Chapter 44

After a short nap, he got up at eight o'clock and set off to meet Jin-Ho.

He felt quite good despite catching only a few hours of sleep. Since acquiring Igris who guarded him every night, he could finally sleep more or less normally. 

Tonight (or early morning if four o'clock could still be called night), Iron and Tank joined him. The bear curled up next to his bed so Jin-Woo woke up lying halfway on the bed and halfway on the huge bear, feeling its warm fur.

Iron was a rather loud and enthusiastic guardian, but almost as good as Igris.

So he went out in front of the house quite well rested and satisfied.

- Hi bro!

He was greeted by a familiar energetic voice. Yoo Jin-Wo was already waiting for him.

- I brought the car. How did you get here?

Jin-Woo had borrowed the "Bongo" for last night's events. The van was parked nearby where he had left it.

- Taxi.

- Oh, that makes sense.

Jin-Woo had hoped that for once their roles would be reversed and Jin-Woo would be able to drive him. 

Too bad.

- So I'm getting your help. I should be the one giving you a ride.

Jin-Ho said this, chuckling. After a one-day break, their morning exchanges returned to normal. 

Jin-Ho's attention was caught by a strange glass vial in Jin-Woo's hands.

- What's that? - he asked curiously.

Hearing his question, Jin-Woo smiled broadly, 

- I'm going to use this in the dungeon today.

Oh... 

Jin-Woo's smile made Jin-Ho's stomach knot with anxiety, Jin-Woo liked to show off dangerous things in the dungeon

- On the way there we'll pick up someone else.

- Hm? Okay, who?

Jin-Woo ignored him, taking out his phone and dialing a number. 

- Hurry up, Song-I, we'll be at your house soon. We'll give you a ride.

That girl from their raids? When did they get acquainted? He even has her number.

- That high school girl who's on our team?

- That's right.

Jin-Woo nodded. Because she lived really close to his house, he figured it would be good to just pick her up before leaving the neighborhood. 

A pretty girl with short hair falling just behind her ears. 

Could their relationship be deeper than just business? 

Maybe they were having a romance!

But she was still in high school!

Soon, Han Song-I came down from her apartment. Compared to their previous meetings, the girl seemed to pay a little more attention to her looks this time. 

- Good morning, boss. - She greeted Jin-Ho politely as she got into the car. 

- Hello.

- Hi, kid. Did you sleep well? - Jin-Woo asked with concern. 

Han Song-I smiled and shook her head. 

- I couldn't fall asleep.

Jin-Ho's face froze when he heard this exchange. 

- You must be exhausted. Try to get some sleep in the car.

As they conversed in the back seat, Yoo Jin-Ho's thoughts grew increasingly chaotic. 

- What about you?

- I only caught a short nap. When I got home it was past four already.

- Must be exhausted?

- Night?

- Four in the morning?

- Really? - Jin-Ho asked weakly, looking at Jin-Woo in the rearview mirror. 

Seeing Jin-Ho's strange expression and already knowing his tendency to over-interpret, Jin-Woo quickly figured out what his friend must have thought. 

- Oh no. Whatever you're thinking, stop.

- Um... Well...

Song-I looked at them both, confused. 

- Jin-ho, there's nothing between me and this kid, she's my sister's friend and I prefer guys... And no, you're not my type.

He decided to pretend that when she said "type", the handsome serious face in sunglasses didn't appear before his eyes. 

Understanding what Song-I meant, she grimaced. 

- Yuck! I mean you're very handsome... But you're my best friend's brother! And she told me she wants to find you a nice boyfriend. - The girl grimaced, blushing. 

- My sister should stop meddling in my love life. - Jin-Woo said, rolling his eyes. 

- Or the lack of it, as she likes to point out.

- She should just stop.

***

After getting stuck at the Red Gate for several long days, returning to a regular cave dungeon felt very welcoming. 

The enemies in this place turned out to be humanoid figures made of stone. 

He forgot the name of those blasted things, but it didn't matter. 

These beasts boasted high defense and were only surpassed by golems. 

Jin-Woo approached one of the monsters and summoned the Shadow Knight Killer and Baruka's Dagger. 

He wanted to try out his new dagger. 

In an instant the stone monster's head fell to the ground. Jin-Woo looked at his new dagger with satisfaction,

Not bad. Jin-Woo didn't use much force in that attack yet the monster with such high physical damage resistance fell dead. 

Jin-Woo hastily began leaping at the monsters around him and sliced each of them with his new dagger. 

After just a moment, ten monsters were dead and smashed on the ground. 

His body had become lighter after clearing the Red Gate. 

Of course he was currently at level 60 now. Hunting bears and Ice Elves raised his level 9 levels from 51. 

As for the strength of monsters from grade C gates, they were now about as threatening to him as goblins from grade E gates when he was at level 10. 

He wasn't even sure if it was worth taking out his weapon against them. 

But now that his warm up was over, Jin-Woo looked at his companion who had been standing behind the whole time. 

- I'll show you... something. Just don't panic... Come out. 

Having already given the order, the Shadow Soldiers waiting for his summoning appeared behind him. 

Jin-Woo heard a frightened squeak behind him. 

It seemed his hastily given warning didn't help much. 

The boy was sitting on the ground looking as if he had just fallen, pointing a trembling finger at one of the Shadow Soldiers. 

- What the hell is that, bro?!

- It's... my special ability.  

- You can summon something like that?! 

- It's a bit too complicated to explain quickly. Don't worry, they won't hurt you. 

Feeling the dangerous aura of the soldiers clad in tarry black, Jin-Ho swallowed. 

This was their eleventh raid and just when he thought Jin-Woo couldn't surprise him anymore, he showed him something like this. 

As the shadows began to move it seemed like the whole cave began to shake under their weight. 

Now that he had Iron and the bears in his army, the weight had definitely increased a lot. It was like he had added a tank division to his army. 

Jin-Woo looked with satisfaction at the scene before him. 

Wiping out all the ordinary monsters took less than ten minutes. 

Jin-Woo was delighted, at this rate he would finish the remaining raids in the blink of an eye. 

After the battle, the Shadow Soldiers gathered the magic cores and lined up in front of Jin-Woo. Iron and Igris led them. The two knights stood at attention. When the Shadow Soldiers stopped their rampage, Yoo Jin-Ho was finally able to move. He approached Jin-Woo, looking nervously at the Shadow Soldiers standing calmly. 

- How many gates did we book for today? Jin-Woo asked after drinking a mana regeneration potion he had stored in his inventory. 

When Jin-Woo's gaze fell on his companion, the hunter noticed that somehow the boy had ended up hugging the pleased alpha bear like a giant plushie. 

- Four.

Four today, five tomorrow. 

So they would finish tomorrow. 

- Bro... Can I at least gather the crystals?

- What for? 

- I feel like I've been robbed of my job. - Jin-Ho whined, rubbing his cheek against the bear's fur. "Soft." 

Jin-Woo laughed hearing the boy's explanation. 

He was really starting to like him. 

And that was surprising. He hadn't let anyone get close to him since... a while.

***

The next day, they finished all 19 planned raids.

- Now that we're done, what do you say to a celebratory dinner? 

On the way home, Yoo Jin-Ho cautiously brought up this topic.

- A celebratory dinner? Just the two of us?

With the last raid, their team had been dissolved. Han Song-I told them she still had something to take care of in the city, so only Jin-Woo and Jin-Ho were in the car, and the latter had just shyly brought up this topic.

- I'd like to repay you somehow for the help.

Why was he so timid about asking for a meal together? Jin-Woo smiled, the kid was really endearing at times. 

- Sure.

When Jin-Woo agreed casually, Jin-Ho's face clearly brightened.

- There's a very fancy restaurant at a hotel I know. Their steak is divine. What do you think?

- I have a better idea.

Jin-Woo wanted to eat quietly with Jin-Ho in a calm, casual place. 

He knew a small samgyupsal joint a few minutes from their current location.

After parking the van, the duo entered the small building, the interior was still bustling with life despite the 7 pm hour meaning closing time for most restaurants. 

Once seated in the back of the restaurant, the waitress approached them shortly with what Jin-Ho had asked of her. 

- Here is the samgyupsal and two bottles of soju.

The two Hunters immediately dug into the food. Piece after piece of meat disappeared from the grill. 

It looked like the young man had no problem eating pork rinds. 

- I often eat samgyupsal with friends. 

- You mean friends from college?

- Yes. Compared to rich kids from expensive, prestigious schools, I get along much better with my peers from a regular college. 

Jin-Ho poured Jin-Woo a shot of soju. 

Jin-Woo grimaced after drinking the shot. 

[ DETECTED HARMFUL SUBSTANCE ] 

[ DETOXIFICATION COMPLETE ]

Right. He would never be able to get drunk again. 

No matter what he drank and how much, the results would always remain the same. 

He'd rather drink soda than useless bitter water. 

Jin-Woo called the waitress over. 

- Could we get two more orders of samgyupsal and a bottle of soda?

- Of course. 

When the waitress left, Jin-Ho tilted his head,

- You won't drink anymore?

- Alcohol doesn't agree with me. - Jin-Woo lied. - What's your plan now?

- Now there's only the theoretical exam left and I can get master rank. And then I'll talk to my dad. 

Determination appeared in the young man's eyes. He had invested a lot of his own money into this plan, now there was no possibility of backing out.. 

Additionally, he had to keep the promise made to Jin-Woo. 

That building he promised Jin-Woo. He could only fulfill that promise if he managed to convince his father to hand over the Guild Master position to him. Meanwhile, as far as this whole thing went, Jin-Woo didn't really care that much. 

It would be nice to get a 30 billion won building, but his real goal was to level up. And thanks to the 20 C-rank dungeons he cleared out with Jin-Ho, he managed to achieve that goal. Kim Chul had S-rank stats and yet Jin-Woo had no trouble defeating him. 

He wondered if his strength now matched Inspector Woo's?

Thinking about the man, Jin-Woo couldn't help but smile. 

That man had really made a big impression on him. 

Great income naturally went hand in hand with great abilities. Jin-Woo didn't have to worry about money. 

- What about you? What are your plans? 

- I'll be unavailable for a while. - Jin-Woo admitted after a moment of silence as the memory of Cerberus appeared in his mind. 

Now he felt ready to enter there. 

At that sentence, a grimace appeared on Jin-Ho's face. The boy looked like a kicked puppy left in the rain. 

Drinking another shot and feeling a surge of liquid courage, Jin-Ho spoke up.

- If I'm imposing on you, just say so. I won't bother you anymore. 

Jin-Woo scratched his temple. The kid misunderstood again what Jin-Woo meant. 

- Hey, Jin-Ho? 

- Hm?

- Who am I to you? 

- Hm? I have an older brother ten years older. 

Jin-Woo had vaguely heard about this before. Yoo Myung-Han's firstborn, Yoo Jin-Sung.

- He doesn't like me much, so we don't spend a lot of time together. You saved my life and then helped me even more. You're closer to me than my own brother. 

Jin-Woo smiled slightly. 

- If that's how you see it... I'll treat you like a younger brother.

Jin-Ho sniffed, surprised by the declaration. 

- Can I hug you?! 

- Hey! You're drunk, brat. 

- No. I finally feel alive! 

- At least until tomorrow's hangover. - Jin-Woo muttered under his breath. 

Whether he was really moved or just drunk, Jin-Ho put his head on the table and began crying loudly. Jin-Woo gently patted the young man on the head. After a while, the sniffling stopped and Jin-Ho fell asleep, snoring loudly. 

The kid was annoying, but Jin-Woo really liked him. 

Suddenly, the sound of some interview on the TV behind him reached Jin-Woo's ears. 

Jin-Woo turned his head towards the screen. 

"It is said that a serious incident occurred during recruit training. Is that true?"

Jin-Woo stared absently at the screen as a familiar face appeared. 

Jin-Woo's eyes widened. Leaving his guild headquarters, Baek Yoon-Ho was attacked by a flood of questions from the surrounding reporters. 

"It is said someone helped them out. What is your response to that information?" 

"It is said all higher-ranked hunters perished. Only the weakest survived." 

The S-rank hunter tried to ignore the reporters but eventually gave in under the pressure of endless questions. 

"The investigation has ended. It's true an incident occurred but no third parties were involved."

"Then why won't you allow an interview with any of the survivors?" 

"They barely escaped with their lives from that dreadful place. I won't allow them to be subjected to interrogation after what they went through. That is all." 

The TV showed Baek Yoon-Ho quickly getting into a car and driving away. Jin-Woo's eyes were wide open. 

Were they referring to him?

***

James fell on the ground straight into the water that filled the entire room. He felt his heart pounding with fear.

This dungeon was A-rank. In order to clear these dungeons, a group of hunters with appropriate ranks had been gathered, but the entire group was destroyed. To be precise, they were knocked out. 

Leaning his back against the wall, James caught his breath and shook his head several times. This was really impossible. When they first entered the dungeon, the group discovered that it was completely empty. They didn't find a single beast. 

The hunters were unanimously very confused. 

Only in the boss room did they find any monster at all. 

More precisely, a monster that looked like a human. 

That strange beast was incredibly strong and defeated James' entire team. 

He himself barely managed to escape from the room. 

Could the entire magical power of this gate really come from a single beast? 

The A-rank designation was awarded to the dungeon after measuring the magical power leaking from the gate outside. Normally that magical power would be the sum that leaked out from every magical beast in the dungeon. 

But in this dungeon, there was only one being. 

James belatedly realized that the boss had left his room and approached him. 

Seeing him, the American screamed in terror. 

What the hunter didn't know was that he wasn't facing a monster but a very scruffy Asian.

- Don't worry, I didn't kill them. They just lost consciousness.

James couldn't understand the man. His face grew paler and paler. The Asian stared at the panicked American, wondering what he should do. He sighed deeply. 

The Yankees didn't understand him. He should have realized that sooner. 

Still, the man tried to communicate. He crouched down to be at James' eye level, then tried to speak as friendly as possible, 

The man tried to remember anything from his poor English. 

I am Korean. I want to go home. 

A living human left the dungeon. 

It was unprecedented news.

***

- All you've had on your mind lately is work. And now suddenly you're going on a trip? - Jin-Ah looked at her brother who had just slung a backpack over his shoulder and was ready to leave, with a frown. 

- I'll only be gone about a week.

- Who are you going with? Did you finally find someone? - The girl asked, amused. 

- Uh! I'm going alone. Stop trying to matchmake me already. 

Jin-Woo quickly fled the house to avoid more teasing from his sister.

Once he was in the place where he had once fought Cerberus, Jin-Woo looked at the key in his hand.

[ ITEM: DEMON CASTLE GATE KEY ] 

[ ITEM CLASS: A ]

[ TYPE: KEY ]

[ A KEY THAT OPENS THE GATE TO THE DEMON CASTLE. ACQUIRED BY DEFEATING THE GATEKEEPER. ]

He felt less overwhelmed by this place than before. 

No wonder, since he had grown stronger. 

He had barely managed to defeat the gatekeeper back then.

Now he finally felt ready.

[ DO YOU WANT TO USE THE KEY? ]

[ YES ] [ NO ]

The gigantic gate opened causing a strong gust of wind to blow up all the dust and sand upwards. 

The hunter frowned when he didn't sense any monsters behind the open door. 

He had prepared for exactly the opposite. His worst-case scenario was a scene where a horde of monsters would rush at him the moment he opened the door. 

But nothing like that happened.

He passed through the gate, summoning his new dagger just in case. 

Instead of an attack, he heard the sound of the system and a window appeared before his eyes.

He had completed the daily quest before coming here, so it couldn't have been that. 

[ QUEST ]

[ NORMAL QUEST: OBTAIN DEMON SOULS (PART 1) ] 

[ 1) THE CASTLE IS FILLED WITH DEMONS. HUNT THEM AND OBTAIN THEIR SOULS TO RECEIVE SPECIAL REWARDS. ]

[ REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE QUEST: ]

[ 10,000 DEMON SOULS ] 

[ REWARDS: ]

[ ANY ITEM FROM THE STORE ]

[ 20 BONUS STAT POINTS ]

[ HIDDEN REWARD ]

20 stat points! As always, the first thing that caught Jin-Woo's attention was the reward of stat points. 

Thanks to this, he could raise his intelligence by 20 points!

He couldn't help but smile. The downsides of low mana are really annoying. 

He needed a lot of mana points for his soldiers to regenerate. 

And mana wasn't the only benefit of the intelligence stat. Jin-Woo had finally been able to find out that as his intelligence increased, so did the number of shadows he could summon and store. That's why he had to increase his intelligence. 

And with the advancements and rewards from daily quests there was a limit to how many points he could get. 

If he gained a whole 20 points it would really help him a lot.

Jin-Woo looked at the other rewards. 

Just the 20 stat points alone was an insane reward. 

And any possible item from the store was really great too.

He remembered the top quality items he had seen in the store. 

From what he remembered, he had even noticed S-rank equipment that cost billions, sometimes even tens of billions of gold. In comparison, the Shadow Knight Killer cost 3 million gold. 

And that was only a B-rank item. 

Such rewards for killing some demons was really a lot.

Because Jin-Woo's eyes fell on the quest rewards first, he didn't take a closer look at the quest objective. The man finally looked at the number of zeros and was quite surprised. 

Ten thousand?! 

This wasn't just defeating a few demons. 

This really wasn't an ordinary quest. 

Regardless of what kind of monsters these demons were, killing ten thousand of them would be torture. However, the hunter smiled widely. 

At least it would be torture if he was alone. 

The current number of soldiers was 50. Each of them just had to defeat 200 demons. Yes, with those soldiers this quest would be doable. 

He accepted the quest. 

Even if he didn't complete it, and he definitely intended to, the only penalty would be wasted time. 

Compared to the penalty for failing other quests... 

No heart attack or punitive damage. 

The moment he accepted the quest, a counter appeared in the air. 

[ COLLECTED DEMON SOULS: 0 / 10,000 ] 

10,000 souls... this would be a long road.