Chapter 5: Dragon Heart Fragment

To enter the Labyrinth, I first had to return to Reality.

I turned my gaze to the Goblin and the Orc.

One was trembling as he looked at me, while the other met my gaze calmly.

Born as F-rank and E-rank, with D-rank as their potential limit.

If this were a typical game—

They’d have been immediately recycled as growth materials for other Guardians.

But ‘raising a Dragon Lair is a bit different.’

Because of the Awakening System, even those with low potential could be raised up to S-rank.

Of course, it required a lot of growth resources and was inefficient, but—

I preferred that inefficient playstyle.

Maybe it’s because my own life was F-rank, but I wanted to see those F-ranks in-game break through their limits and stand at the top.

This time wasn’t much different.

At the very least, since these two were the first ones I’d obtained, I planned to raise them with care.

“Tell me what each of you is good at.”

【…I’m good at killing.】

【I… I know everything about this area!】

Information about this place, huh.

“Do you know who’s the most dangerous one around here?”

【…The Ruler. The Ruler who guards this stone is the strongest in this area.】

“How strong? Stronger than him?”

I pointed at the Orc and asked. The Goblin snorted and replied.

【That muscle pig would be torn to shreds in a second. The Ruler… is the Ruler. But when he’s sleeping, he’s nice. That’s when you bring this.】

He grinned slyly, holding up the Magic Stone.

I could really feel the Goblin’s craftiness.

‘Let’s aim for the Magic Stone mine first.’

I didn’t know how strong the Ruler was, but if I raised the Orc or appointed another Guardian, I should be able to take him down.

“Have you ever seen the Ruler in person?”

【Yes.】

“Can you describe him?”

【No.】

I broke off a branch nearby and handed it to the Goblin.

“Then draw him on the ground with this. You know how to draw, right?”

【Yes!】

“Draw it before I get back. And if you have time left, find these for me.”

I shook the Magic Stone and Thunder Flower in my hand.

【Leave it to me!】

【…I’ll keep a close watch.】

How reassuring.

‘Time to head back.’

There were things I had to prepare before entering the Labyrinth. I returned to the Dragon Lair and immediately went back to Reality.

Checking the clock, about an hour had passed.

I’d have to measure it exactly to be sure, but it seemed that time flowed about the same.

“I should get to the Association before it gets any later.”

I changed into jeans and a shirt and stepped outside. I waited for the bus at the nearby Bus Stop.

The bus arrived fairly quickly.

Since a lot of people visited the Association, there were many buses with that stop on their route.

Beep.

I paid the fare and headed for a secluded seat.

As soon as I sat down, the bus departed.

Through the window, I watched the cityscape rush by.

It was the same scenery I always saw, but somehow it felt a bit different.

‘So many people.’

Stores that had been tightly closed at dawn were now wide open, and the once-empty streets were crowded with people.

It really did feel alive with the scent of people.

‘Is this what leisure feels like?’

A rare feeling for me, and I couldn’t help but smile at the unfamiliar sense of ease.

Enjoying this unfamiliar leisure, I turned my gaze to the small monitor mounted in front.

-Hello! This is Yulri from Hunter Exploration Life! Today’s guest is Hunter ‘Ha Jumi’, who’s active in the Association.

-Nice to meet you. I’m C-rank Hunter Ha Jumi, working in the Dungeon Management Department.

Hunter Exploration Life.

A channel that covered all sorts of Hunter-related topics—easy to follow for new Hunters and even non-Hunters who were curious.

I watched that YouTube channel often, I guess.

-Today, with Hunter Ha Jumi, we’ll be learning about the Labyrinth. Could you briefly explain what the Labyrinth is?

-The Labyrinth, simply put, is a place where you grow through Trials.

-Trials and growth!

-Yes. Each floor of the Labyrinth has a Trial, and only by overcoming it can you descend to the next floor.

-What happens if you fail the Trial?

-You die. So you shouldn’t try to conquer the Labyrinth recklessly. Make sure to grow enough in a Dungeon before challenging it.

At the Association Hunter’s earnest warning, the host nodded seriously.

-Especially for newly Awakened Hunters. Don’t push yourself! Now, let’s move to the next question. There’s something called the Floor Master in the Labyrinth, right? Can you explain what that is?

-It means exactly what it says: the master of that floor. They own the Dungeons generated on that floor.

-So how does someone become the Floor Master?

-Basically, the first person to conquer the floor becomes the Floor Master.

-So, latecomers can’t become the Floor Master?

-That’s not exactly it, but realistically, it’s almost impossible. The Floor Master gets huge benefits on their floor.

-What are those benefits?

-Simply put, you become about ten times stronger than usual while on that floor.

The Association Hunter continued.

-That’s why most Nations focus on being the first to conquer. Otherwise, fighting over floors can turn into national disputes, so these days it rarely happens.

-Can someone have more than one floor?

-No. Each person can only have one floor.

After some minor discussion, the video ended.

Just then, I was close to my destination.

As the announcement played that the next stop was the Hunter Association, I stood up.

The bus doors opened.

I waited for the others to get off first, then exited last. After a short walk, I reached the Plaza in front of the Association building.

“The Hunter Association must reveal the truth now!”

“What do you mean the owner changed! There’s never been such an incompetent Association! The 23rd floor’s—”

“Director, come out! You sons of bitches!”

A huge crowd had gathered around the Association. It was always a busy place, but never like this.

Nearby reporters raised their cameras to capture the scene.

Click!

Click!

As flashes poured out, I wondered how I’d get through this crowd.

“Yongje?”

At the familiar voice, I turned my head and saw a familiar face. A man with a warm impression, a plump build, and dressed in a luxury suit.

Someone I was close with at the Academy.

And the one who had thrown Park Chanseong at me yesterday.

It was Jigwonyeok-hyung, who worked as a manager at the Kim & Choi Guild.

“What brings you here at this hour, hyung?”

“I came to check on the situation. It’s worse than I thought. Whew.”

“What situation? Losing the 23rd floor?”

“Didn’t you watch the news?”

“I did. The Undying Guild lost the 23rd floor. But who took it from them?”

“It wasn’t taken.”

“Huh?”

What happened while I was unconscious?

“The Undying Guild Master changed his nationality to China.”

“What?”

“And he took the Swordmaster’s Disciple with him.”

The most famous S-rank Hunter in Korea was the Swordmaster.

A genius who had created his own swordsmanship skill.

After the incident ten years ago, the Swordmaster had stopped conquering the Labyrinth and focused on training disciples.

He traveled the world, accepting talented individuals as his students.

One of them belonged to the Undying Guild.

That was Kim Muhyeok, a super-promising talent rumored to bring about a second golden age for Korean Hunters.

He had inherited everything from the Swordmaster.

A guy who had received massive support from the government and Association—

And he ran off to China?

“Did China offer him some S-rank skill or something?”

“I don’t know either. There are so many rumors flying around, no one knows what’s true and what’s fake.”

“How do you know he went to China?”

“There’s a photo from a Chinese airport.”

In the photo Jigwonyeok-hyung showed me, there were two men.

The Undying Guild Master and the Swordmaster’s Disciple.

They were so famous that you could recognize them even in a blurry photo.

“What’s the Association saying?”

“They haven’t made an official statement yet.”

“Guess they have nothing to say.”

This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

In recent years, Korea had lost more than a dozen promising talents to other countries.

‘Can’t be helped.’

Call it the law of nature.

To blossom as a Hunter, you needed high-grade equipment, Dungeons, and skills.

Korea lacked all of that.

The failed Labyrinth conquest ten years ago.

That failure killed off most of Korea’s top S-rank Hunters and caused Korea to lose all its Labyrinths.

With so few Labyrinths left—

There were fewer Dungeons to conquer.

The infrastructure to raise talented Hunters was lacking, so promising ones left for other countries.

Korea simply couldn’t match the money and fame offered by other Nations.

Patriotism alone had its limits.

“Still, Kim Muhyeok is a real shock. He made a promise himself.”

“He said he’d make Korea a Hunter powerhouse again, right?”

“Yeah. He said he’d stay in Korea even if the sun split in half.”

“All lies. Thanks to him, Korea is finished now.”

Losing the 23rd floor and a promising talent didn’t mean Korea was doomed, but it definitely lost any hope of rising again.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Oh.”

I needed to enter the Labyrinth.

Almost forgot.

“I Awakened.”

“Oh, really? What’s your skill? What’s your rank?”

“Summoning. E-rank.”

“Summoning’s not bad. Have you looked into Guilds?”

“No.”

“Want me to check for you? I know a few overseas Guilds.”

I appreciated Jigwonyeok-hyung’s offer, but—

If I became a Hunter, I wanted to do it in Korea.

“I’ll try going down the Labyrinth first.”

It’s standard to try going down to the 10th floor of the Labyrinth before making a decision. If I need anything later, I’ll ask.

“Okay. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Sure.”

As he hurriedly answered his phone, Jigwonyeok-hyung looked at me.

“I have to go. Let’s have a meal sometime.”

“Yeah. Contact me whenever you’re free.”

“Will do.”

I watched Jigwonyeok-hyung disappear into the distance, then headed toward the Association.

It’s not that hard to enter the Labyrinth.

I went to the New Awakening Department on the Association’s first floor and filled out some paperwork.

After completing a physical test and skill verification, I received a Hunter Certificate and headed down to the 10th basement floor.

“Chun Yongje-nim. You’ve been verified.”

An Association staff member checked my certificate and opened the way.

As I walked down the path, a massive Sinkhole appeared.

The entrance to the Labyrinth of Bahart.

I’d learned at the Academy that if you jumped into that, you’d enter the Labyrinth.

“Let’s go.”

I stepped forward and lightly leaped in front of the Sinkhole. I fell quickly into the darkness below, where nothing could be seen.

My consciousness faded.

[Entering the Labyrinth of Bahart.]

When I saw the message and came to, I was already inside the Labyrinth.

I braced myself on the ground and stood up.

Ahead was the entrance to the first floor of the Labyrinth—one I’d heard about dozens of times.

A cave illuminated by blue torches.

As I walked into it, a new message appeared.

[Trial of the First Floor]

-Hunt all monsters in the Labyrinth and find the path to the second floor.

-Blue Rabbit 0/5

-Blue Rabbit King 0/1

-Time limit: 1 hour.

“Let’s get this over with quickly and head back.”

As I entered the cave, I saw the shadows of monsters flickering between the torches in the distance.

The monsters that appeared on the first floor were Blue Rabbits.

Blue-furred, big-toothed rabbits with quick movements. Their attack patterns were simple, so they weren’t hard to take down.

The standard strategy was to wear guards so the Blue Rabbits would bite them, then finish them off with a weapon.

But I didn’t need to bother with that.

“Orc, Summon.”

Woooong!

With a flash of white light, the Orc of the Desert Crocodile Tribe appeared.

【Did you call for me?】

“Take care of those guys up ahead.”

【Understood.】

The Orc roared and charged forward.

Crunch!

Crack!

The Blue Rabbits were trampled under the Orc’s feet.

They burst apart in the Orc’s hands.

With the Orc charging ahead, the monsters were quickly cleared.

‘I’ll get to the fifth floor in no time.’

Following the Orc at a relaxed pace, I soon reached my destination.

Guarding the path to the second floor was the Blue Rabbit King.

Crunch!

He was no different.

He fell to the Orc’s fist.

[You have completed the Trial of the First Floor.]

[As a reward for the Trial, you receive one Mana Stone (F).]

Up to the 10th floor, the Labyrinth felt like a tutorial—rewards were small, there was no Floor Master, and no Dungeons appeared.

The strategies were already known.

There weren’t even any hidden pieces.

It was best to descend as quickly as possible.

[You have completed Main Quest 6.]

[The territory of the Dragon Lair expands. The area you can move in increases.]

[??? reward is given.]

Along with that, a golden wave shimmered before my eyes.

[The Golden Dragon Eye has discovered something.]

Drawn in as if hypnotized, I walked toward the shimmering golden wave.

The wall of the cave.

There, a handprint glimmered in gold. I raised my right hand and matched it to the handprint.

Crack!

The cave split open, revealing a small altar.

Floating above the altar was a tiny fragment.

A pebble-sized stone radiating a golden light.

The Golden Dragon Eye conveyed its information to me.

[Dragon Heart Fragment (EX)]

-Upon consumption, you gain a small amount of mana and one of the spells mastered by the Golden Dragon.

-If consumed without the Imprint of Dragon God’s Body magic, you will die.