Chapter 1

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Episode 1: A New Beginning, Not the End

I am Han Shiwoo.

I just got dumped by my girlfriend and returned home.

I feel pretty damn terrible.

The story of being betrayed by a girlfriend you loved is something I’ve only ever read in communities…

To make matters worse, tomorrow is the day of the D-grade gate hunt assembly.

You might think today should be a day off.

But this is a serious matter directly related to military service.

To explain briefly, all men and women over 20 years old in South Korea must serve in the military.

Twenty years ago, only men were drafted, but nowadays due to low birth rates, there aren’t enough men to waste their lives in the military, so women have to join as well.

Back to the point, I have a D-grade hunter qualification, so instead of military service, I have to help fill the manpower shortage for raids at the gates.

I need to do this for two years, and I have one year left.

For reference, those with E or F ranks have no qualifications and must go to the military.

It’s a loophole for military exemption.

Today… I should go to bed early.

**********

….

Daybreak.

I’m lying in bed and it’s way too bright outside.

Filled with anxiety, I jumped up and checked the clock. It’s 12:43.

“Crap!”

The assembly is at 1:20.

I fell asleep last night without setting an alarm.

It seems like the mental blow has been quite big.

I hurriedly got ready, packed my gear, and set off.

1:18 PM.

Fortunately, I arrived just in time.

“Shiwoo, you made it on time, thank goodness.”

The first person to speak to me is Mr. Kim Junsu, the leader of the raid party.

“Shiwoo, you always arrive just in the nick of time.”

And the one patting my shoulder and laughing heartily is Mr. Park Changsu.

“Haha… I’m sorry.”

I awkwardly apologized and pulled out my main weapon, a one-handed sword.

“What? You’re still using that worthless weapon?”

Mr. Changsu asked me.

“… It’s still decent enough to use.”

In fact, this one-handed sword is the weapon that Yena gifted me for my 20th birthday.

…. After this raid, I should change my weapon.

“Alright, if everyone’s ready, let’s go in!”

This ragtag party consists of a total of eight members, including me.

Each has their own story, but the main goal is money…

Everyone here has their burdens as heads of households.

I’m the regular mercenary of this party.

Whenever someone drops out due to personal issues, I’m the one who gets called in.

“Shiwoo, let’s do our best today.”

“Yeah, of course.”

In truth, I don’t do much.

As a low-grade hunter without good synergy with the party and weak strength, I have to at least help carry the supplies.

So I always play the role of a pack mule in this party.

Honestly, if I think about it, aside from military service, this seems like an easy gig.

Even a ragtag team like us, if we’ve been doing this for a few years, can ensure safety in low-grade gates.

Because of that… we usually clear raids without any issues…

I head into the gate thinking we’ll be safe today as well.

What could possibly go wrong?

As soon as I stepped into the gate, the surroundings I saw were so threatening that I could hardly swallow.

All around, I could see green poisonous gas flowing like lava.

There was only one path.

Just a single stone bridge extending straight ahead.

We had to choose between moving forward or turning back.

“Hey… this is a D-grade gate, right?”

“It looks nothing like the usual!”

“What should we do?..”

The party members were getting restless.

“Everyone, calm down! Don’t panic.”

Mr. Kim Junsu, as a leader, soothed everyone.

“Now everyone, this horrific place I believe is a B-grade gate.”

“What? B-grade? I can’t do it! No way!”

“Yeah! I have family at home!”

“Do you think you’re the only one with family? Everyone here has people to go home to!”

Hearing Mr. Junsu’s words, the party members were stirred.

“Please listen to me till the end. This dungeon, as I said earlier, is a B-grade dungeon.”

Hunters in this world enter dungeons through gates.

No one knows where a gate will open.

These random gates are categorized into two types: the first is the Blue Gate.

A Blue Gate is a standard dungeon-type gate, the same as the one we’re currently in.

You defeat the boss and can exchange the resulting magic stones for money, which are quite valuable.

That’s why the men here participate in the party to earn that magic stone money.

Sometimes items do drop, but Blue Gates primarily yield magic stones.

The second is the Black Gate.

This gate poses a considerable danger.

The reason is that it’s a field-type rather than a dungeon-type.

Black Gates frequently drop items.

“A B-grade gate?! I’m getting out of here!”

“Okay, okay… calm down and listen to me.”

Mr. Junsu grabbed an uncle who was trying to leave and continued his explanation.

“We can make a big score here because it’s a B-grade.”

“But it’s dangerous…”

“Yes, I’m well aware it’s dangerous.”

“Then why?”

“As you can see, this path consists of a single stone bridge.”

“If we proceed carefully in a line with our weapons drawn, when a dangerous monster appears, we can run away, or we might keep going to find treasure chests.”

That’s Mr. Junsu’s logic.

Sometimes dungeons have separate boss rooms and treasure chest rooms.

It seems like he’s trying to exploit that…

“Let’s give it a try, and if it doesn’t work out, we’ll retreat. Sound good?”

The surroundings began to murmur again.

“Yeah… let’s try it, and if it doesn’t work, we run…”

“We need to think about our kids’ college tuition too…”

“Wedding funds…”

“My wife is pregnant with our third child…”

Everyone here agreed to stay and explore the dungeon for their respective goals.

“Alright, we need someone to lead the charge.”

“Why not use a tank?”

I asked.

“We don’t have a tank in our party… you know this, right? Tanks can participate in raids up to C-grade even if they’re D-grade, and healers can join up to B-grade.”

“Bringing a tank or healer into a D-grade raid party is tough, Shiwoo.”

Both Mr. Junsu and Mr. Changsu said to me.

“I absolutely can’t lead the charge. I have too much to lose!”

One uncle said.

“Only you have a lot to lose? We all have plenty to lose!”

“Right. Is there anyone here who has nothing to lose?”

As the surrounding noise began to rise again, Mr. Junsu put forth a condition.

“I will provide a little more reward to whoever leads the charge.”

“I’ll do it!”

I reflexively raised my hand at the word of a higher reward.

“Oh my… A young person risking their life for just a few bucks…”

Mr. Changsu looked at me worriedly.

“It’s fine. What could possibly go wrong?”

If things get dangerous, I can always back out.

And I have the D-grade ability called “Blessing of the Drug User.”

What this ability does is, when I drink an elemental resistance potion, the duration effect is increased tenfold.

And the state provides one elemental resistance potion to people like me serving substitute military duty during the alternative service period.

I immediately drank a poison resistance potion.

“Alright, let’s get going. I’m all set.”

“Alright… let’s do this…”

“Oh, and the person at the very back should handle the supplies.”

I handed the supplies to the man standing at the back.

Then I tightened my grip on the sword in my right hand.

We crossed the narrow stone bridge made of surrounding green poisonous gas like we were crossing a single-log bridge.

I did have a handle in my left hand, but a bit of fear began to seep into me, growing larger bit by bit.

I squeezed my eyes shut and made it across the bridge in quick steps.

The uncles were still halfway across the stone bridge.

Just when I was about to shout that it seemed safe up to this point, suddenly the bridge began to shake and crumble beneath me.

“What… what!”

“What’s happening?! What went wrong?”

“Quick, backtrack!”

“No, what about that young man who crossed already?”

I felt the stone bridge wouldn’t hold until I crossed again.

“Shiwoo… I’m sorry, but… I think we need to survive…”

“Mr. Park Changsu? What are you saying?!”

The dungeon began to collapse.

“Quick, get out of the gate!”

“Mr. Kim Junsu! I…!”

“I’m sorry… Shiwoo… I wish you luck.”

With that, the party members all fled toward the gate.

… This really sucks…

Nothing has been going my way lately.

Betrayed by my party comrades.

The greatest pain is… the betrayal of my most trusted girlfriend.

I gripped the sword I had dropped on the ground tightly and stood up.

But… there was nothing a mere D-grade hunter could do as the dungeon crumbled.

I lost my balance on the shaking ground and fell, hitting my head on the floor.

My vision began to fade to darkness…

**********

“Gah!”

When I opened my eyes, I was on a bed.

Seeing the unfamiliar ceiling, is this a hospital?…

No, looking at the lack of medical equipment, it doesn’t seem to be a hospital.

Sitting up in bed, a strange blue screen appeared before my eyes.

– Ding!

[You have survived in the only EX-grade dungeon and have obtained the system’s blessing (EX).]

[The first system user to be born in this world has appeared.]

[The system senses the greatest desire of the user and grants a special ability.]

[Sensing…]

[Sensing complete!]

[The user’s greatest desire is revenge.]

[Thus, you are granted the ability ‘Diminution’ to effectively take revenge on others.]

[This ability allows you to diminish the abilities of others.]

Right now… this thing that introduced itself as a system has granted me the ability of ‘Diminution.’

I don’t quite understand the situation, but I grasped that it would aid me in some way.

[In order to diminish the abilities of others, physical contact with that person is necessary.]

[Then, you can diminish them with a specified command.]

[Please specify the command.]

Diminishing someone’s abilities…

This means, if I were to compare it to a game, it’s akin to ‘nerfing’ a character’s performance.

“The command should be… Sure. ‘Nerf’ sounds good.”

[The command has been designated as ‘Nerf.’]

Yena… you betrayed me after becoming S-grade? If I get the chance, I’ll definitely take my revenge with this ability…