Chapter 18

Jin-Woo could hear something, though barely, very faint footsteps.

Many footsteps.

It was clear that monsters here moved in groups, living in darkness. And if they were heading here now, it likely meant they were drawn to the light.

As these increasingly intense sounds...

- They're insectoids! - Jin-Woo shouted when he finally connected all the steps.

- Insectoids?!

- Is this an ant nest?!

- Don't even fucking say that!

Of the many types of magical beasts, insects were particularly troublesome. They were difficult to kill for many reasons, they moved in groups, most often had hard armor, and were fast.

And among the insects, ants were the worst. Many Hunters have mistakenly entered a nest of magical ants and met a tragic end.

These magic ants have had a very bad association with Koreans for several years now, mainly for one reason.

- They're getting closer!

- I can't see anything!

- Darn it, there are too many tunnels around us!

- Above us! - Jin-Woo finally shouted as the enemy was getting closer.

Giant dark red bugs fell out of the ceiling, or more precisely from the tunnels therein. If the warning had been just two seconds late, the worms would be falling on their heads right now. Against magical beasts such as insects that gathered in large concentrations on the ground, loss of balance was a death sentence.

Fortunately, there were no ants visible among the attacking bugs.

The eight hunters worked together surprisingly efficiently, burning, slashing, and crushing the insects around them.

It's clear that this group has been working together for a long time.

They didn't need many words to communicate with each other and defend each other's backs.

No wonder they didn't take a medic with them if they were doing so well.

Even though they didn't seem pleasant...

The bloodlust and brutality radiating from them...

This was too much even for hunters fighting monsters in the dungeon.

Many hunters enjoy fighting and killing monsters even more than making money from them.

But the viciousness of this group has now begun to display...

Watching it from the side was not only disturbing but also frustrating.

He didn't want to stand and watch. He wanted to fight.

Now that he could get stronger...

He himself began to enjoy fighting and killing monsters.

Probably even more than making money.

- We'll rest a bit and move on. - Hwang Dong-Suk decided when all the monsters were dead. - Take the magic cores from them, we will divide them later.

- That's my favorite part of the job.

- Yeah, mine too.

Hwang Dong-Suk, ignoring his companions collecting cores, approached Jin-Woo.

- You saved us. How did you know they would come from above?

He couldn't say that his senses went much beyond mere sight.

- It was... a hunch.

- Good job, kid. Thanks to you, everything went so smoothly. I appreciate it. But it'd be better if you focused solely on your task.

- Oh? - Jin-Woo looked confused at the group commander, not understanding what he meant.

He helped them locate the monsters. Don't fall into a trap that could prove fatal to someone.

If he hadn't reacted so quickly...

So why did this guy say something like that?

- Boss, come over here!

Hwang Dong-Suk turned and walked towards the mage who called him.

The hunters, looking at something lying on the ground, moved slightly apart to make room for the boss. He crouched down to get a better look and frowned in surprise.

At first glance, it was just a dead bug, nothing out of the ordinary.

- Look at their wounds, boss. It's not from a sword or a dagger. It's not our doing.

Understanding what one of the hunters meant, Hwang Dong-Suk muttered under his breath.

- It looks like it's been... bitten.

- Look there, more parts like this.

Hwang Dong-Suk straightened up and looked around at the tunnels.

- Did the monsters fight for territory? It would mean there are even stronger beasts here. Or maybe it's the boss's doing, which could mean...

The gaze of the eight hunters fell on Jin-Woo and Jin-Ho, the latter averting his eyes when he noticed the hunters were watching him, pretending to check his equipment.

For a second, Jin-Woo saw in the hunters' eyes... a strange greed towards the two of them.

This look was terrifying.

- Jin-Ho, that equipment looks very good. Must have been expensive? - Jin-Woo asked, seemingly without interest.

- Yeah, my dad got it for me, for my first raid. He was worried.

Jin-Woo hummed in understanding without taking his eyes off Hwang Dong-Suk's back.

The Dungeons differed from one another in many ways. In terms of shape, size, and the types of monsters found within them.

Sometimes, in larger dungeons, it might take hours, and in some, just an hour.

The success of such expeditions often depended on luck.

This particular underground was built like a real maze. There wasn't much fighting, but it took forever to move.

Jin-Woo's job was to guard the luggage.

He didn't need to engage in combat and honestly, he preferred to stay as far away from these guys as possible without arousing their suspicions.

Something was bothering him all the time.

He could make a lot of money without committing himself, and yet he still felt strangely insecure.

His instincts were never wrong.

He always listened to what his instincts told him, and that's mainly why he survived for so long as the weakest hunter.

***

- We're in deep a shit. - Hwang Dong-Suk stated frustratedly. - We've been traveling for so long and yet we haven't encountered any monsters yet.

- There are only corpses everywhere. - The mage looked at their feet at the bitten pieces of insects.

- The boss must be here somewhere.

Tired and weary, the hunters passed another corridor with no hope that they knew anything except a further route and perhaps more corpses.

Eating these insects wouldn't yield any cores to wipe away their tears.

In most cases, something had consumed the parts of the insects where the cores were embedded.

- Wait a moment.

Hwang Dong-Suk stopped, looking down at the ground covered in insect bodies.

There were three times as many insects here than throughout the entire dungeon.

When he looked up to the ceiling, he saw a plethora of thick white spider webs with attached cocoons.

- We hit the jackpot!

Hwang said happily as they moved further into the chamber and saw stones growing on the walls.

- Mana Stones!

- And there are so many of them!

- They are worth less than cores due to their lower energy content, but in such quantity, we should get a decent sum for them. An estimate would be... maybe around 10,000,000 Won. (7405 USD)

The mage calculated, looking around the room.

- Even your brother would be envious of this find. - One of the hunters turned to Hwang Dong-Suk.

- Hey. - The mage hissed. - You shouldn't mention him like that. Especially in light of recent events.

Hwang Dong-Suk ignored them both and looked up.

At the Boss.

- It's sleeping. - He stated after a moment of uncertainty. - But we don't know for how long.

Everyone followed his lead, gazing at the repulsive, giant spider.

Black, red, hairy, and massive were the words that best described the loathsome creature.

Jin-Woo was glad he didn't have arachnophobia otherwise, he probably would have fainted here by now.

Jin-Ho, standing next to him, took a step back, shaking.

Although Jin-Woo didn't tremble like him, he had to admit that this boss... the ones in Gates D and E were evidently nothing compared to the bosses in the C-rank Gates.

The monster was undoubtedly strong. Jin-Woo had no trouble feeling the magic radiating from him.

Hwang Dong-Suk looked away from the boss and looked around at the huge amount of stones.

- After defeating the boss, the gate will close within an hour. Then we won't be able to get even 1/5 of the damn thing out. That's why, we need to extract stones before the fight. The boss has eaten enough and is sleeping. We couldn't have dreamed of a better opportunity. Cheul-Bin, did you take the equipment?

- Unfortunately, who would have expected to find mana stones in a C-rank dungeon? I left everything in the car.

- Idiot... I told you to always take everything with you.

Pickaxes were needed to mine the stones. The same ones that Jin-Woo was carrying on his back.

But still, they acted as if they hadn't taken the pickaxes at all.

Why?

- You fucked up, man. - Hwang Dong-Suk looked at Jin-Woo and Jin-Ho, scratching his beard. - I have a request, the two of you could guard this place. We have to go back for the equipment.

Hearing Hwang's request, Jin-Woo gritted his teeth. Could this be betrayal?

- Are we supposed to stay alone with the boss? - Jin-Ho asked in disbelief.

- Don't worry. It shouldn't attack as long as you don't get too close.

Hwang laughed heartily, although his eyes sparkled in a rather strange way.

- You said this was your first raid, right? It's also Jin-Woo's first time in a dungeon of this rank. Trust me, okay? Nothing will happen. We've been making noise here for a while, and nothing bad has occurred. I need to have a quick word with the others, and we'll light up while we're at it. We'll be right back.

First, they tried to leave them by talking about equipment.

And now suddenly Hwang has to talk to his people privately.

What does he have to tell them that Jin-Ho and Jin-Woo can't listen to?

He didn't even try very well to pretend that he wanted to leave them here to be eaten.

Jin-Woo gritted his teeth as he remembered the warning one of the hunters had received some time ago.

These bastards were lizards.

Not very surprised, Jin-Woo watched as a loud explosion of fire destroyed the entrance to the chamber, burying it beneath debris. 

Jin-Ho stared in disbelief and terror at the sealed entrance, while Jin-Woo simmered quietly on the inside.

"Becoming a hunter is a dangerous job. Accidents happen, and so do crimes. After all, who will prove them? There's no monitoring here, no random passersby. There's nothing stopping them from breaking the law. The weaker you are, the quicker they'll get rid of you. People flock to the strong. If they see you as useless or in their way...

Well... Just as lizards shed their tails, they will get rid of you."

Jin-Woo clenched his fists, remembering those very words.