1 chapter - F-Class Hunter Park Jihoon (1)

Hunter.

To the world, hunters were the very embodiment of wealth, fame, and power.

People envied them, often saying that becoming a hunter was like winning the lottery.

And the reason was simple.

Only those who had awakened with mana in their bodies could become hunters, and awakening was purely a matter of luck.

“Lottery, my ass.”

Of course, reality was vastly different from the common perception.

The rich, famous, and powerful hunters?

Those were only the elite top 1% of the industry.

The hunter world was a brutal winner-takes-all battlefield, where all wealth and honor were concentrated at the top.

The remaining 99% of hunters—the ones outside the public’s attention—lived wretched lives.

"Myself included."

And among those struggling 99%, at the very bottom of the heap, were the F-Class hunters.

That was me.

"Hey! Park Jihoon! What the hell are you staring at? Are you gonna work or not?!"

"S-Sorry!"

"Fucking hell. No wonder you're such dead weight. God, you're pathetic. Do you wanna get fired?"

"I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!"

The one barking orders at me was Choi Changshik, a D-Class hunter.

Technically, there was no E-Class, which meant that he was only one rank above me. But in reality, he was superior in every possible way.

Hunters grew in different ways, each possessing their own unique method of advancement—something we called a "Trait."

Only those who discovered their Trait could climb the ranks.

And those who never found theirs?

They were lumped together under a single title: F-Class Hunters.

"Damn it."

An F-Class Hunter was little more than an ordinary person who happened to have a tiny amount of mana in their body.

Meanwhile, a D-Class Hunter could actually manifest their mana, granting them real power.

"You call yourself a hunter? Please. An F-Class with no abilities is just a pathetic loser."

As you can see, Choi Changshik was a complete piece of shit. He had such a nasty personality that no one could stand working under him.

The only reason I had lasted three months under his command was because I had nowhere else to go.

"Hah. Three years of this pointless grind, and you're still at the bottom? Pathetic."

For hunters who failed to awaken their Trait, there were only two possible endings:

Retirement.

Or death.

"Haha..."

I let out an awkward laugh.

Changshik smacked me hard on the back of my head.

"What the hell are you laughing at, dumbass? Ah, wait. There is one thing you haven’t tried yet."

He flashed a twisted grin, tapping the knife in his hand.

"Want me to kill you? Who knows? Maybe you’ve got a regression Trait and you’ll go back in time."

His eyes gleamed with thinly veiled malice.

My legs trembled as I instinctively backed away.

"Ch-Cho— Choi Changshik… sir?"

"Ahh, but if you do go back in time, you owe me big time. I mean, I’d be the reason you found your Trait, right?"

I froze in place, unable to speak.

Like a mouse cornered by a cat.

His blade slowly approached my throat.

The cold, metallic touch pressed against my neck.

I… I can’t die like this…

And then—

Changshik suddenly burst into laughter, pulling back his sword.

"If you don’t wanna lose your head, you F-Class piece of shit, stop spacing out and get to work!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

I immediately bowed, then turned to carve out the goblin’s heart from the corpse before me.

With practiced hands, I retrieved the mana stone, placed it in my bag, and shouted like a soldier reporting to duty.

"All done!"

If nothing else, I was the best when it came to extracting goblin mana stones.

After all, that’s all I had been doing for the past three years.

"Ugh. If you're done, hurry up and follow me!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

Changshik strode deeper into the cave without hesitation.

Screech!

Before long, three goblins leaped from the shadows, charging toward him.

"Tsk."

Changshik may have been an asshole, but he wasn't the type to actually kill people.

So why was he acting so much worse than usual today?

His voice echoed through the cave, filled with frustration.

"Goddamn it! When the hell is this gate gonna end?!"

This was a Goblin Cave—a standard F-Class dungeon where around twenty goblins would typically spawn.

But so far, we had already encountered a total of forty-two.

Something was wrong.

Huff… Huff…

Feeling uneasy, I carefully spoke up.

"Uh, Choi Changshik, sir… Maybe we should consider abandoning the raid—"

"Shut the hell up!"

He whipped his bloodstained blade toward me, eyes burning with fury.

"Do you have any idea what happens if we abandon this raid?!"

Backing out now would leave a stain on his record.

Any hunter who forfeited a raid would face harsh penalties from the Hunter Management Bureau.

"If that happens, I'm screwed. You got that?"

"But…"

"Just shut up and follow my lead. Unless you wanna die."

"……Yes, sir."

I clenched my fists.

Normally, backing out was not an option. The consequences were too severe.

But this was different.

We’ve already killed over forty goblins!

In cases like this, retreating was the safest decision.

If I submitted proper evidence—like the mana stones in my bag—along with a detailed report, we wouldn’t be penalized.

This bastard…

Changshik wasn’t an idiot.

An idiot wouldn’t have survived half a year in this industry.

Because if you were dumb, you died first.

So why the hell was he insisting on clearing this dungeon?

There was only one answer.

He wants a rank-up.

By raw power, Changshik was already as strong as a C-Class Hunter.

After all, he had single-handedly slaughtered over forty goblins.

The only reason he was still stuck in D-Class was because of his toxic personality.

To apply for a C-Class rank-up exam, a hunter had to clear at least one D-Class dungeon.

And here’s the problem: D-Class dungeons required a five-person party.

Nobody wanted to work with Changshik.

So he had no way of gathering the required achievements to move up the ranks.

So that’s why he’s doing this.

Sometimes, gate classification errors occurred.

Given the unusual number of goblins, this F-Class gate could later be re-evaluated as D-Class.

If that happened, then Changshik would have an official record of solo-clearing a D-Class gate.

And that meant one thing.

He would qualify for C-Class promotion.

I get it… but…

This wasn’t an F-Class dungeon anymore.

The ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ deeper we went, the more unpredictable it became.

And I, an F-Class hunter, was just one step away from death.

Why the hell should I risk my life for his promotion?!

This was bullshit.

Should I just run?

If Changshik successfully cleared this dungeon, I’d be thrown away like trash.

He wouldn’t need me once he became C-Class.

I came to a halt, seriously considering my options.

And then—

A blinding light flashed before my eyes.

Wait… what?

Before I knew it, we had entered a wide cavern beyond the narrow tunnel.

And we were completely surrounded.

Dozens of goblins glared at us from every direction.

A rough estimate told me there were far more than just a few dozen.

"Fuuuuuuck!"

Changshik cursed in fury.

But I had no time to worry about him.

Because the goblins were already charging straight at me.

I’m screwed.

I should have run away earlier.

"KRIEEEK!"

"AAAAAGH!"

With a desperate battle cry, I hurled my backpack at them.

The heavy bag slammed into a few goblins, knocking them over.

But it wasn't enough. More of them rushed in from the sides.

THUD!

I kicked the closest goblin in the stomach, then yanked a dagger from my belt and plunged it straight into another one's chest.

SHLCK!

The goblins hesitated, taken aback by my resistance.

I tightened my grip on my blood-soaked blade, carefully watching my surroundings.

Three years in this industry.

I could handle a few goblins on my own.

But the problem was that it wasn’t just a few.

SHNK!

"…!"

A dagger suddenly stabbed into my side.

I slammed my elbow into the goblin's face and buried my blade into its throat.

SHLCK!

My hand shot down to check my wound—

It didn't go deep.

My tattered leather armor had absorbed most of the blow.

Too close…

"Stay back, you bastards!"

Now that their ambush had failed, the goblins hesitated again.

For the first time, I had a moment to look around.

And right nearby—

"YOU FUCKERS!"

Changshik was going berserk.

Despite everything, the bastard was strong.

He was cutting down goblins left and right like a reaper.

If I just hold on, I can survive!

There’s still hope—!

"KRIEEEK!"

But hope instantly turned into despair.

The goblins swarmed me all at once.

"Fuck!"

I kicked one away—stabbed another—

SHLCK! SHLCK! SHLCK!

And the rest slashed at my legs from all directions.

"AAAAARGHHH!"

Three goblins.

That was my limit as a useless F-Class.

I clenched my teeth.

Like hell I’m going down without a fight!

I tackled the goblin in front of me—

And drove my dagger straight into its neck.

SHLCK!

Then another stabbed me from behind.

I grabbed its wrist and twisted.

CRACK!

"KREEEEK!"

I yanked it forward and repeatedly stabbed its face.

SHLCK! SHLCK! SHLCK!

The blade didn't sink in deep—

But I didn't stop stabbing until its screams went silent.

Who's next?!

Panting heavily, I glared at the remaining goblins.

"KEHH…"

They staggered back.

I charged at another—

Then another.

By the time I killed my seventh goblin—

SHLCK!

A dagger stabbed into my throat.

"Khhrrk…"

I coughed—blood filled my mouth.

I’m dying…

My vision faded.

The world went black.

And then—

I opened my eyes.

…What the hell is this?!

Something sticky clung to me.

A thick, viscous fluid wrapped around my entire body.

I tried to move—

But I had no body.

Only consciousness.

Panic set in.

What the fuck is happening?!

I had heard before that when you’re paralyzed, trying to move a single finger can help snap you out of it.

Move.

Move, damn it!

I struggled with everything I had—

And then—

Squirm.

Something moved.

But it wasn’t my hand.

It was the gelatinous substance covering me.

…Huh?

I tried to look down at my own hand.

But—

It wasn't there.

Where’s my hand?!

It should have been right there—

I could feel it.

But instead of a hand—

Squirm.

All I saw was a writhing mass of red slime.

And it moved when I willed it to.

…Wait. What the fuck?!

I had become a slime.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!

I screamed—

But no sound came out.

And at that moment—

THUD!

Something collapsed onto me.

A corpse.

Choi… Changshik?

The bastard’s lifeless body lay on top of me.

And then—

My slime-like body began to seep into him.