Chapter 27: Ring Unused, Victory Secured

First S-Rank Dungeon.

Arthur and Robin say it’s easy, so don’t worry…

“But is it really that easy?”

“Just in case, take this ring and some potions with you.”

“Sajang? What’s this?”

“What is it?”

[Ring of High-Grade Healing]

Grants a healing effect to the desired target.

[Can fully heal injuries up to moderate severity at once.]

[Usable once every six months.]

[This.]

[It heals in one go.]

[Use it if you or Robin get hurt.]

“Wow, that’s awesome! Is this expensive?”

“Yeah, I know.”

It’s pretty famous.

Ridiculously expensive, too.

“But I won’t need it anyway. Just take it with you, and if you get into trouble, don’t hesitate to use it.”

Especially you.

Robin is Top-Grade, but Arthur is High-Grade.

And melee to boot…

Between the two, Arthur is probably at more risk.

“Just make sure to come back safely and return it. It’s mine.”

“Okay… Sajang’s ring. I’ll definitely give it back.”

“What?”

“It’s a joke, so why so serious?”

“Fine.”

“You can take it, but don’t get hurt.”

“Here, Robin, take some potions too.”

“…Okay.”

Handing over the healing ring and a handful of potions tightly gripped in their hands, everything possible was done.

I even asked if we should send some orcs as backup, but Robin said that’s not necessary—it would just get in the way.

Anyway, the preparations were truly complete now.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Near Beijing, China, lies the S-Rank Dungeon.

A place called the ‘Cursed Fortress,’ where you have to break through nearly 30 meters of piled-up monsters just to enter…

That’s why it’s known as hell.

[Dispatch Worker]

Dungeon

[Enter Cursed Fortress – S-Rank?]

Yoon Hajun tapped the message and opened the gate.

Arthur and Robin stepped inside.

[Workers entering dungeon.]

[Starting Automatic Hunting.]

Then, the raid began.

***

Alright, let’s go.

[Automatic Hunting in progress]

[00:00:32]

Automatic Hunting ON.

The dice have been cast.

All that’s left is to trust and wait.

Still, we have to cheer them on.

[Monitoring]

Tapped the screen, and a low buzz— the dungeon’s interior appeared…

It felt different from before.

“Are they nervous?”

***

The two, who had been relaxed even in A-Rank dungeons, were now clearly cautious.

Step by step, they moved slowly, even glancing around carefully.

“It’s okay! Arthur and Robin can do this! They promised they’d finish quickly and come back to play with Rani!”

“That’s right. Those two workers can handle it, so no need to worry.”

That’s true.

Last time, when it was tough, they said so outright.

What about the S-Rank dungeon?

They said it was okay.

Then we have to believe them.

Yeah…

“Ugh… That place looks scary!”

“The atmosphere is eerie. Sajang, you should watch too.”

Yeah, let’s watch together.

[S-Rank Dungeon, Cursed Fortress]

True to its grim name, the dungeon started inside a castle shrouded in thick fog.

‘Where were the enemies?’

Gruarrr~!

Found them.

Straight ahead and on both flanks.

Armored knights?

But their movements seemed… off.

“That’s undead. High-grade.”

‘Really?’

‘No wonder…’

They were limping as they walked—clearly not normal.

“Bear! You know a lot!”

“Of course. Information is the lifeblood of business.”

“Smart! Long live Bear!”

Looks like Rani’s gotten hooked.

But whatever.

Todd seems to be enjoying it too.

“Excuse me? Sajang?”

Never mind.

For now…

“You said they’re undead?”

“Yes. Most of the monsters seem undead, and they also use poison.”

‘What?’

‘Poison?’

No wonder their weapons glowed purple.

“That explains why even high-level hunters got wiped out here. Undead of that rank usually revive unless burned, and these ones use poison on top of that…”

“Yeah, just hearing about it is brutal.”

“Even Top-Grade workers wouldn’t have it easy in a dungeon like this.”

Exactly.

But wait a minute…

Undead plus poison…

“Arthur, Hwalhwal! Robin, Sook! We’ve got this!”

“Right.”

Arthur’s sword is Hwalhwal.

‘What’s special about it?’

It burns everything with fire.

‘Robin’s bow, Sook?’

Immune to poison below a certain threshold. Look at that.

Robin already switched positions.

Robin, who’s immune to most poison, takes the front line, and Arthur stays in the back.

Huh?

Now Arthur’s even lighting arrows on fire?

“That’s Arthur or a lighter?”

“Heh! The arrows burn too!”

See?

Feels pretty good, doesn’t it?

Maybe… this is going to be a cakewalk?

***

“Sajang. The Labor Management Office Head accepted the Request.”

“Really? Huh…”

Finally.

Yeah.

We gave Robin Hood’s Bow Fragment and a potential-enhancing elixir.

We had to accept this one.

“To think that an unknown rogue is our last hope…”

Even after sending out the Request, can we really trust that?

We asked again in the United States and Germany.

But the answers were:

[Sorry, our Ralph is recovering.]

[Didn’t you see the news? Lucas is hospitalized after a traffic accident.]

They tried to beat around the bush, but that was the gist.

‘Is this for real?’

‘We’re not idiots…’

‘That Ralph guy—didn’t he say there was no problem even after the 67th floor failure?’

Same for Lucas.

‘What traffic accident?’

The only hope left is the Labor Management Office Head.

A rogue who looks like he’s going to rob the entire warehouse…

But, well.

If he just clears it, that’s good enough.

Still, we have to take what we can.

“Monitor everything closely from now on.”

“What? What kind of monitoring…?”

“Ugh, stupid… Monitor everything, whether it’s on the way to the dungeon or elsewhere! You should at least confirm who the Labor Management Office Head is!”

“Y-Yes!”

Tch, idiots.

If there’s anything they’ve given us, we should be ready to take it.

At least give Chen Yu’s guy a weapon or something.

“Labor Management Office Head, huh…”

To clear the dungeon, they have to enter.

No matter how skilled, that’s the rule.

Try breaking through once.

“Monitor the frontline like a fortress. If they try to break through anywhere, report immediately.”

“Yes!”

Labor Management Office Head.

Let’s see how impressive this guy really is.

***

The U.S. also has an interest in the Labor Management Office Head.

So they moved.

“I just heard he accepted the Request.”

“He accepted? Ralph couldn’t even dare. Brave or foolish?”

“Well, he probably hasn’t tasted defeat yet. Most of these so-called gifted ones are like that at first.”

U.S. intelligence is well-informed, even about inside China.

They know about the mission in real time.

Can’t believe he accepted that…

But they have to do their job.

“From now on, track all flights and boats from Korea to China. Monitor all individuals heading to the S-Rank dungeon.”

They plan to file a separate Request later, asking to craft a weapon for Ralph.

But first, they need to know who this guy is.

They don’t know how his abilities might be abused in the future.

“Also, inform all our affiliated hunters. If they find someone suspected to be the Labor Management Office Head, tail them carefully, and if it gets dangerous, rescue them.”

Hunters who don’t yet know how dangerous the world is can be brave.

If it gets risky, we’ll save them.

Though we’ll take a big cut for it.

S-Rank Dungeon, Cursed Fortress.

Personal impression?

“Terrifying.”

***

‘Why are the monsters flooding in endlessly?’

‘Is this a tidal wave?’

No wonder they’re expanding the range to 30 meters…

Gruaaar~!

They even look horrible.

At first, knights came out, but now it’s bloody zombies and giant snakes.

“Ugh…”

Even watching through the screen sends chills down the spine.

‘If this were real?’

O…

I’d faint immediately.

“Then what about Arthur and Robin?”

“Heh! Hwalhwal! Burning up!”

“What kind of S-Rank dungeon is this…”

S-Rank Dungeon, Cursed Fortress.

No, it should be called the Burning Fortress now.

It’s a sea of fire all around…

“Why do they breathe so well?”

“Right? Perfect teamwork.”

“Hwalhwal! Sook!”

Yeah.

Hwalhwal and Sook, indeed.

Creak.

Robin pulls his bow first—

Flare.

The arrowhead ignites.

‘When he shoots it?’

Monsters walking far off instantly burst into flames.

Sook!

Every shot hits dead center.

And ridiculously fast…

Well, he is a Top-Grade worker.

Gruaaar~!

If any monsters break through the arrow storm and get close?

Arthur quickly steps out and slices.

“What are… those weapons?”

“Rani made them! Hwalhwal and Sook!”

“Their names are…”

“Pretty, right?”

‘Surprised?’

You’ll get used to it.

Thanks to them, they’re cakewalking the S-Rank dungeon.

“The more I see, the more I think Rani’s a lucky charm.”

“Lucky charm!”

“Haha…”

But…

Honestly, I didn’t expect them to clear it this easily.

If that’s the case, giving the expensive Ring of High-Grade Healing feels pointless…

Still, it’s good if they come back unhurt.

“That’s right. The healing ring is something to save for when it’s truly needed.”

“Exactly!”

***

After a long while, shooting arrows again and again, the entire fortress became a sea of flames.

Swishhhh~!

A boss appeared—a massive snake, with huge venomous fangs dripping poison.

“If that’s the case, Robin’s poison won’t work…”

Sook—

Kugh!

“Huh?”

It worked?

Kreaaah~!

As expected from an S-Rank boss monster.

Its HP was large, so it didn’t drop immediately.

But the poison spread from where the arrow struck…

“Spreading?”

“Yeah.”

“Hey! Sook Sook is stronger!”

Kreeeaaah!

The snake, enraged by the poison spreading, lunged—

Sook.

One step, then two steps.

By the time its head almost looked like a cactus, they finally arrived.

So what now?

“Arthur!”

Right.

Arthur swung his sword, and flames erupted immediately.

“No way…”

Todd, the rookie worker, stammered continuously.

‘Yeah, hard to believe, right?’

That’s Rani’s weapon.

No wonder people keep requesting her to make more.

And so, the S-Rank dungeon raid ended perfectly.

[Dungeon cleared.]

[Ending Automatic Hunting.]

[Clear Time – 01:28:40]

Still…

It was the first time they took over an hour.

Yeah…

Dungeon cleared.

The workers came out immediately.

“Sajang! We’re back! We saved the expensive ring too!”

It’s not single-use, so no need to save it.

Well, they didn’t need to use it anyway…

Arthur immediately made his presence known.

‘Our Robin?’

As usual, straight to the window seat.

Yeah.

He worked hard, so let him rest…

First, I made both Arthur and Robin a nice cup of sweet coffee.

“One, two, three! Good!”

“Drink up. We’ll have the party later.”

First, check the rewards.

“Nice!”

Nod.

Okay.

Then let’s open the loot.

[S-Rank Dungeon Clear Rewards!]

[Clear Time – 01:28:40]

[Clear Rewards – High-Grade Mana Stones 100 pieces / Blue Dragon Crescent Blade Shard / 30 High Grade Healing Potions / Young Pasa’s Scale (巴) / Adamantium/ …………] Creepy.

No, seriously.

The rewards just kept coming.

Just the mana stones alone…

“100 High-Grade Mana Stones.”

Each worth 10 million won.

Yeah, that’s a billion won.

Crazy.

And the materials…

[Blue Dragon Crescent Blade Shard / Young Pasa’s Scale]

The scale must be from that huge snake.

Young Pasa…

Young?

‘How big does it get when it grows up…?’

Anyway, these are materials, so give them to Rani.

“Wow… Rani wants to use these!”

As expected. She was practically jumping with joy.

Yeah.

It’s all yours anyway.

Make whatever you want.

“Now that we’ve seen all the good stuff, let’s stop with the dungeon rewards for now…”

Why?

Because the real main course is still left.

Cleared some inventory space.

Now, let’s open the Requests.

I hesitated just before clicking confirm.

“Oh, right.”

Would be a shame to lose out on such a big haul.

Used a Request Point Double Scroll (One-Time Use).

And immediately clicked complete Request.

[Rewards granted based on contribution.]

From mana stones to materials and various potions, everything poured in.

[Additional personal rewards granted.]

Robin Hood’s Bow Fragment, plus the potential-boosting elixir.

‘When will I ever have time to check all this?’

Mouth agape, Rani dashed over and grabbed the Robin Hood’s Bow Fragment.

“Rani! Give me that! With this and Sook, I can make an even better bow!”

With those words.