IEUST 01

Chapter 1

The damp air stabbed into his lungs.

Amid the distinctive stench of rotten moss that permeated the C-rank dungeon, Lee Chaeho crouched low on the ground and held his breath.

Up ahead, the party’s main hunters were shouting as they hacked through monsters amid flashes of dazzling skill effects. The clash of metal and the dying screams of monsters continuously reverberated off the cave walls.

That was not where Chaeho belonged.

His role was different.

Hidden in a dark corner, Chaeho’s eyes moved sharply from one point to another.

The angle at which the tank pushed forward with his shield, the exact moment the mage’s casting finished at his fingertips, and even the trajectory of the damage dealer’s sword strike as it broke apart the monster formation.

He quietly observed the flow of battle, predicting what would happen next.

“Grrr…….”

Just as he expected.

One of the weaker monsters, knocked away by the aftermath of the battle, came rolling toward Chaeho’s feet. It was a goblin that had been half-crushed by the main hunters’ area attacks.

Without hesitation, Chaeho drew the dagger from his waist and drove it into the back of the goblin’s neck.

A precise strike aimed at the soft spot between the bones.

After a brief spasm, the monster breathed its last.

There was no unnecessary force or movement in the attack. It was clean and efficient.

Chaeho skillfully cut open the goblin’s chest and extracted the small mana stone. He slipped the bloodstained stone into his pocket, then lowered himself again and surveyed his surroundings.

Lee Chaeho, a D-rank hunter.

His role in this party was clear.

Guard the rear, deal with stragglers that had been reduced to a sliver of health and knocked away, and collect the dungeon spoils and carry them outside.

Some people might mock him for being a hunter yet doing nothing but cleaning up monster blood and performing odd jobs.

After all, there were plenty of people who believed that anyone who had awakened as a hunter should stand on the front lines, cut down monsters, and play the part of a flashy hero.

But Chaeho knew reality all too well.

He had no flashy skill capable of turning a battle around in an instant, nor did he possess the physical ability to stand at the front and withstand a boss monster’s attacks.

He did have better observational skills than most and an instinct for calmly reading the battlefield, but without a body capable of keeping up, those talents were useless.

If you don’t know your place and start showing off, you’ll just end up as monster food in this line of work.

Chaeho wiped the blood from his dagger with a piece of cloth and returned it to its sheath.

A heavy backpack, almost as large as his own body, hung from his back. It was a special bag packed with monster parts and mana stones collected by the party.

The weight pressing down on his shoulders made his lower back ache, but he silently kept his eyes on the battle ahead.

Doing his assigned work perfectly.

Filling the gaps and keeping the party’s back safe.

That was the only way for an ordinary D-rank hunter like him to keep his job as a C-rank party’s porter and make a living.

Before long, the noise from the front completely died down.

“Situation clear! Good work, everyone.”

Party leader Oh Sangmin’s voice rang loudly throughout the cave.

Only then did Chaeho straighten his back, which had been hunched over for so long.

The long dungeon raid was over.

Once they stepped outside the Gate, the city’s polluted air mixed with exhaust fumes washed over his lungs. Compared to the smell of rotten blood inside the dungeon, even this felt refreshing.

The party members each put away their weapons and stretched, relieving their fatigue.

“Ah, today was seriously brutal. Aren’t there way too many monsters for a C-rank dungeon?”

“Tell me about it. There wasn’t even a chance to catch our breath. Still, we made it out without anyone getting hurt. The rewards should be pretty decent, too. We’re definitely having beef for dinner tonight!”

Amid the lively chatter, Chaeho walked to the corner of the open area and quietly set down his backpack.

He dropped onto the dirt ground and began massaging his stiff legs.

Sangmin soon approached and carefully checked the contents of the backpack.

“You worked hard, Chaeho. You brought everything back neatly again. Didn’t miss a single thing.”

“It was my job, after all. You’re the one who worked hard, Party Leader, tanking from the front.”

Chaeho answered calmly.

Sangmin skillfully pulled out his tablet and began calculating the settlement.

A dungeon association employee who had been waiting nearby approached them, appraised the value of the spoils, and proceeded with the purchase process.

A moment later, Chaeho’s smartphone vibrated briefly in his pocket.

When he turned on the screen, a deposit notification was waiting for him.

It was the exact agreed-upon share of the settlement for the party’s porter.

His body might have been exhausted, but seeing the money reliably appear in his bank account made him feel as though his fatigue was fading.

Thank goodness. This should be enough to cover Mom’s hospital bill next week and Dad’s old truck repairs.

Chaeho let out a quiet breath as he turned off the screen with his calloused fingers.

“Everyone, go ahead and wash up and meet at the restaurant. Chaeho and I will finish cleaning up here and come later.”

Sangmin waved his hand toward the other party members.

One by one, the party members gathered their equipment, got into their cars, and drove away, leaving only Sangmin and Chaeho in the open area in front of the Gate.

Normally, they would have finished packing up and gone to eat together, but today the atmosphere felt strangely heavy.

Sangmin took a cigarette from his pocket and put it between his lips, but he couldn’t bring himself to light it.

His gaze wandered through empty space, avoiding Chaeho’s eyes.

Chaeho was quick to pick up on things.

He could roughly guess what this awkward silence meant, and why Sangmin had deliberately left him behind.

“Party Leader. Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

Chaeho broke the silence first as he brushed the dirt off his clothes.

Sangmin flinched in surprise, then removed the cigarette from his mouth and let out a long sigh.

“Chaeho.”

“Yes.”

“It’s just…… I really don’t know how to say this.”

Sangmin scratched the back of his head roughly. His broad face was filled with a complicated mixture of guilt and embarrassment.

“You know our party is seriously preparing to start entering B-rank dungeons from our next raid, right?”

“Yes. I’ve heard. Everyone’s been getting new equipment lately, and the team’s coordination has gotten pretty good.”

“Right. But starting from B-rank, the monsters and dungeon environments are going to be completely different from what we’ve dealt with so far…… We’re going to need actual combat power in the rear, too. A C-rank or higher sub-damage dealer or support tank.”

Sangmin’s words gradually slowed.

Chaeho simply looked at his face and listened in silence.

“There’ll be a lot more surprise attacks from above, and formations are going to break down frequently in boss rooms. Honestly…… with you still being D-rank and having to carry supplies from the rear at the same time, it’ll be too dangerous.”

He was trying to soften the blow as much as possible, but the conclusion was obvious.

A notice that he was no longer considered part of the combat force.

He was being kicked out of the party.

Normally, someone in this situation would get angry or complain about how unfair it was.

After all, their stable source of income was about to disappear starting tomorrow.

At the very least, they might desperately beg for one more chance, saying they were willing to take the risk.

“I’m sorry. I understand.”

But Chaeho’s response was remarkably calm and composed.

Sangmin looked at him in surprise instead.

“Uh…… you’re not angry?”

“What is there to be angry about? You’re right.”

Chaeho shrugged indifferently.

“If an area attack or a long-range monster’s snipe comes flying at me in a B-rank dungeon, I’ll probably be too busy keeping myself alive. If the party’s formation breaks because everyone has to protect just me, I’d be more of a burden. Someone like me, a D-rank, would probably die instantly from even a glancing hit.”

He knew his own limits better than anyone.

He had no skill capable of dramatically increasing his combat power. There was no way he could force his way into an elite party aiming to enter B-rank dungeons.

Rather than becoming greedy, risking his life, and becoming a burden to others, it was better to step away cleanly here.

Reality was cold.

There was no point blaming others and whining about being pushed aside because he lacked ability. It would only make him look pathetic.

If anything, he should be grateful to Sangmin for taking care of someone with little combat ability and keeping him as the party’s dedicated porter until now.

“Thank you for taking such good care of me all this time. You always settled my share properly and never delayed a payment.”

Chaeho gave a faint smile and bowed his head.

Sangmin was left speechless by how cleanly and without fuss Chaeho accepted everything.

If Chaeho had cursed at him or demanded to know why they were abandoning him now, Sangmin’s heart might have felt less heavy.

Instead, Chaeho simply accepted the situation as it was, and that somehow drove a strange sense of guilt into Sangmin’s chest.

He’s always been such a hardworking guy.

His innate rank might have been low, but there were few hunters who handled their duties as quietly and perfectly as Chaeho, both inside and outside the dungeon.

His ability to avoid drawing monsters’ aggro while taking care of necessary tasks at exactly the right moments and reliably supporting the party from behind was something even C-rank hunters struggled to match.

Sangmin bit his lips tightly before rummaging through his clothes and pulling something out.

“Take this.”

It was a thin booklet covered in an old leather cover.

Chaeho’s eyes widened slightly.

“Isn’t that a skill book?”

“Yeah. I got lucky and landed the killing blow in the last dungeon. It’s still unidentified, though. It’s a one-time random skill book, so I don’t know what will come out of it either.”

“Why would you give me something this expensive? You should put it into the party’s shared assets and distribute it.”

“I paid the other party members their shares out of my own pocket and took personal ownership of it. I haven’t had the Association appraise it yet. Think of it as severance pay. Don’t ask questions. Just take it.”

Sangmin forcibly pulled Chaeho’s hand toward him and placed the skill book in it.

“You worked hard taking care of all the dirty work for our party. If it weren’t for you, all of us would’ve been running around the dungeon without a moment to rest. I really mean it when I say thank you, Chaeho.”

Sangmin’s deep voice was thick with sincere gratitude and regret.

Chaeho looked back and forth between the old booklet in his hand and Sangmin’s face.

He could hardly refuse it by saying he would only accept the sentiment.

A random skill book was far too valuable to someone like Chaeho, who didn’t have a single distinctive skill.

If he got lucky and obtained even one utility skill that could be useful in everyday life or for dungeon support, it would become a major advantage when searching for a new party porter position.

“……Thank you. I’ll accept it gratefully.”

Chaeho carefully put the booklet into his bag.

“Take some time to rest and stay safe until you find a new party. I hope you get a good skill.”

“Party Leader, make sure you move up to the next rank safely, too. Don’t push yourself, and never get hurt.”

After their brief farewell, Sangmin turned around and walked away.

His sturdy back, which had hesitated to move because of his guilt, slowly disappeared into the distance.

The open area around the Gate was completely empty.

Chaeho stood there alone.

A cool breeze blew past, tousling his sweat-dampened bangs.

“So I’m really unemployed now.”

A hollow chuckle escaped his lips.

The thought of how he was supposed to make money starting next month suddenly felt overwhelming.

If he wanted to find a new party, he’d have to go around handing out resumes again and prove his abilities from the bottom.

But these days, even porter positions were attracting young awakened individuals with excellent physical abilities.

With nothing but a D-rank hunter’s title and not a single decent skill to his name, competing for a position wouldn’t be easy.

Chaeho took the random skill book back out of his bag.

The worn leather felt rough beneath his fingertips.

At first glance, it was an unimpressive book that looked like something that might have been tossed into a neighborhood used-book collection bin.

I hope I get something useful. Anything at all.

The most likely outcome was some minor passive skill, like a one-percent increase in stamina or enhanced night vision.

In the worst case, he might get a completely useless negative skill, such as Stench Generation or Temporary Luminescence.

But Chaeho wasn’t in a position to be picky.

He had to grab onto even a rotten lifeline.

After taking a deep breath, he placed his hand on the cover of the skill book.

But his fingertips, just as they were about to channel mana into it, stopped.

He didn’t know what ability would emerge.

If he activated it right there in the open area in front of the Gate and something troublesome happened, he could be in serious trouble.

I’ll go to the Association first.

Chaeho put the book back deep inside his bag and zipped it shut.

He planned to check the settlement at the nearest Association branch, then find a quiet place before using it.

The footsteps that had once followed behind his familiar party now headed alone toward the Association building.