I Tamed the First Rank Chapter 57

HoshiMiya
Apr 11
7 min read

"Are you nervous?"

"A little."

"Since we'll be dating in dungeons a lot from now on, you'll get used to it."

Hyeon Gyu-ha gently ran his thumb over the back of his hand. A tingling sensation spread and the tension eased.

"First, let me introduce the Narsha Guild members who will be helping you in this training. You all know Guild Leader Gong Tae-seong. It just so happens that you've gotten to have this luxurious training with two S-class Hunters. So, instead of trying anything funny, let's all quietly board the top-tier premium bus that our S-rank hunters have prepared for us."

The Awakeners, who were nervous about stepping into the dungeon for the first time, awkwardly laughed at Choi Jin-hyeok's expressionless joke.

"As I told you in advance, the environment inside the gate is really cold. We've made a temporary changing room inside the factory, so please change your clothes first and come out."

In Yoo-shin also took out winter clothes. It was a long padding that Hyeon Gyu-ha, who saw that the padding at home was only short, had caught and bought.

"8-seya. Are you okay? Should I put a hot pack in your pouch?"

"Squeak."

“It’s an irregular demon, so it won’t catch a cold.”

As if that was true, 8-se nodded. Hyeon Gyu-ha, who was as tolerant of temperature changes as a top ranker, was dressed no differently than usual.

Those who changed into winter clothes in early summer were quickly covered in sweat.

“Hyeon Gyu-ha, get ready.”

“Okay.”

At Choi Jin-hyeok’s nod, Hyeon Gyu-ha injected a mana pattern into the barrier covering the gate entrance. The scenery shook, revealing a transparent distortion in the air. It was the third gate that In Yoo-shin had experienced.

In Yoo-shin stepped inside cautiously.

[Time left until dungeon reset: 39 hours, 06 minutes, 57 seconds]

“Wow.”

As Hyeon Gyu-ha had said, the dungeon was a white birch forest with snow piled up to his ankles. Just a moment ago, it was the beginning of summer with a scorching sun, but as he took a single step forward, he found himself standing in a winter forest at dusk.

Hyeon Gyu-ha put his hand on his shoulder and bowed.

"It's not as good as midnight when the stars are out, but sunset isn't a bad time to go camping either, right?"

"The sunset shining through the birch trees is really pretty.”

"There was plenty of time left until the reset, so we should be able to kill the dungeon boss right away and go camping comfortably."

The two people's white, condensed breaths dispersed into the air. It was a snow field where no human traces had touched. The sound of footsteps on the snow, crunching and dyed in the sunset light, leaving traces for the first time was enjoyable.

Under the guidance of the Hunters, the Awakeners entered the dungeon one by one. Exclamations of wonder at the sight of the dungeon and the message they were seeing for the first time could be heard from all over.

"If I could see the constellations, I could roughly guess the location, but ugh. What a shame."

The most excited one was Park Seung-gi. He immediately flew a drone and explored the surroundings.

“But Hunter-nim, it’s not as cold as I thought. Is it Europe?”

“What century is it?”

The only people interested in the dungeon’s setting were Park Seung-gi and In Yoo-shin. The other hunters and Awakeners were busy setting up forward bases near the entrance where the monsters did not appear.

Hyeon Gyu-ha, who was also a hunter interested in the background, tilted his head.

“Yoo-shin-ssi, it’s a bit too much to show you, so I originally planned to clear it by myself.”

“Gasp. Why?”

“Because you’ll end up seeing a lot of corpses in the illusion.”

The weather was already wintery, but the thoughtless remark made it a little colder. Even though it was just an illusion that had already passed in the flow of history, witnessing such a cruel scene wasn’t a very pleasant experience.

In the first dungeon, In Yoo-shin hesitated whether to go or not, not realizing the change in Hyeon Gyu-ha, who had been able to see the illusion of slaughter without hesitation.

In the meantime, the tents where the party would stay and a simple defensive barrier were set up. Choi Jin-hyeok picked up the loudspeaker again.

“It was on the test, and you probably know because you’ve heard it so many times, but when the reset time ends, the dungeon literally ‘resets’ your stats. If you stay inside the dungeon during the reset time, you will not only die, but you will not be able to find your body, so be careful.”

When the reset time comes, the dungeon will be restored to its original state, with all traces of humans and monsters remaining inside disappearing. The accumulation of mana caused by these repeated resets is one of the factors contributing to dungeon breaks.

“If the number of demons in the dungeon drops below ten, a notification window will pop up for the Awakener.”

Park Seung-gi whispered while looking at the drone screen.

“It's great being an Awakener. In Yoo-shin, you get a notification window too, right?”

“Uh, it’s fascinating.”

“While I don't expect you to directly engage in combat, if you do end up hunting monsters, please stop once their numbers have dwindled significantly. If all the monsters in a dungeon are eliminated, the boss will appear. The biggest problem is that if you summon or kill the boss in a national dungeon without prior agreement, and consequently close the dungeon, you'll have to pay a huge fine to the government. Isn't it a waste to pay a fine to a government that only takes taxes?”

I don’t know if this is something a civil servant should say. Ohana, who was filming nearby, muttered to herself as if she had the same thought.

“I really have to edit this part…………….”

“Monsters that can solo clear large-scale dungeons or higher are classified as S-rank, and we have two S-rank individuals present here. Since this dungeon is so small, I bet those big shots over there could clear it before a cup of instant noodles even gets soggy. Don't you agree, guild leader?”

As he entered the gate, Gong Tae-seong, who had regained his senses a little, glared at Choi Jin-hyeok, who was making such a rude remark. Regardless, he continued talking.

“So please don’t cause trouble, do as I say, and go back after enjoying a relaxing dungeon tour.”

With this last request that seemed to come from experience, the group began to head north through the birch forest. The stillness of the forest, where not a single bird flew by or animal howled, was disturbingly broken.

“Are you going too, Yoo-shin-ssi?”

“The purpose of the training is to experience clearing, so I don’t think I can miss it.”

“Yeah, I thought about it well. An experience that you can’t get even if you pay for it.”

After blurting out a word, Park Seung-gi went to Choi Jin-hyeok and Gong Tae-seong, whom he had become friends with during the three days he was trapped in the gate, and spoke to them again. He seemed like a guy who would survive no matter where you dropped him.

Thanks to that, In Yoo-shin, now that he had no ears to hear, could cautiously ask Hyun Kyu-ha.

“I was listening to Team Leader Choi earlier and it occurred to me, what if another hidden boss appears after we hunt the boss of this dungeon?”

“We can catch them.”

“That’s true, but there was a hidden boss stone that Gyu-ha said he was looking for. Last time, Æ……………….”

In Yoo-shin, who was speaking absentmindedly, flinched. He thought of 'Tuesday's Saint, Spunta Marchi' in his head and created language on the floor, but the moment it came out of his mouth, his pronunciation broke.

Hyeon Gyu-ha gently stroked In Yoo-shin's hair, who was in embarrassment.

"I know what you're trying to say. What you thought of is a concept that exists in this world too, but because the world perceives it differently, it can't be expressed clearly. Not only can I not say the name, I can't even write it."

When he heard that, something suddenly came to mind.

"Could it be that the broken letters in Gyu-ha's and my status window are because of that?"

"Of course. If you look at the status window, you'll see something different from the previous dungeon."

When he checked the status window, the letters that were somewhat revealed as '니' in the first dungeon were all displayed as broken ø³¼Îð' as usual.

"In the dungeon where I'm looking for what I need, maybe some of it will be revealed."

"Aha...…………."

I still don't know what's what, but I don't think I need to worry. Hyeon Gyu-ha bent down and made eye contact.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I'm looking for again?"

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t answer?”

“I might have changed my mind now.”

The old him who said he wouldn’t tell, and the current him who playfully locked eyes. What had changed? In Yoo-shin didn’t ask and took a step forward, feeling burdened by the gaze that was staring at him intently.

Hyeon Gyu-ha didn’t ask again.

Outside the forest, a snowy field spread out. There were several long, deep pits that were similar to the height of an adult male. The pits, which were cut off here and there but continued in a winding manner, seemed to stretch on infinitely.

Gong Tae-seong clicked his tongue in displeasure.

“The terrain isn’t good. It’ll be hard to predict if a monster formed under the pits appears. Choi Jin-hyeok, quickly move those useless things to the back.”

Choi Jin-hyeok agreed with that opinion and silently made the Awakeners retreat closer to the forest. In Yoo-shin looked back at Hyeon Gyu-ha with a hopeful thought. In addition to what he had said earlier about seeing a large number of corpses, seeing the pits made me think of something.

“Gyu-ha-ssi, are the pits trenches?”

As if answering the question, the illusion moved more dynamically and screams began to be heard.

It was a hell on Earth, a manifestation of hell in the human world.

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