Chapter 6

Before the world had changed.

Jinwoo used to play an MMORPG.

As his character grew to some extent, he became greedy for more.

That was why he enjoyed playing in the first place.

His level became very high, to the point where he wiped out strong monsters with one shot.

A lot of time passed, but he could not forget the feeling.

Ki—ak!

[The level has risen.]

He can feel that feeling again in reality.

From Orcs, Orc Warriors, to the highest trolls in that dungeon, the Dokgogu sword indiscriminately cut it in half.

Occasionally, some guys needed to be hit twice before falling, but this was not a big deal.

He cut the monster without any irresolution in mind.

“Is hunting fun like this?”

Jinwoo simply asked himself.

During his assistant days, an encounter with a monster was the worst. It was too scary, and he always wanted to avoid it.

That was a monster for Jinwoo.

It was always the same. Things never changed even after he joined a party. It did not help him much. So, he always got a stinging glance from party members.

“Wow!

But now, he didn’t have to feel that.

Monsters were not creatures to be afraid of.

“Quuck!”

[The level has risen.]

The monster was just a chunk of rich experience.

“Yeah-! Lucky.”

“Do you have a rare grade armor?”

It was a beneficial item, he thought.

He gathered armor that glowed in green, and information came to mind.

[Troll’s Leather Armor]

[Defense + 22]

[Agility + 10]

[10% resistance to a Troll’s attack]

[A strong armor made from Troll’s leather.]

Rare-grade armor was traded at millions of won.

It was more expensive in the past, but since the overall level went up, it’s price had went down.

Leather armor was less defensive but was more agile.

“It’s a little unfortunate that the ethnic characteristics are attached.”

“If it only had any other extra stats, it would have been worth more.”

“a-! But where is this?”

“Let’s see.”

He unfolded the map and confirmed the location.

“Is it about 80% progressed?”

It was a noteworthy speed.

As far as he knew, it takes an average of one to two days to clear an appropriate dungeon level.

Jinwoo progressed to 80% in just 8 hours.

“Shall we speed up a little more?”

Jin-woo raised the heat for hunting.

* * *

Lee Sang-min looked at the gate where the wormhole serves as the opening.

He then checked the time.

Nine hours passed.

“Nine hours. It’s been a long time.”

It was quite a long time for the first hunting session.

“Hoo… ….”

“Oh-!”

“Sigh… ….”

The three people who passed the wormhole sighed one after another.

They were the Blue Wolf guild members from Incheon.

But where was the other one?

“What about Kang Jin-woo, who went in together with you??”

The official asked them.

“Hasn’t he come out yet?”

Lee Byeong-cheol asked.

“Isn’t he with you? You entered the dungeon together, right?”

“Oh, that…”

Lee Byeong-cheol briefly explained the situation.

Lee Sang-min crumpled his face.

Being in a party outside didn’t necessarily mean that they had to party together inside the dungeon.

Dungeons are places where sudden situations often occur.

Therefore, the decision was left to the players’ best judgment.

“Wait, I still have a life signal…”

Lee Sang-min checked the tablet PC.

A biosignal connected to the mini drone was being captured.

It meant Kang Jin-woo was still alive.

“Are you coming out?”

The location point was close to the gate.

Soon the gate was activated, and a wormhole was formed.

It revealed Jinwoo, who’s appearance was slightly different from when he first entered.

“Oh… You were safe.”

Lee Byeong-cheol said in a worried voice.

“Yes, I am, where is the official?

Jinwoo simply replied, then left to look for the official.

“Yes?”

“The monsters inside are already cleared, and only two are left.”

“What?”

“The location is marked on the map.”

Jinwoo crossed the map with a mini drone.

“Ha-! There is no such thing. Did you take care of all those trolls by yourself? Only level 56?”

Park Gyu-seong said with sarcasm.

Jin-woo, who saw Park Gyu-seong walking with fertility, spoke again.

“And I also checked the routes and exits that were not documented, so I think you can use them as clear dungeons.”

Lee Sang-min was in awe.

“I am worried about whether to believe you or not.”

“I would like to receive compensation in a lump sum payment. Where can I go through the procedure?”

When you clear the dungeon, a mana stone comes out.

Depending on the level of the dungeon, the level of the mana stone that comes out varies.

Initially, all mana stones were in high demand, but recently low-level mana stones have fallen in price because its demand had decreased.

That is why it is sometimes more beneficial to let the government handle the dungeon.

These dungeons were transferred to private companies through auctions and used as clear dungeons.

The player also received compensation, so it was a win-win.

“Well, wait a minute. I’ll check it first.”

“Yes.”

The verification process was simple.

Just check the video shot on the mini drone, and you are done.

“It doesn’t make any sense…”

Park Gyu-sang grumbled at the end.

But let us play the video first.

He was forced to shut up.

“What..”

The video displayed Orcs falling one after another to Jinwoo’s sword.

Occasionally, some guys needed to be cut twice, but most of them fell in one blow.

“is this?”

Park Gyu-seong could not believe his eyes.

But the evidence was clear.

“Uh… … Once it’s confirmed.. Compensation will be paid after further verification. Please fill out the application form here.”

The application was completed through a tablet PC.

.

“Can I get a copy of the hunting video?”

Jinwoo asked the official.

“Yes, of course. I will send it by email. But what are you going to do with that?”

“I may be an official, but I am also curious.”

The official answered.

It was even more mysterious after he found out Jinwoo’s personal information.

‘Former guide.’

‘Level 56’.

“But you, you are a linguist.”

That was the content of a player named Kang Jin-woo registered in the government database.

Jinwoo smiled while looking at Lee Sang-min.

“Because I got a skill this time.”

“Skill?”

Official asked while wondering.

“Yes, thanks to you, I hunted comfortably.”

Jinwoo answered with confidence.

“Maybe, can you tell me the rating… …?”

Lee Sang-min asked carefully.

Instead of answering, Jinwoo packed his bag.

“Then let me go first.”

Jinwoo took a glance at Park Gyu-seong.

The expression was quite impressive.

“If you judge a person by level, you will have trouble.”

“What… … what?!”

Park Gyu-seong looked disappointed.

Jinwoo stared at him.

Park Gyu-seong trembled with both fists and quickly turned his head.

Jinwoo walked confidently past Park Gyu-seong.

“It’s starting now.”

He thought to himself.

Preliminary preparations are over.

* * *

The player has become an enormous business.

A famous player earns billions of dollars a year. Of course, hunting accounts for a large proportion of revenue. But most of the money they make comes from elsewhere.

Advertising, Sponsorships, Internet broadcasting, etc.

They can earn through numerous routes.

The down payments and salaries through contracts with guilds accounted for the most substantial portion.

The guild uses players to perform various profitable activities.

When clearing high-level dungeons, most people aimed for the enormous rewards provided by the government. That is why they focused on recruiting strong players.

However, most of the ranking players build their own guild.

So, what else can they do, new players were forced to focus their attention.

Skill is the most crucial factor in recruiting promising players. The top players chosen were called Rookies.

It was also known as a lottery since skills are acquired randomly when you reach level 10. No one knew when and where a Rookie would appear.

Each guild’s scouts spend the money on their backs to get that information quickly. Even the Royal family’s Han Dong-jin, one of the best guilds in Korea, was giving money to many civil servants.

Han Dong-jin’s messenger rings.

“Huh? Lee Sang-min. “

[Discover great jackpot! Please check out the video first!]

“What is this fuss..”

Han Dong-jin checked the attached video.

And less than halfway through, he got up.

His hand was already pressing Lee Sang-min’s number on his smartphone.

“Mr. Sang-min! I am coming! See you right now!”

He was the leader of the team, Dong-jin Han.

* * *

Next day.

“Brother! This is done editing!”

“Already?”

“This is not enough. But is it you, brother, who was filmed in this video?”

“Right.”

“Wow-! Did you kill the troll in one slash? How?!”

Sunwoo is also a player.

He was more knowledgeable, more than Jin-woo.

“I got a skill this time.”

“OMG! Great! … Is it a hero rating?”

Instead of answering, he smiled.

“Aha- I know that smile, OMG! Really?! Awesome! You want to upload it on YouTube?”

“Yeah, but can you help me manage it?”

“Of course! I’ll do it! Let me do it!”

Sunwoo was very interested in the video.

After Jinwoo left Sunwoo and entered the other room, he received an incoming call from an unknown number.

“Hello?”

-Is this Kang Jin-woo, I am calling?

“Yes, that’s right. Who are you?”

“This is Dongjin Han, the team leader of the Royal Family Scout.

The call he was waiting for came.