The sword felt heavier than usual. Not because of its weight, but because of the sheer potential it now represented. Dohyun stood before the shimmering distortion in reality known as an F-Rank Gate. It was a small, hazy portal the size of a door, located in a designated urban park where low-level Hunters often trained.
He wore simple, dark clothing and a cheap leather breastplate over his uniform shirt—minimal protection, maximal agility. His father thought he was merely out for a long, disciplined run.
Dohyun looked down at the dull, rusted blade. "You will not be enough," he murmured, before gripping the hilt tighter. "But your wielder will be."
He stepped through the Gate.
The Cost of Plunder
The other side of the portal was a small, dusty quarry—a typical, contained F-Rank dungeon environment. The air was thick, smelling of sulfur and damp rock. The only sound was the scuttling of small, reptilian feet.
Dohyun didn't wait. He moved toward the source of the noise, his movements already exhibiting a lethal economy. The intense, focused energy of Sung Jinwoo's aura wrapped around him like a second skin, warding off the fatigue from his Mana depletion two days ago.
He found his prey: a pack of three Goblins, the weakest recognized monsters. They were small, green, and armed with crude clubs.
The new Dohyun didn't hesitate. He was ruthless.
He charged the lead Goblin. The blade connected with the monster's hide, a jarring, painful impact that told him the rusted steel wasn't strong enough to cleave bone easily. He had to rely on precision and overwhelming speed, traits the Plunder System had yet to grant him.
Strike hard, target the neck, conserve Mana.
The first Goblin fell with a sickening gurgle. The moment its small body hit the ground, Dohyun executed the command.
[ Skill: Plunder (F) – Target: Defeated Goblin ]
The skill activated, not with the agonizing pull from before, but with a sharp, controlled suck. His Mana immediately dropped from 7 to 1. The cost was still enormous, nearly his entire pool, but the System's protocol allowed the activation to complete.
A warm energy flowed from the monster into Dohyun.
[ Plunder Successful! Raw Stat Absorption: ]
[ +0.2 Strength ]
[ +0.1 Stamina ]
[ Mana: 1 (Drained) ]
A net gain, he thought, despite the crippling Mana drain. It was pitiful, but it was measurable.
The two remaining Goblins, startled by the sight of their comrade dissolving into motes of light, attacked. Without Mana, Dohyun was forced to rely on pure, brutal exhaustion. He dodged clumsily, the pain from his bruises flaring. He was out of Mana for his skill, but not out of resolve.
He dispatched the two remaining monsters using precise, repeated stabs—dirty fighting driven by the will to survive, not flourish. They died, but he couldn't Plunder their power. He was too drained.
Dohyun staggered back against a damp rock face, his lungs burning. He had successfully cleared the first encounter, but he realized the flaw of the skill wasn't just the Mana cost; it was the opportunity cost. One Plunder and he was defenseless.
His eyes fell upon the System status, which had automatically updated:
[ Status: Mana: 0.2 (Drained) ]
[ Plunder Cooldown: 1 Hour (Due to Mana Overdraft) ]
An hour to regenerate. He had to survive the dungeon for an hour between each single, successful plunder.
A cold, dismissive laugh escaped him. "Pathetic. You want to be a legend, but you bleed out for less than a single point of strength." (Escanor's judgment of his own weakness).
The System's Mandate
He slumped to the ground, pulling out a weak, F-Rank mana potion he'd bought with the last of his allowance. The potion tasted foul, like metal and stale seawater, but it raised his Mana just enough to 3.
Dohyun closed his eyes, forcing his mind to be still. He would not be like the old Dohyun, waiting for help. He would maximize the three-day suspension.
He used the time to systematically explore the quarry, identifying choke points, shadows, and obstacles. He found a small, hidden cave that reeked of monster waste—a perfect, defensible spot.
The hour passed in excruciating stillness. As soon as the cooldown ended and his Mana neared full capacity, he acted.
He used a noise trap—clanging his rusted sword against a rock—to draw the attention of the next target, a single, slightly larger Goblin.
The fight was fast, driven by sheer, focused intent. He didn't waste movement. He dodged the club, drove the sword into the monster's chest, and without pause, activated the skill.
[ Skill: Plunder (F) – Target: Defeated Goblin ]
[ Plunder Successful! Raw Stat Absorption: ]
[ +0.3 Strength ]
[ +0.1 Agility ]
This time, the fatigue was more manageable. He had gained a half-point of stats, but his Mana was gone again. He spent another hour recuperating in the cave, drinking his last potion.
The Ruthless Push
By the time the final hour of his training session arrived, the System flashed a critical notification:
[ Dungeon Master Imminent. ]
Dohyun stood up, every fiber of his being screaming with exhaustion. He had successfully Plundered five targets. His current stats were: Strength 5.7, Agility 5.5, Stamina 3.6, Mana 7.5. He was still F-Rank, but he was no longer the weakest. He was a slightly stronger, Mana-depleted F-Rank.
The Dungeon Master—a Hobgoblin Captain—emerged from the deepest part of the quarry. It was twice the size of the Goblins, armored in thick leather, and wielded a massive, notched axe.
This was a B-Rank monster to an F-Rank Hunter. A death sentence.
The Hobgoblin roared, raising the axe.
Dohyun fixed his gaze on the monster, his exhausted body radiating a cold, terrifying intensity. The memories of Min-jun's sneer and his father's worried face flashed in his mind. No more fear. No more failure.
He charged, not in desperation, but in cold, calculated aggression—the Madara ruthlessness taking hold.
The Hobgoblin swung. Dohyun met the blow not with his sword, but by dodging into the swing, using his arms to deflect the massive axe head, absorbing the impact with a grunt of pure pain.
He used the split-second of stunned silence from the monster to drive his rusted sword deep into the Hobgoblin's unarmored eye.
The monster shrieked, blindly flailing. Dohyun held the hilt, twisting the blade, pressing his full body weight into the wound until the Hobgoblin finally collapsed, its massive body hitting the ground with a shuddering crash.
Dohyun pulled the sword out, his hands slick with gore. He was trembling, bleeding from a dozen minor cuts, but his Mana was almost full. He had deliberately waited until the last possible moment.
He pressed the command.
[ Skill: Plunder (F) – Target: Dungeon Master (Hobgoblin Captain) ]
The suction this time was immense, a powerful, swirling vortex that didn't just drain his Mana—it felt like it was drinking his very life force. But the reward was staggering.
[ Plunder Successful! Raw Stat Absorption: ]
[ +2.0 Strength ]
[ +1.5 Stamina ]
[ +1.0 Agility ]
[ Mana: 7.5 → 0.1 (CRITICAL DRAIN) ]
Dohyun gasped, falling to one knee, the sword clattering onto the rock. His body felt heavy and brittle, completely empty of energy, but his System Status flashed with a glorious light:
[ NEW ACHIEVEMENT! First Dungeon Master Plunder! ]
[ CONDITION MET: USER STATS EXCEED F-RANK LIMITS IN MULTIPLE CATEGORIES. ]
[ STATUS UPGRADE INITIATED... ]
He didn't notice the Gate shimmering behind him, nor did he feel the sudden, overwhelming relief of escaping the dungeon. He only saw the final notification.
[ Hunter Rank: F \rightarrow E ]
A cold, weary smile touched his lips. He was no longer trash. He had earned his rise with blood and brutal calculation.
"Not bad," he croaked, looking at the disappearing Hobgoblin remains. "But tomorrow, we take two."
Next Chapter Tease: Dohyun returns to Earth, bruised but changed. The rank up sends ripples through the Hunter Association, and the new E-Rank Dohyun finds himself facing not bullies, but the dangerous attention of high-ranking Hunters and his old acquaintance, Ji-woo.