The jungle was alive with screams — sharp, guttural, panicked. Goblins sprinted through the undergrowth, clawing at branches, their green eyes wide with terror.
They weren't chasing prey.
They were running from something.
No… someone. Someone unhuman.
Branches cracked under heavy footfalls. Leaves shivered. The humid air was choked with the stench of blood, burnt flesh, and ash.
Perched high on a thick tree branch, Jinwoo crouched low, golden eyes glinting like coins under the moonlight. His lips curled upward, but it wasn't a smile — it was something twisted. Wolfish.
His fingers flicked lazily.
A snap of red light — a compressed flame burst from his fingertip, slicing through the air like a bullet. It struck the back of a goblin's head, punching clean through with a hiss of superheated flesh. The goblin let out a brief, strangled gasp before crumpling mid-sprint, its skull scorched black, its body twitching once… then still.
"Another one," Jinwoo murmured softly, his voice low and trembling with excitement.
> [ You have killed a goblin! ]
[ Exp +100 ]
[ Goblins left: 5 ]
[ Quest Progress: 95% ]
His grin widened — no, stretched. It was no longer human. His brows twitched, pupils dilated, tongue flicking over his lips like a predator tasting the air.
"Another one… another one…" he whispered, shuddering slightly, a tremor of dark joy running through his chest.
The remaining goblins broke formation, scattering into the trees, their shrill screeches echoing through the night. But it was useless.
Jinwoo could feel them — every flicker of mana, every rapid heartbeat, every terrified breath.
He dropped from the branch, landing silently, knees bent, fingers brushing the dirt.
> [ You have activated Skill: Mana Sense (Lv. 3) ]
The world sharpened. His awareness flared, painting every nearby movement, every living pulse, in perfect clarity.
He moved — a blur under the moonlight.
A goblin turned just in time to meet his charging knee, the impact smashing up into its jaw, snapping its neck back with a wet crack.
> [ You have killed a goblin! ]
[ Exp +100 ]
[ Goblins left: 4 ]
[ Quest Progress: 96% ]
Another goblin shrieked and lunged, spear raised overhead. Jinwoo ducked low, pivoted, sweeping its legs out from under it. The goblin crashed to the ground with a yelp. Without missing a beat, Jinwoo snatched up the spear and rammed it down, driving the tip straight through the back of the goblin's neck.
Blood sprayed out in a hot, pulsing arc, spattering across his clothes, his hands, his face.
> [ You have killed a goblin! ]
[ Exp +100 ]
[ Goblins left: 3 ]
[ Quest Progress: 97% ]
"Ahhh…" Jinwoo exhaled, trembling slightly. His breath fogged in the cold air. "This… this feels good."
Suddenly, the earth trembled.
Heavy, ground-shaking footsteps. A low, rumbling snarl. The overpowering stench of rot, leather, and iron filled the air.
The goblin chief had arrived.
It lumbered forward from between the trees — a hulking brute, twice Jinwoo's height, rippling with corded muscle, jagged bone armor strapped across its chest and shoulders. Its yellow eyes glowed like twin coals, burning with raw hatred. In one massive, clawed hand, it gripped a brutal iron club, its head studded with crooked, rusted nails.
Jinwoo's grin split wider, eyes sharp, wild. His fingers twitched eagerly.
"Finally," he whispered.
The chief let out a deafening roar, shaking the trees. Birds exploded from the branches in a flurry of wings.
Jinwoo calmly raised his hand.
> [ You have activated Skill: Mana Control (Lv. 5) ]
A spear of fire crackled into existence, hovering above his palm — blazing red, flickering gold, heat distorting the air.
"Let's see if you can handle this, big guy."
---
But wait — you're probably wondering.
How did Jinwoo end up here?
Let's rewind.
---
Just a few hours ago…
Jinwoo stood before the Gyeongui Line Abandoned Tunnel, an old, sealed-off railway passage near Hongdae in Seoul. Once part of the historic Gyeongui Line, the tunnel had been abandoned for decades, the tracks rerouted and the entrance left to rot behind a crumbling chain-link fence.
The gate was littered with old, rust-faded warning signs:
출입 금지 — 위험 지역 (No Entry — Danger Zone)
헌터 협회 허가 필요 (Hunter Association Permit Required)
Jinwoo crouched low, heart pounding, pushing aside weeds as he slipped through a gap in the fence. The tunnel loomed ahead — a yawning mouth of darkness, lined with crumbling stonework, rusted tracks vanishing into the shadows. Graffiti scrawled across the walls, some old, some fresh. Shattered bulbs hung dead overhead, their glass glinting faintly in the dim light.
A faint shimmer — green, flickering mana — ran along the far wall, marking the dungeon gate.
Jinwoo took a shaky breath.
"This is it," he murmured to himself. "If I clear this dungeon… I can finally level up."
Inside, the air was damp, cold. Water dripped from the cracked ceiling, puddling along the broken rail ties. Only the faint, pulsing glow of the dungeon gate lit the interior, casting eerie shadows across the ruined walls.
> [ Quest: Clear the Dungeon (E-Rank) ]
Progress: 0%
He clenched his fists. His heart thudded hard in his chest.
One step forward — and the world twisted.
The cold, dead tunnel dissolved away, replaced by dense, overgrown jungle. Vines curled through massive trees; damp dirt and grass stretched beneath his feet. Somehow, the dungeon's magic had reshaped the space, creating a sealed, hidden hunting ground inside the abandoned tunnel.
Low snarls echoed through the undergrowth.
Jinwoo's lips curved into a sharp grin.
"Time to hunt."
He stepped into the clearing — and froze.
A goblin stood at the far edge, crooked club in hand.
Their eyes locked.
For a heartbeat, neither moved.
Then the goblin shrieked, charging forward, weapon raised.
Jinwoo didn't flinch.
He sidestepped smoothly, the goblin's swing whistling past. Of course he could. He had spent hours studying U-tube videos on fighting techniques, memorizing footwork, strikes, counters. But Jinwoo didn't just memorize.
He copied. Perfectly. Instantly.
As the goblin stumbled past, Jinwoo hooked his leg around its ankle, tripping it flat onto its face. Calmly, he pointed a finger.
A thin, focused flame burst out, slicing clean through the back of the goblin's skull.
Compressed flame — hotter, sharper, deadlier.
The goblin never even had time to scream.
> [ You have killed a goblin! ]
[ Exp +100 ]
And with that, Jinwoo's hunt had truly begun.
---
Back from flashbacks.
A soft chime echoed in his head.
> [ Warning: Boss Monster Detected ]
[ Goblin Chief (E-Rank) — 2.3x Strength Multiplier ]
Jinwoo's golden eyes narrowed. His heart pounded, but it wasn't fear. It was hunger.
He stretched his fingers, feeling the hum of mana running through his veins, heat coiling at his fingertips. The spear of fire above his palm pulsed brighter, flickering like a living thing.
The Goblin Chief stomped forward, snarling, iron club raised.
Jinwoo's grin widened.
He shot forward, a blur of speed.
The chief's club came down — BOOM — shattering the ground where Jinwoo had just stood. Dirt and stone exploded upward, but Jinwoo was already at the giant's flank, fire spear crackling with focused heat.
With a sharp, twisting lunge, he drove the spear into the chief's side.
SSSSHHHH! Flesh sizzled, the scent of burning meat filling the air.
The chief roared, backhanding blindly — Jinwoo ducked, skidding backward, dirt spraying beneath his boots.
> [ Goblin Chief HP: 85% ]
"Good," Jinwoo whispered, chest heaving, eyes blazing. "Let's make this fun."
He raised both hands.
>[You have activated skill: Mana Control(Lv5)]
Two spears ignited, one in each hand — heat shimmered around him, golden and crimson light casting long shadows across the clearing.
The Goblin Chief bellowed, eyes burning with rage, and charged.
Jinwoo darted forward — so fast the air screamed around him — and with a sharp snarl, jammed both spears of flame straight into the Goblin Chief's eyes.
SSSKKKKRRRR!
The beast let out a hideous, strangled screech, its claws flailing wildly. Smoke and the stench of burning eyeballs filled the air as the chief stumbled back, clawing at its face.
> [ Critical Hit! ]
[ Goblin Chief HP: 30% ]
Jinwoo panted, sweat dripping down his brow. His mana bar was dipping fast — dangerously fast.
He backed away, slipping through the shadows, weaving between trees as the blind, furious chief swung its club blindly, smashing everything in its path.
Jinwoo dodged, rolled, slipped left, twisted right, heart hammering, breath sharp in his throat.
> [ MP: 45 / 250 ]
"Come on… come on…" he hissed under his breath, fingers twitching, feeling the sluggish trickle of mana start to refill.
For almost a full minute, Jinwoo danced around the chief's rage — until his foot caught on a root.
CRACK!
He stumbled.
The Goblin Chief, hearing the slip, roared — and brought its massive club crashing down.
Jinwoo's eyes went wide.
He threw both hands forward on pure reflex.
> [ You have activated: Mana Control (Lv. 5) ]
A sudden BOOM of compressed air and mana exploded outward from his palms, blasting him backward — he slammed hard into the dirt, rolling several meters away.
Gasping.
Alive.
Shaking, Jinwoo scrambled to his knees, eyes darting desperately.
There — a fallen branch.
Thick. Splintered. Sharpened at one end.
He snatched it up, gripping it tightly, feeling the rough bark bite into his palm.
"Alright, big guy," Jinwoo whispered, gathering what little mana remained, channeling it into the stick. A soft flame wove around the wood, crackling, sharpening, hardening.
He reeled back — every muscle coiled — and hurled it.
The makeshift spear shot through the air like a blazing comet, cutting a fiery streak across the dark.
SHUNK!
The sharpened tip buried itself deep into the Goblin Chief's skull, punching clean through bone and brain.
The giant froze.
Trembled.
Its club slipped from its grip, thudding heavily into the dirt.
With a final, shuddering groan, the Goblin Chief collapsed, shaking the ground.
> [ You have killed Goblin Chief! ]
[ Exp +800 ]
[ Level Up! ]
[ Level Up! ]
[ Level 7 → Level 9 ]
[ HP +40 / MP +50 / Stat Points +6 ]
Jinwoo sank to his knees, chest heaving, arms trembling.
A slow grin spread across his blood-smeared face.
"Ez"