"At 110, that's B-rank gear good enough for a level 6 dungeon. Passing the qualification exam should be no problem either."
Ashlyn's words made Minguk turn to look at her.
"Qualification exam? Does your gear score matter for the exam?"
"Huh? A gear score of 80 is the basic requirement to even apply for the Raid Qualification Exam, right?"
"...Wait, what did you say?"
Minguk's eyes widened in shock. The score of his current gear was nowhere near the number Ashlyn had mentioned.
"What?"
"No, the last thing you said. Do you need a gear score to pass the Raid Qualification Exam?"
"Isn't that obvious? It's common knowledge. Even regular folks who aren't heroes know that."
Lin Sha answered Minguk's question with a tone of utter disbelief instead of Ashlyn. The other women all looked equally baffled. If this was a joke, it wasn't even funny.
But Minguk had nothing to say in response. Strictly speaking, this was his first time experiencing a 'raid' in this world. Even the common knowledge hadn't fully fused with the original owner's memories yet.
Minguk quickly opened his status window and checked his gear score.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 📊 Gear Score: 55.9
This was the average score from the eight pieces of gear equipped across all slots—from the previous owner's healer set to the hasty auction house buys.
"Alright, let's roll it."
The moment he saw his own score, Minguk made his decision. Selling could wait. He needed healer gear he could actually wear.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Tear.
As soon as the ticket ripped, a wheel appeared with a pop. It had a stylish silver mana glow shimmering around the edges.
'Guess that's why they call it a Silver Ticket.'
The wheel had just three numbers on its many slots: 90, 100, 110. It probably gave gear matching those scores. The problem was the huge disparity in their proportions.
"No conscience at all."
The ratios were 6:3:1. In other words, the odds of landing a 110 were about 10%.
"Alright, time for Cheonho-dong's Lucky Girl, Oh Hyun-ah, to step up? I'll snag a 110 on the first try."
"Hmph! As if! I've pulled a 100 from my 70-100 ticket with these legendary hands. If you were active as a hero, you'd have heard of the divine hands of Lin!"
Two women—not men—were now flexing hard in front of the wheel.
A memory flashed in Minguk's mind. Raid Leaders usually spun these. It wasn't law, but generally, the Leader or someone they picked did it.
Maybe that's why. Minguk could feel Hyun-ah and Lin Sha glancing at him while posturing, like chicks peeping to be chosen.
Anyway, Minguk had no confidence he'd pull something good himself. He'd never been lucky. But if he had to roll, at least a 100 would be nice—even if not 110.
That made him think it better to hand it off. Excluding the two braggarts, of course.
"Ah!"
The words "beginner's luck" popped into his head. And there was a first-time raider right there.
"...Choi Yuna."
"Yes?"
At Minguk's call, Yuna jumped and pointed at herself. He nodded toward her.
"Yeah. They say beginner's luck exists. Yuna, you give it a spin."
"Okay! I'll give it a try then. I've done Bronze a few times, but this is my first Silver wheel..."
She must have really wanted to, judging by her eager steps toward it. Leaving the two dejected women behind, Yuna took a deep breath, grabbed the arrow, and spun.
Whirr...
The familiar sound effect played as the arrow spun wildly. The Silver wheel lit up brilliantly.
"M-Masaka?!"
Hyun-ah's shocked voice made it feel promising. Was it really beginner's luck? A 110 item seemed ready to sparkle into existence once the light faded.
Finally, the glow died down, and the arrow stopped on one slot.
"Ahh..."
Minguk let out a sigh of disappointment.
It pointed to 90. Yeah, beginner's luck was just luck anyway. No such thing really existed—it was all hype from random stories. Reality was harsh.
Yuna hung her head, bummed at pulling the lowest possible item.
"You did great. Next time you'll get something better, so don't be down."
Minguk patted her shoulder to cheer her up too. A 90 gear score wasn't bad at all.
But the wheel wasn't done. The score wheel vanished, replaced by one with gear slots. Minguk chuckled dryly and pointed at it.
"...How many times do we have to spin this thing?"
"Huh? Score first, then gear slot, then class. Why ask like you've never seen one? You're not an amateur. Have you gotten dumber since you got sick?"
"...No. Haha."
Ignoring Hyun-ah's pitiful look, Minguk just shook his head.
'Pulls like trash, but three spins? What kind of world...'
He couldn't believe it. This world was too much.
Whirr... Whirr...
Two more spins later, out came a score 90 healer armor. Double—no, way better—than his 47.
But it was pie in the sky. Minguk organized his thoughts, hesitated, then spoke.
"How much is this worth? A 90 healer chest piece has to be over $1,300, right?"
To keep it, he'd have to pay the team their shares. Even without his cut, that was nearly $1,000. But the original owner only had about $200—including next month's living expenses.
"Selling it? It's way better than what you're wearing."
"...Yeah, but I'm broke."
"Ah."
Lin Sha let out a low exclamation. They'd have to sell it for cash. But Ashlyn made an unexpected offer as she watched Minguk.
"You use it, Minguk. We're not hurting for money. Pay us back slowly."
"Huh? I need cash now, though..."
Hyun-ah, who'd chimed in, wilted under Ashlyn's sharp glare.
"You'll be hunting C-ranks with us until you pass the Raid Qualification Exam anyway, right? It's not a one-time thing. Just think of it as advancing your future shares."
"Oh? Yeah, that's not bad. And you're the Raid Leader."
Lin Sha agreed readily. Minguk felt a bit dazed.
This raid party got along great. Excluding Leader Runia, that is.
"I'm for it too. If Raid Leader Minguk oppa gets stronger, it's better for us. And I'm happy just getting the C-rank clear record."
With Yuna's words sealing it, the score 90 healer armor went to Minguk. Their first dungeon clear was done.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Having successfully cleared the dungeon, Minguk and the group returned to Seoul. They then picked their next target—a dungeon with only C-rank or lower monsters, naturally.
After a long meeting, Minguk's raid chose the Dark Forest in Seocho-gu. A C-2 difficulty dungeon with three raid bosses, two of which were C-ranks, making it safer-rated than the Red Goblin Citadel.
Minguk picked Dark Forest for a simple reason: the Korean branch of the World Government had put a $1,000 bounty on it via Hero Pad. That's why the darkness dungeon in Seocho stayed uncleared.
$1,000—not huge or small.
Chump change for pro raids, but big for reserve heroes like them. Still, they postponed it to tomorrow. The trip to Bundang had left the sun setting.
"Don't forget the Dark Forest boss strategies, no matter what. We'll review tomorrow and take questions."
"Eeeugh."
Lin Sha grimaced and stuck out her tongue at the mention of questions. Parting with his comrades, Minguk ended his first day in this world and headed to his one-room apartment—concrete walls and mystery machines. The issue? He wasn't alone.
"Hm hm hum~"
Hyun-ah trailed behind, humming happily. Probably thrilled from bagging two C-ranks.
Come to think of it, when Minguk woke up, it'd been Hyun-ah banging on his door. She'd even barged right in.
They must live near each other for the qualification exam. But the original owner's memories said otherwise.
'...What the?'
Flashes hit: eating with Hyun-ah, watching TV, sharing one bed.
She didn't just live nearby. No wonder the bed-and-machines room felt spacious! Minguk swallowed hard. They were cohabiting.
'Lovers?!'
That thought halted him mid-step.
"What? Hurry up home. I'm starving. Let's do chicken and beer with the Patu bounty cash. You're broke from gear, so big sis is treating."
Hyun-ah grabbed his shoulder and shoved him forward. Her mana-awakened strength sent him stumbling ahead effortlessly.
Dragged along by her hand, Minguk sifted memories. Cohabiting, sure—but never crossed the friend line. Light skinship, that was it.
'Not even ambiguous flirty friends. What the hell was the original guy?'
Calming his confused mind, ten minutes of walking brought the familiar street into view. Where he'd opened his eyes that morning.
"Order now and shower."
Home sweet home, Hyun-ah hung her jacket, stripped off her top into the laundry, and—with just a bra—called chicken on the Hero Pad. So natural, like routine.
"Mm."
Compared to her ease, Minguk felt wildly out of place. Couldn't even roll his eyes. Instinct drew his gaze to her bra. Impossible to adjust.