The air inside the dungeon was thick, smelling of rust and damp earth.
Jinwoo gripped the hilt of his rusted dagger, his eyes adjusting to the dim, blue-lit cavern that had completely swallowed the abandoned subway station. The tiled walls were covered in glowing moss, and the tracks below had turned into a muddy trench.
*Grrrrr…*
From the shadows of the ticket gates, three pairs of glowing red eyes pierced the darkness.
Low, guttural growls echoed off the walls, and a moment later, three massive, wolf-like beasts stepped into the light. Their fur was entirely red, and their jaws were lined with jagged, metallic fangs that scraped together like steel blades.
**[ Steel-Fanged Raikan ]**
The names floated above their heads in red text.
In his past life, encountering three E-rank monsters alone would have been a guaranteed death sentence. His old instincts screamed at him to run, to hide, to pray for a stronger hunter to save him.
But as the leading Raikan dug its claws into the concrete and lunged at his throat, Jinwoo didn't retreat.
He just stared at it.
*'It's… slow.'*
To his newly awakened senses, the monster's fierce leap looked like it was moving underwater. With a slight shift of his weight, Jinwoo casually leaned to the side.
The wolf's jaws snapped at empty air.
Before the beast could even land, Jinwoo pivoted, driving his rusted dagger deep into the side of the Raikan's neck. His 20 points in Strength backed the thrust, tearing through muscle and bone with a sickening *crunch*.
The beast let out a strangled yelp and crashed to the floor, sliding across the tiles before going completely still.
**[ You have defeated a Steel-Fanged Raikan. ]**
**[ You have earned Experience Points. ]**
Jinwoo looked at the blood dripping from his blade, a thrilling jolt of adrenaline shooting down his spine.
"One hit?" he murmured, a wild, confident smile breaking across his face. "So this is what it feels like to be strong."
Seeing their packmate slaughtered so effortlessly, the remaining two Raikans howled in fury and charged simultaneously from both sides.
Jinwoo didn't flinch. He dashed forward, his Agility stat exploding into action. He ducked under the right wolf's leaping bite, slicing its underbelly open in one fluid motion, before spinning on his heel to deliver a devastating roundhouse kick to the left wolf's skull.
*CRACK!*
The impact sounded like a gunshot. The third Raikan was sent flying into a concrete pillar, its neck snapping on impact.
**[ You have defeated a Steel-Fanged Raikan. ]**
**[ You have defeated a Steel-Fanged Raikan. ]**
**[ Level Up! ]**
A warm, golden light washed over Jinwoo's body. The slight fatigue in his muscles instantly vanished, leaving him feeling lighter and sharper than before.
He gripped his dagger, his eyes burning with an insatiable hunger. "More."
For the next two hours, the abandoned subway station became a one-sided massacre.
Jinwoo hunted the Raikans down level by level, moving like a phantom through the dark corridors. Wolves leaped from the shadows, only to be cut down in a flurry of precise, lethal strikes. He didn't fight with the polished technique of a swordsman; he fought with the ruthless, desperate efficiency of a man who had spent his entire life watching higher-ranked hunters kill.
**[ Level Up! ]**
**[ Level Up! ]**
**[ Level Up! ]**
By the time he reached the lowest platform, the floor was littered with glowing monster cores and wolf carcasses. Jinwoo stood panting lightly, his clothes stained with monster blood.
He looked down at his rusted dagger. The blade was chipped, bent, and completely dull.
"It won't last much longer," he muttered, tossing the weapon lightly in his hand.
Suddenly, the stagnant air in the cavern shifted. A heavy, suffocating pressure pushed down on his shoulders, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
The water in the flooded train tracks began to bubble.
*Hssssssss…*
From the murky depths of the tunnel, a colossal figure slithered onto the platform. It was a giant snake, easily as thick as a bus, covered in shimmering, armor-like blue scales. Venom dripped from its massive fangs, melting the concrete floor wherever it landed.
**[ Ruler of the Swamp, Blue Venom-Fanged Kasaka ]**
The boss's name hovered above it in an ominous, dark orange hue.
The Kasaka locked its slit-like eyes onto Jinwoo and lunged with terrifying speed.
Jinwoo pushed off the ground, vaulting backward just as the giant snake smashed its head into the platform, obliterating the concrete where he had been standing.
Mid-air, Jinwoo landed on a pillar, kicked off, and aimed a deadly thrust right at the snake's eye.
But the Kasaka whipped its head sideways. The rusted dagger struck the thick blue scales along its neck.
*SNAP!*
The rusted blade shattered into pieces, leaving Jinwoo holding nothing but a useless hilt.
The snake hissed in triumph, whipping its massive tail forward to crush him.
"You think I need a weapon to kill you?" Jinwoo sneered.
Dropping the broken hilt, Jinwoo channeled every ounce of his leveled-up Agility and Strength. He ducked the tail swipe, the wind pressure tearing at his jacket, and lunged directly at the beast's head.
Before the Kasaka could strike again, Jinwoo leaped onto its back, wrapping his arms fiercely around the monster's thick neck.
The snake thrashed wildly, smashing Jinwoo against the cavern walls and stone pillars. The impacts bruised his ribs and cracked the concrete, but Jinwoo refused to let go. His muscles bulged, his grip tightening like a steel vise.
"Die."
With a feral roar, Jinwoo squeezed. His Strength stat—now well over 30—exerted a crushing, impossible pressure.
*Crack… CRACK!*
The Kasaka's armored scales began to buckle. The beast let out a deafening, panicked screech, thrashing one final time before the sickening sound of snapping bone echoed through the cavern.
The giant snake went limp, crashing heavily onto the broken tiles.
Jinwoo stood atop the massive corpse, chest heaving, his hands covered in blue blood.
**[ You have defeated the Boss, Blue Venom-Fanged Kasaka. ]**
**[ Level Up! ]**
**[ Level Up! ]**
**[ You have cleared the E-Rank Instant Dungeon. ]**
The golden light of leveling up washed over him twice, healing his bruised ribs and completely restoring his stamina.
As the cavern began to gently vibrate—a sign that the dungeon was closing—two glowing items materialized over the snake's corpse.
**[ Item: Kasaka's Venom Fang ]**
**Rarity:** C
**Type:** Dagger
**Attack:** +25
**Effect:** Has a chance to inflict [Paralysis] and [Bleed].
**[ Item: Kasaka's Venom Gland ]**
**Rarity:** A
**Type:** Elixir
**Effect:** Grants physical damage reduction. (Side Effect: slightly reduces Strength).
Jinwoo picked up the sleek, curved dagger. It was crafted from the snake's fang, perfectly balanced and gleaming with a deadly edge. Compared to the rusted junk he had been using, this was a masterpiece.
He stored the items in his inventory with a flick of his wrist.
"Status," he commanded.
[ STATUS ]
Name: Sung Jinwoo
Level: 15
Class: None
[ STATS ]
Strength:32
Agility: 27
Stamina:24
Intelligence:13
Sense: 18
He had jumped from Level 7 to 15 in a single afternoon. The sheer, intoxicating rush of power flowing through his veins was unlike anything he had ever experienced.
The blue cavern walls began to distort, dissolving back into the mundane reality of the shuttered subway entrance. The sunlight from the street level peeked down the stairs.
Jinwoo walked out of the darkness and back into the bustling city of Seoul, the C-rank dagger resting safely in his subspace.
He was no longer the weakest hunter in the world. He was a predator, and his hunt had only just begun.