{A/N; I'm not dead, just studying and revising for the Final Exam tomorrow.}
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Kim Suho's legs trembled as he stepped through the dungeon gate, his breaths ragged, his entire body sore from the battle. The night air was sharp against his sweat-drenched skin, but he welcomed the cold—it was proof that he had made it out.
On his back, Kang Joon-Ho's unconscious body sagged with dead weight. Blood dripped from Suho's arms, both his and Joon-Ho's, staining his already torn clothes. Every muscle in his body screamed for rest, but he forced himself forward, step by agonizing step, toward the group of hunters gathered near the gate.
Conversations halted. The air grew tense.
All eyes turned to him.
The first reaction was disbelief.
"What the hell…?"
A low murmur spread through the crowd. They recognized the man on his back—Kang Joon-Ho, a B-rank Hunter.
But the one carrying him?
Kim Suho. E-rank. A rookie.
No one could believe what they were seeing.
"How…?" a hunter muttered, eyes darting between Suho and Joon-Ho.
One of them, a tall man with a thick beard, narrowed his eyes. "Is he dead?"
"He's alive," Suho said hoarsely. His throat was dry, his voice barely above a whisper. "Just unconscious."
The bearded hunter let out a sharp breath, waving over the healers who had been waiting on standby. Two support-type hunters rushed over, one placing their hands over Joon-Ho's chest while the other checked his pulse.
"He's stable," the healer confirmed. "But his mana is depleted, and he's covered in bruises. He must've gone through hell in there."
The surrounding hunters took in the sight of Joon-Ho's battered body. Then, slowly, their gazes returned to Suho.
An E-rank carrying out a B-rank, while barely looking alive himself.
It didn't make sense.
And doubts followed immediately.
"No way… how did he survive?"
"There's no way an E-rank could have fought whatever was in there."
"Did he run and leave Kang Joon-Ho behind?"
A younger hunter scoffed. "Tch. If Kang Joon-Ho ended up like this, then there's no way this kid should be standing right now." He gave Suho a pointed look. "You sure you didn't just run while he fought?"
Suho clenched his jaw. He expected this.
He knew this would happen the moment he walked out alone.
But hearing the accusations still irritated him.
"If I ran, he wouldn't be here right now," Suho muttered.
The man clicked his tongue. "Then what? You fought whatever was in there? Don't joke with me, kid."
"Enough," a firm voice interrupted.
The speaker was a tall, broad-shouldered man with a jagged scar across his jaw—Baek Jang-Soo, the veteran leader of this raid team. He was an experienced A-rank hunter, and his sharp gaze assessed Suho carefully.
"We'll wait for Kang Joon-Ho to wake up and explain what happened," Jang-Soo said. His voice left no room for argument.
The younger hunter backed off, though he still shot Suho a suspicious glare.
Suho exhaled, feeling the tension ease slightly. But he knew this wasn't over.
He took a step forward—
—and nearly collapsed.
His legs gave out beneath him, exhaustion finally catching up.
"Woah!" A hunter caught him just in time. "Hey, kid, you okay?"
Suho groaned. He was okay—at least, he thought so. Just… drained. His body had been running on pure adrenaline, and now that the fight was over, his limbs refused to move.
"Shit, someone get a healer for him too!"
Another healer rushed over, placing their hands over Suho's chest. A warm, gentle light spread over his body, easing some of the fatigue and dulling the pain. It wasn't enough to fully recover, but it stopped him from passing out.
"You really went through it, huh?" the healer muttered, frowning. "You're bruised all over… but there aren't any major wounds."
Suho forced out a small, tired laugh. If they had seen him just moments ago, covered in blood and standing over a Specter's corpse, they wouldn't be saying that.
The healer pulled back, shaking their head. "You should rest. Whatever happened in there… it wasn't normal for an E-rank."
Suho didn't argue. He let himself be guided to a nearby seat, where he sat heavily, watching as the others continued murmuring.
They didn't believe him.
They wouldn't, until Joon-Ho woke up.
---
An Hour Later
Inside the makeshift tent set up near the dungeon gate, Suho sat on a cot, his body still aching. He wasn't alone.
Across from him, Joon-Ho stirred. His eyes fluttered open, groggy and unfocused.
"You're awake," Suho said.
Joon-Ho groaned, his hand moving to his forehead. He looked around in confusion before his gaze landed on Suho.
"…We made it out?"
"Yeah," Suho nodded. "We're back."
Joon-Ho exhaled, covering his face with his hand. "Shit… I thought I was gonna die in there."
Suho didn't respond. He just watched as Joon-Ho slowly pieced things together.
Then—Joon-Ho stiffened.
His eyes widened.
"The Specter—"
"Dead."
Joon-Ho looked at Suho in shock. "How…?"
Suho met his gaze, but before he could answer, the tent flap was pulled open.
Baek Jang-Soo entered, followed by several hunters. Their expressions were serious.
"Kang Joon-Ho," Jang-Soo said. "Can you tell us what happened in the dungeon?"
Joon-Ho hesitated. He glanced at Suho before sighing.
"…Yeah. I remember everything."
The room fell silent as Joon-Ho began recounting the events.
How they entered the dungeon, expecting a normal hunt.
How the Specter had ambushed them.
How he had been overwhelmed.
And then…
"How did you survive?" Jang-Soo asked.
Joon-Ho's lips pressed into a thin line. He looked at Suho.
Then he said the one thing no one was expecting.
"Kim Suho saved me."
The room froze.
Some hunters scoffed. Others frowned.
"Come on, Joon-Ho," one of them said. "An E-rank? Against a Specter?"
"I'm telling the truth," Joon-Ho insisted. He turned to Suho. "I don't know how the hell you did it… but you killed that thing."
The murmurs grew louder.
Baek Jang-Soo studied Suho carefully.
"…Is that true?"
Suho met his gaze, knowing this was a turning point.
"…Yes."
Silence.
Then—
"How?"
Suho knew this question would come.
But what could he say? That he had a System? That he had been growing stronger at a rate that shouldn't be possible?
"…I got lucky," Suho said. "It was already weakened. I just finished it off."
Some hunters still looked doubtful, but Joon-Ho didn't argue. He simply nodded.
"…Then that's what happened," Jang-Soo finally said.
No one looked fully convinced.
But they couldn't deny the facts: Suho had walked out of the dungeon alive.
And Joon-Ho, the only other witness, had backed him up.
For now, that was enough.
But Suho knew this wouldn't be the end of it.
There would be more questions. More suspicions.
And this was only the beginning.
He had caught their attention.
And in this world of hunters—
That was both a blessing and a curse.
.....
Kim Suho sat in the back of the transport truck, watching the city lights blur past as they returned to Seoul.
His body ached, his mind was exhausted, but he wasn't asleep. He couldn't afford to be.
The moment Joon-Ho confirmed that Suho had killed the Specter, the raid team had grown wary of him. No one outright accused him of lying, but the doubt was clear in their eyes.
An E-rank taking down something that even a B-rank struggled against?
It shouldn't have been possible.
And yet, Suho had walked out of the dungeon alive.
His status as a no-name rookie had officially ended.
For better or worse, he had drawn attention to himself.
And attention was dangerous.
---
Hunter Association – Seoul Branch
The moment they arrived, Joon-Ho was rushed into medical care while Suho was guided to a small office for debriefing.
The room was plain—four walls, a table, and two chairs. The only source of warmth was the coffee placed in front of him by the Association staff.
Across from him sat Yoo Jin-Seok, an investigator for the Hunter Association. He was a sharp-eyed man in his late thirties, dressed in a crisp suit, and he had the air of someone who had seen far too many things.
He studied Suho carefully.
"You're Kim Suho, correct?"
Suho nodded. "Yes, sir."
Jin-Seok leaned forward. "Let's get straight to the point. An E-rank killing a Specter is… unusual."
Suho said nothing.
Jin-Seok continued, his fingers tapping against the table. "Kang Joon-Ho corroborated your story, but it's still hard to believe. So, I want to hear it from you. How did you kill it?"
Suho took a breath.
He had already prepared an answer.
"…Like I said before. The Specter was already weakened. Joon-Ho fought it, but he ran out of mana. I just… landed the final hit."
Jin-Seok hummed, his expression unreadable.
Then he pulled out a tablet and slid it across the table.
The screen displayed the dungeon footage.
Suho stiffened.
"Some dungeons are unstable," Jin-Seok explained. "But this one happened to be monitored. The camera's connection cut off before the final battle, but we saw you and Joon-Ho entering together."
He swiped the screen, showing an earlier moment.
"And we saw you fighting."
The footage showed Suho moving faster than an E-rank should have been capable of. His attacks were precise, powerful, and relentless.
Jin-Seok's eyes narrowed. "You're stronger than an average E-rank. Considerably."
Suho clenched his fists under the table.
He needed to handle this carefully.
If he pushed back too hard, it would seem suspicious. But if he admitted too much, they might investigate him further.
So, he gave the safest possible answer.
"…I trained," he said simply. "A lot."
Jin-Seok raised a brow. "Training doesn't normally mean you can jump between ranks in a short amount of time. You know that, right?"
Suho kept his expression neutral.
"I don't know what else to tell you."
The investigator watched him for a long moment.
Then—he let out a sigh and leaned back. "Alright. We'll leave it at that for now."
Suho didn't relax.
There was an unspoken 'but' hanging in the air.
Jin-Seok tapped the table lightly. "Just know this, Kim Suho—people will be watching you. And if something doesn't add up, the Association will investigate."
Suho held his gaze. "Understood."
The interview ended soon after.
But even as he left the room, he knew—
This wasn't over.
---
A New Chapter Begins
Suho walked through the quiet streets of Seoul, his hoodie pulled up as he tried to process everything.
The past few days had been insane.
He awakened the System.
He entered his first dungeon.
He killed a Specter.
And now, he was under suspicion.
His grip tightened.
He had drawn too much attention.
He needed to control the pace.
Before the Association started digging deeper, he had to grow stronger.
Because sooner or later—
They wouldn't just be asking questions.
They'd be testing him.
And he had no intention of failing.
[System Notification]
—You have completed a significant event!
—New Feature Unlocked: "Hunter's Market"
Suho frowned.
The System… was evolving.
And that meant his path was about to take an even bigger turn.
He wasn't just an E-rank anymore.
He was something else entirely.
And the world would soon realize it.