A small wisp of energy shot from Do-Jun’s fingertip, clinging to the outer wall as it slowly descended the stairs. As the once-dark interior was illuminated by the energy, the hidden space revealed itself.
Not every Fissure had one, but there were times when a hidden dungeon could be found inside a Fissure.
Typically, monsters inside hidden dungeons were one or two ranks higher than the ones roaming the main Fissure, but that wasn’t the point.
The reason why Hunters would shout, “Jackpot!” upon discovering a hidden dungeon was the Treasure Goblin. Each hidden dungeon had precisely one, and if defeated, it dropped a Skillbook.
Generally, there was only one way for Hunters to acquire skills: through natural Awakening, either spontaneously or via physical enhancement.
For that reason, most Hunters only had one skill throughout their lives. If they Awakened an F-rank skill, they were stuck hunting with that low-rank skill for the rest of their lives.
This was the conundrum of the naturally blessed and the cursed.
The Treasure Goblin was a way to bridge that gap. The Skillbooks, which dropped from Treasure Goblins with a low drop rate, could be sold for a high price depending on their rank.
Just a few weeks ago, a C-rank skill named Flame Bolt had dropped after a Treasure Goblin was killed in a hidden dungeon within an E-rank Fissure, the Forest of Kobolds. It had sold for a staggering 35 billion won. That’s why everyone had their eyes peeled, desperately searching for hidden dungeons.
“At least that’s what I read on the internet,” Do-Jun muttered as he pulled out his SpacePad.
While it was great that he had discovered a hidden dungeon, he was still a civil servant with the Fissure Management Division. Since this Fissure fell under the jurisdiction of Seoul City, the hidden dungeon also needed to be mapped so that Hunters could hunt efficiently.
Of course, he wasn’t planning to give up the Treasure Goblin.
[Welcome to the Fissure Management System, Mr. Lee Do-Jun.]
[Initiating mapping of Pil-dong 3-ga-001, Jung-gu, Seoul Fissure.]
[Registering hidden dungeon. Added to the exception list.]
As long as he didn’t press the submit button, the information would remain hidden from the public page. Do-Jun planned to catch the Treasure Goblin, finish mapping, and later submit it for internal approval at the office.
Looking back, he saw the Academy students diligently hunting orcs. Min-Ji was also mingling with the students, assisting with the hunt and providing advice, seemingly unaware of the hidden dungeon’s presence.
“Let’s head in.” Do-Jun smiled at Yong-Yong and Karsiel.
The view that unfolded before them as they descended the stairs was an expansive grass field. It seemed they had crossed beyond the cliff that surrounded Orc Settlement.
There, Do-Jun spotted orcs roaming in groups, except they looked more ferocious, and instead of the typical green skin, the orcs in the hidden dungeon had red skin.
An unregistered monster species, Do-Jun thought.
He searched for these red-skinned orcs in the Fissure Management System’s monster encyclopedia, but no results appeared.
In such cases, Do-Jun had the authority to name the new species himself.
He decided to call them Red Orcs.
[Red Orc has been added.]
[You may now assign a provisional rank and register information about the Red Orc.]
Just by looking, he estimated their rank to be B—weaker than A-rank ogres but slightly stronger than trolls. Still, it was more reliable to confirm this firsthand, so Do-Jun decided to take one down for testing.
“You two stay here,” Do-Jun told the dragons.
“Eh? Are you just gonna neglect us? Pets grow with their master’s love, you know,” Yong-Yong complained.
“Lord Izaas, it seems you’ve fully accepted the role of a pet now.”
Just two months ago, if anyone had dared to call him a pet, Yong-Yong, who once prided himself as Izaas the Great, would have considered it the greatest insult of his dragon life. But now, he seemed to have completely adapted to his new life as a pet.
Do-Jun sighed, looking at Yong-Yong. “If you come with me, they’ll just run away.”
“Tsk.” Yong-Yong clicked his tongue and flopped onto the field.
“I’ll be right back.”
Karsiel was always really kind.
Yong-Yong and Karsiel watched as Do-Jun walked toward the Red Orcs.
The monsters that normally ran at the sight of them seemed to rush at Do-Jun without hesitation, as if they were moths drawn to a flame. It was almost pitiful.
“I was one of those moths once...”
Yong-Yong recalled the first time he met Do-Jun. He had been peacefully living in his nest when Yoon-Hee invaded, and he tried to kill her.
That was when Do-Jun appeared. Yong-Yong had attempted to annihilate them both with his Dragon Breath, but Do-Jun effortlessly blocked it. Not only that, he nearly killed him with his mana gun.
Just thinking about that terrifying moment still sent shivers down his spine. Yong-Yong recalled what he had said then.
“H-h-hold on a minute!”
“If I hadn’t called for a time-out, I would not be here today,” he whispered to himself, thinking he was indeed lucky.
“Huh?” At that moment, something caught Yong-Yong’s eye.
It was a goblin with golden skin, leisurely strolling around with a bag the size of its body slung over its back.
“That one looks different,” Yong-Yong said.
“It’s suspicious, Lord Izaas,” Karsiel warned him.
Yong-Yong glanced over at Do-Jun.
He was still busy “assessing” the Red Orcs and didn’t seem like he would be done anytime soon.
“Hey!” Yong-Yong called out to the Treasure Goblin.
The goblin froze, turning to look at Yong-Yong. The moment it realized what was happening, the Treasure Goblin tried to flee in a panic, only to be stopped by Yong-Yong’s Dragon Speech skill, which bound him in place.
“O-o-o, Great Dragon! What business could you possibly have with me...?” the Treasure Goblin stammered, sweating profusely.
Yong-Yong grinned and beckoned with his paw. “Come.”
Hye-Jung and Jin-Soo were lying flat on the ground, gasping for breath, perhaps because they had fought off six orcs simultaneously. There had been several dangerous moments where things could have gone quite wrong, and if it weren’t for Yoon-Hee’s efforts, they might have been seriously injured.
“Here, guys. Drink some water.” Yoon-Hee handed a bottle of water to the two lying on the ground.
Looking exhausted, Hye-Jung remarked, “Yoon-Hee, what’s your Stamina stat even at?”
Yoon-Hee smiled and replied, “It’s a secret.”
“Tsk. Fine. Keep your secrets, then. But thanks for the water.”
“Sure, and it’ll be our turn soon for the guided practice.”
Min-Ji had been making rounds, giving individual guidance to the Academy students. It was almost their turn.
Hye-Jung took a sip from the bottle that Yoon-Hee handed her.
“Hey! Why are you putting your mouth on the bottle?” Jin-Soo snapped.
Yoon-Hee gave an awkward smile and said, “It’s okay... I drank from it directly, too...”
“Oh, I have a new bottle here. Jin-Soo, you can have this one.”
Yoon-Hee handed Jin-Soo an unopened bottle of water. However, Jin-Soo stared longingly at the bottle Hye-Jung was holding, which was now less than a third full.
He didn’t like that Hye-Jung had drunk from it, but there was now another factor.
If I drink from that bottle, then i-it would be an indirect kiss with Y-yoon-Hee!
However, the situation he hoped for didn’t come to pass.
Catching onto Jin-Soo’s rather impure desire, Hye-Jung smirked and downed the remaining water. She then flashed him a mischievous grin, sticking out her tongue while flipping him the middle finger in a way that only he could see.
“You! Why do you always—You!”
Jin-Soo stood up and tried to march over to her when someone approached them. Turning to check, they saw Min-Ji.
“Looks like you’re taking a break,” Min-Ji said.
“Y-yes, ma’am!” Hye-Jung and Jin-Soo answered in unison.
To the students of the Hunter Academy, an S-rank Hunter like Min-Ji held a status higher than even the president. Naturally, their attitude was one of utmost respect.
At that moment, Min-Ji’s and Yoon-Hee’s eyes met, and the latter bowed politely.
“H-hello,” she said to Min-Ji.
“It’s been a while, Yoon-Hee. How have you been?”
“Good, thank you. How about you, Hunter Min-Ji? Anything new?”
“Oh, you know, same as always.”
Jin-Soo and Hye-Jung looked at the two with blank expressions. They clearly knew each other.
“Where’s Supervisor Lee? I don’t see him around,” Min-Ji murmured, glancing around.
Yoon-Hee recalled the sight of Do-Jun and Min-Ji chatting happily before entering the Fissure. She wasn’t sure why, but thinking about that made her feel unsettled. She didn’t dislike Min-Ji, but something about that situation bothered her.
“Do you two know each other?” Hye-Jung asked, unable to contain her curiosity.
Min-Ji answered, “Yes. I’ve even visited Yoon-Hee’s house before.”
“Wow... How do you know Yoon-Hee?”
“I think the first time we met was at the admission ceremony? If I remember correctly, she was with Supervisor Lee.”
At that, Jin-Soo and Hye-Jung were taken aback.
“Wait, you were with that civil servant? You know him?”
Min-Ji tilted her head and said, “Know him? Of course, they’re father and daughter.”
“H-hunter Min-Ji, that’s...”
Watching Hye-Jung and Jin-Soo’s jaws drop, Min-Ji realized her slip and turned to Yoon-Hee, her expression apologetic. “Was that supposed to be a secret...?”
[Red Orc’s information has been updated.]
[Hidden dungeon’s ranking has been updated.]
About ten minutes later, through hunting Red Orcs and running various tests, Do-Jun had successfully inputted the necessary information into the Fissure Management System without much trouble.
As he had estimated by eyeballing the monster, the Red Orc was slightly stronger than a troll, placing it in the upper-middle tier of B-rank monsters.
Now, time to catch that Treasure Goblin and map the area...
But Do-Jun abruptly stopped in his tracks upon noticing Yong-Yong and Karsiel’s situation about two hundred meters away, in the shaded area under a massive tree.
Next to them was the Treasure Goblin.
What... is going on over there?
“Is this it?” Yong-Yong said.
Artifacts were laid out on the ground. These were the items from the sack the Treasure Goblin had been carrying. A few pieces of armor, weapons, and several gold coins were among them.
Yong-Yong glanced over the items, muttering, “Something important is missing.”
“W-what do you mean by important?” the goblin stammered.
“There’s no food! Where the hell is the food?”
The Treasure Goblin swallowed dryly, eyeing Yong-Yong and Karsiel nervously. He couldn’t understand why a dragon—no, two dragons—who should have been sleeping indefinitely in their nests were here in this place.
Still, survival was his top priority, so the Treasure Goblin obediently dumped out the contents of his sack, though now he was being berated for not having any food.
That’s when they heard someone approaching them.
“Ah, you’re here, Master.” Karsiel bowed her head as Do-Jun approached.
Startled, the Treasure Goblin spun around to see a human male standing there.
W-what? Master? What the hell?!
Dragons—the supreme predators who stood at the pinnacle of all creatures—were bowing to their master.