

-Ah, I se… What?

“I said I’m going with a party.”

-…

It seemed unexpected, as there was silence on the other end of the phone for a while.