“Our team will wait here. We’ll clear the dungeon and come back, so don’t move from this spot.”
Lee Sanghyuk spoke while gathering his customers behind a large boulder.
This was a designated rest area created by the Management Bureau for rookie hunters—a space protected by a fixed shield.
“Especially that door over there—beyond it is the dungeon core and the boss monster. Under no circumstances should you go in. Understood?”
After giving his final warnings to the clustered group of customers, Lee Sanghyuk moved out again.
As the penguin dolls fluttered along behind him, quiet chuckles broke out among the group.
“Isn’t that seriously adorable?”
“I feel like I walked into Kidzania instead of a dungeon.”
The rookie hunters had entered the dungeon bracing themselves for danger.
They had watched countless dungeon ecology videos and prepared themselves mentally, nerves taut—only to be greeted by round slimes, a giant teddy bear, and flying penguin toys.
The tension in the air quickly dissipated.
Laughter spread, and the atmosphere became cheerful.
“I was actually really nervous. Even if it’s F-rank, it’s still a dungeon.”
“Who wouldn’t be? We’re all the same.”
“Yeah, me too. Honestly, I thought there would only be huge, buff guys in dungeons, but thankfully, everyone here is a woman. Hehe.”
“Not all male hunters are hulking brutes, you know. Take On Jurim or Gidan, for example.”
The moment those names came up, Guru perked up, his ears twitching.
“Come on, those two are in a whole different league. I used to work at a convenience store next to a C-rank dungeon, and literally every hunter who came in looked like this—huge, bulky, and obnoxious.”
“They all act like big shots too, don’t they? Strutting around, showing off their strength, breaking things for no reason.”
“Ugh, I can’t stand that.”
“Same. The stench of sweat was horrendous... Seriously, guys like On Jurim or Gidan are rare in the real world.”
“Ahh, if I’m gonna be a hunter, I at least want to see On Jurim in person. I heard he looks insane in real life.”
“There’s one way to make that happen. Join Hyeonak Guild.”
“Hmm... If I go through five more Reawakenings, I might have a shot at Hyeonak.”
“Reincarnation would be faster.”
The rookie hunters burst into laughter.
Huum...
Guru wiggled his fingers, thinking about On Jurim and Gidan.
The people he had spent time with that very morning... were celebrities.
His heart felt all warm and fuzzy.
Proud.
Hehe. Guru grinned widely.
The conversation soon shifted toward guilds and job opportunities.
“Mid-sized guilds that subcontract work from big guilds are decent.”
“If you get into an administrative department, it’s as stable as a government job.”
They continued exchanging career advice until one of them—who had introduced herself as Yejin—cautiously spoke up.
“Um... is anyone hungry? My mom’s a bit over-the-top, so she signed me up for this bus run... and also packed some food for me to share.”
Her face reddened as she pulled out a bag of muffins.
“Oh, wow, those look amazing.”
“Thank you, I’d love one.”
“These are homemade by my mom. They’re really good.”
As she handed out the muffins one by one, she suddenly stopped in front of Half-Finished Bear mk.1.
Why was she hesitating?
Guru blinked, his anticipation faltering.
‘Wait... is she not giving me one?’
Just as he was about to feel dejected, Yejin hesitated for a moment before carefully extending her hand.
“You... can’t eat it here, right? You can take it home. They were baked this morning, so they’ll be good until tomorrow.”
Oh!
She wasn’t hesitating because she didn’t want to give him one—she was just worried he wouldn’t be able to eat it.
Nod, nod.
Guru took the muffin and nodded vigorously.
– Thank you.
Then, he pried open the bear suit’s mouth and shoved the muffin inside.
Yejin’s eyes widened in shock.
After a moment of stunned silence, she let out an awkward laugh and returned to her seat.
Inside the bear suit, Guru chewed happily.
Soft and fluffy, sweet and delicious! So good!
Finishing the muffin in no time, he smacked his lips.
A kind person who gives bread...
The warmth of a stranger’s small kindness made his chest feel warm and fuzzy.
Next time, Guru would bring bread to share too.
As he basked in happiness, it happened.
Thump.
For a split second, a sharp sensation cut through his heart, like the slice of a blade.
Rustle, rustle.
In the distance, the slimes trembled, letting out low, uneasy cries.
At first glance, it looked as if they had been startled by something.
But it wasn’t just the slimes.
Something feels off.
The air itself seemed to shift—just for a brief moment.
Wobble.
It felt as if a wave of nausea had suddenly hit him.
People often said that when overwhelmed by a monster’s magi, you felt something like this.
But an F-rank dungeon? From slimes?
That didn’t make sense.
Guru glanced around, but it seemed like he was the only one who had noticed anything.
The rookie hunters were still chatting away, completely unaware.
‘Guild Master-nim said you never know what might happen inside a dungeon.’
The Management Bureau said well-maintained dungeons like this were safe.
But... was that really true?
The moment the bus driver was out of sight—
If anything were to happen...
The rookie hunters, huddled together like baby birds in a nest, were all F-rank. If something went wrong, it would be a disaster.
Guru has to protect them.
No matter what, Guru was the strongest S-rank here.
Half-Finished Bear mk.1 furrowed its eyebrows with determination. Gripping the duck clip tightly, he stayed on high alert.
Suddenly, a diagonal line appeared across the door leading to the boss room.
‘What the—?!’
The line slowly split open, revealing a glimpse of what lay beyond.
A zipper?
Just as Guru was thinking it looked like a zipper had been unfastened across the door, he steered his tricycle toward it.
‘Let’s zip it back up.’
But the moment Guru reached the door—
‘Huh?!’
As if sucked in by an invisible force, Guru and his tricycle were pulled straight through.
He spun around in a panic—
‘The door... it’s gone.’
Guru stood there, mouth slightly agape, staring at where the door should have been.
‘Scroll!’
He remembered—if things got dangerous, he was supposed to tear the Emergency Escape Scroll.
Frantically, he dug into his hip pouch and pulled it out.
But instead of activating, a warning message popped up in front of him.
[Emergency Escape Scroll cannot be used in the Boss’s Territory.]
Crash—!
It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck over his head.
Guru turned his head toward the depths of the room, his face going pale.
‘Eek!’
Four slimes, each three times the size of a regular one, were encircling the dungeon core, their eyes locked onto him.
‘W-What do I do?!’
Guru clutched his duck clip in both hands and slowly backed away.
‘It’s okay. Guild Master-nim said slimes aren’t aggressive monsters...’
As long as he didn’t provoke them, they wouldn’t attack first.
If he just waited patiently, the bus driver would notice Half-Finished Bear mk.1 was missing and come looking for him.
‘Okay, I can do this. Guru is an S-rank!’
Just in case, he gripped the duck clip even tighter and stood tall.
The massive slimes didn’t attack, despite his defiant stance.
‘Guru is brave.’
Guru huffed out a small breath through his nose. Seeing that they really weren’t making a move, he started feeling more confident.
‘That must be the core.’
Stepping carefully, Guru toddled toward the glowing sphere nestled between the giant slimes.
[Frost Clan’s Cradle Core]
‘Pretttttyyyyyy...!’
The core was spherical, radiating a dazzling, crystalline glow.
Looking closer, it resembled a snow globe, with tiny flurries swirling inside.
Guru opened his status window while staring at it in fascination.
[Mana Consumption -50%]
[Skill Accuracy +100%]
Since this was a beginner dungeon, it came with bonus buffs.
‘Hmm.’
If he took the core, the giant slimes would definitely get mad.
‘Then Guru will be in trouble.’
One body slam from them, and he’d go flying.
But what if he used his skill Scoop It Right Out to extract the core instead?
Then, he could take it without them noticing.
‘Guru, you’re a genius.’
The top elite of Chick Class congratulated himself as he activated his skill.
[Skill ‘Scoop It Right Out!’ has been activated.]
[You have obtained ‘Mephisto’s Fragment’.]
[Mephisto’s Fragment (Bound Item)]
Lowers the defense of specific targets in the Frost Clan’s Territory by 50%.Increases the {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} owner’s attack power in the Frost Clan’s Territory by 100%.
100%?!
Guru’s mouth fell open in shock at the absurd number.
Not to mention, it was an attack boost—
Perfect for a weapon.
‘Guru’s duck clip... might become a legendary weapon.’
Guru looked down at his duck clip and snapped it open and shut.
Clack. Clack.
A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.

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