Chapter 3

As Hajin stepped out of the dungeon, the fresh air immediately hit his face.

The sky had already started to darken, meaning he had spent several hours inside.

Near the entrance, a few hunters from small guilds were waiting. Some of them looked at Hajin with wide eyes.

The reason was simple he had entered alone and was now walking out alive.

No party. No backup. Just him.

But Hajin ignored them.

In his right hand, he carried a large bag filled with loot from the goblins he had killed rusty weapons, leather armor, and the boss dungeon's drop item, a Goblin Chieftain's Fang that radiated a faint aura.

Without wasting time, he headed straight to the Hunter Association to exchange his loot.

The moment Hajin stepped inside the Hunter Association building, the bustling atmosphere greeted him.

Large screens on the walls displayed information about active dungeons and hunter rankings.

At the front, several hunters were talking to the staff, handing over their loot in exchange for money.

Hajin approached one of the counters, where a short-haired brunette receptionist was typing on her computer.

When she saw him, she raised an eyebrow, a little surprised to see someone with tattered clothes and a few minor injuries.

"…Would you like to exchange your loot?"

Without a word, Hajin placed the large bag on the counter.

The receptionist glanced at him before starting to inspect the contents.

But the moment she pulled out the Goblin Chieftain's Fang, her expression instantly changed.

"…Wait. This is…"

Before she could finish her sentence, a hunter standing in line behind Hajin peeked into the bag.

His eyes widened.

"That… That's a boss dungeon drop, isn't it?"

The second those words left his mouth, the entire room's atmosphere shifted.

Several hunters turned their heads, staring at Hajin with curiosity.

"Boss dungeon? Wait, didn't he go in alone?"

"No way! That dungeon requires at least a five-man party!"

"Did he use an expensive elixir?"

Whispers filled the room.

Meanwhile, the receptionist quickly typed something on her computer before looking at Hajin with a serious expression.

"Sorry, may I see your Hunter ID?"

Hajin sighed, pulled out his hunter card, and handed it over.

Name: Kang Hajin

Class: Programmer

Rank: E

The receptionist's confusion deepened as she read the card.

"Rank E…?"

The murmurs grew louder.

A blonde-haired hunter from a small guild walked up with a mocking smirk.

"Oi, you kidding me? A Rank E hunter took down a dungeon boss?"

A few hunters chuckled, thinking it was bullshit.

But Hajin just stood there, uninterested in explaining anything.

Meanwhile, the receptionist hesitated for a moment but continued processing his transaction.

"…Alright, I'll proceed with your request."

A moment later, the screen in front of her displayed the total value of Hajin's loot.

Total: 4,500,000 Won

The room went silent for a second.

"Holy shit, four million won from a low-tier dungeon?"

"Boss drops really are worth a fortune…"

Hajin wasn't surprised. He simply took the bank card the receptionist handed him and slipped it into his pocket.

But before he could turn to leave, the receptionist spoke again.

"Excuse me, Mr. Kang Hajin. Since you defeated a dungeon boss alone, the Association wants to conduct a further investigation. Would you be willing to participate in a short interview?"

The room fell silent.

Investigation?

That meant they were getting suspicious.

Hajin could refuse, but that would only make things worse.

Besides, he had expected this from the beginning.

Calmly, he shrugged.

"Alright. Let's get this over with."

Hajin followed an Association officer into a private room inside the building.

The room was small and simple just a single table in the middle with two chairs on opposite sides.

On the table, there was a voice recorder, signaling that the interview would be recorded.

A man in a black suit with the Hunter Association logo sat in front of Hajin. He looked to be in his forties, with a serious face and sharp eyes that seemed to pierce through lies.

"Kang Hajin, Rank E, Class: Programmer."

The man read the data on his tablet before looking at Hajin with a blank expression.

"A hunter with a non-combat class and the lowest rank managed to defeat a dungeon boss alone. How did you do it?"

His tone carried a hint of pressure.

Hajin leaned back in his chair and answered casually.

"Isn't that my problem?"

The man frowned.

"Of course. But this concerns public safety. If there's an anomaly in the Hunter system, the Association needs to know about it."

Hajin let out a short laugh.

"Anomaly? You mean a low-rank hunter isn't allowed to be strong?"

The man didn't respond immediately. He just stared deeper into Hajin's eyes, as if trying to find any cracks in his expression.

But Hajin remained calm.

Honestly, he had expected this question.

Even in the hunter world, leveling up this fast wasn't normal.

Usually, a low-rank hunter stayed weak until they got the right resources whether through elixirs, artifacts, or special techniques.

But Hajin?

He had soloed a dungeon, without any support, and walked out with a boss drop.

The man tapped his fingers against the table.

"…Did you use an expensive elixir?"

"No."

"You got help from someone else?"

"No."

"Then how the hell did you beat the dungeon boss?"

Hajin shrugged.

"I'm just that strong."

The guy narrowed his eyes, clearly not satisfied with that answer.

But there wasn't much he could do about it.

There was no proof that Hajin cheated or did anything illegal.

In the end, he let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair.

"…Fine. Since there's no evidence of any violations, the Association can't hold you any longer."

He tapped his tablet screen, then shot Hajin a sharp look.

"But from now on, you're under the Association's watch. If anything suspicious happens, we won't just sit back and watch."

Hajin smirked.

"Do whatever the fuck you want."

Without another word, he got up and left the room.

As soon as Hajin stepped out, the hunters who had been watching him started whispering again.

"Shit, he really got away with it?"

"Does that mean he actually beat the boss solo?"

"Crazy… Who the hell is that guy?"

Hajin ignored the stares and kept walking.

But just as he was heading to the bus stop to go home, someone blocked his way.

A tall man clad in black combat armor, with a long sword strapped to his back, stood in the middle of the street, eyes locked onto Hajin.

Hajin recognized him instantly.

Kim Jisoo A Rank B Hunter from the Black Fang Guild.

He wasn't exactly famous, but Black Fang was one of the more influential mid-tier guilds in Seoul.

Jisoo scanned Hajin from head to toe before speaking.

"You're the guy who cleared that dungeon solo, right?"

Hajin just stared at him without answering.

Kim Jisoo grinned.

"I don't know what kind of tricks you pulled, but Black Fang is interested in you."

Hajin raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And why the fuck should I care?"

Kim Jisoo chuckled.

"Don't get the wrong idea. This isn't an invitation it's a warning."

His expression turned cold.

"If you start messing with the balance of the Hunter world, you're gonna make a lot more enemies than you think."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Hajin standing alone in the street.

Hajin clicked his tongue.

"…Interesting."

After leaving the Hunter Association building, Hajin checked his phone.

His bank balance had just gone up by 4,500,000 won after selling his dungeon loot.

"Not bad."

It wasn't a fortune by high-rank Hunter standards, but for a Rank E who had just gone solo for the first time, it was a damn good haul.

And Hajin had no intention of wasting it.

Time to invest in some better gear.

Steel Fang was one of the more popular mid-tier Hunter equipment shops in Seoul.

Unlike the elite stores that only catered to high-rank Hunters, Steel Fang carried weapons, armor, and artifacts for low-to-mid-rankers at reasonable prices.

As soon as Hajin walked in, a big guy behind the counter greeted him.

"Welcome to Steel Fang! Looking for something, Hunter?"

Hajin nodded and headed straight for the armor section.

His clothes from before were just regular clothing definitely not ideal for hunting.

After browsing for a bit, he found the Serpent Fang Leather Armor, a lightweight armor with solid defense for Rank E to D Hunters.

[Serpent Fang Leather Armor]

Defense: 40

Physical Resistance: +5%

Weight: Light

Price: 1,800,000 won

"Alright. I'll take this one."

Next, he moved to the weapons section.

Even though his skill let him create abilities, having a sharp weapon was still useful in close combat.

He picked out the Phantom Claw Dagger a sleek, jet-black blade with an edge sharper than most ordinary weapons.

[Phantom Claw Dagger]

Attack: 25

Passive Effect: Increases damage against humanoid-type monsters.

Price: 2,200,000 won

Satisfied with his choices, Hajin took them to the counter.

Total cost: 4,000,000 won.

That left him with 500,000 won enough for daily expenses.

After the transaction was done, the cashier handed him his gear with a grin.

"Good picks, Hunter! Good luck on your next dungeon run!"

Hajin just nodded and walked out.

When Hajin arrived at his small apartment, the place felt warmer than usual. The smell of kimchi stew filled the air someone was cooking.

As he opened the door and stepped inside, a girl with shoulder-length hair turned to look at him from the dining table. Her bright eyes lit up when she saw him.

"Oppa, you're home?"

Kang Araa, his little sister, greeted him with a smile.

"I thought you'd be home later," she said, stirring the pot on the table.

Hajin took off his shoes and walked into the dining area. He glanced at the steaming pot of stew.

"You cooked today?"

"Of course. You barely eat properly, so I made extra today," Araa said proudly. "If you keep living off instant ramen, you'll die faster than a monster can kill you."

Hajin chuckled and took a seat.

"I'm still alive and kicking. You don't need to worry."

Araa sat down across from him and started scooping stew into bowls.

"How was your day?"

"Good," Hajin replied.

"Good how?" Araa raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

Hajin hesitated for a moment. If he told her he had just soloed a dungeon and taken down a boss, she'd definitely flip out.

"Same as always," he answered casually.

Araa didn't seem convinced, but she didn't push further.

"If you say so… Anyway, school was boring as hell today."

"You say that every day," Hajin remarked.

"Because it is!" Araa groaned. "Today's lecture was about the history of the Hunter system. You know, how the world changed when monsters appeared, how lucky Awakened people are, how the system keeps the world balanced… Blah, blah, blah." She rolled her eyes. "Like I give a shit."

Hajin blew on his soup and took a sip.

"You don't have to."

Araa tilted her head.

"Then why did you want to be a Hunter so badly back then?"

Hajin paused for a moment.

"I was just curious," he said flatly.

Araa looked at him with an unreadable expression but didn't ask anything else.

After dinner, Hajin helped clean up before heading to his room. He closed the door, took off his jacket, and sat down at his desk.

Opening his system window, he accessed the skill editor.

Time to create something new.

His fingers started moving, typing out lines of code in his mind. The system processed his commands as he structured the basics of a new skill.

After a few moments, the system window vibrated.

[New Skill Successfully Created!]

[Shadow Step]

Type: Movement Skill

Effect: Increases speed and allows the user to vanish into shadows for 3 seconds.

Mana Cost: 30 MP.