“Did you escape from inside? What’s the situation in there right now?”
“Did you see the Murderer? How did you get out?”
As soon as I stepped outside the Dungeon, questions poured in from the crowd.
“The survivors came out with me. I captured the Murderer myself.”
The expressions on their faces turned sour after hearing my answer. And it was only natural.
I had come out of the Dungeon alone, without carrying a single piece of luggage.
It felt like someone was about to ask, Are you crazy? so I opened my Inventory.
“Deposit and Withdrawal.”
From the black pocket dimension that appears when accessing the Inventory system, I pulled out four people.
Blondie, Rookie, Bearded Man, the Coach, and the Mage.
One more person couldn’t be retrieved due to severe injuries—he looked like he might die any moment.
Porters naturally have the Deposit and Withdrawal skills. Actually, every Hunter has those basic skills.
But I’d never heard of someone putting people into and taking them out of their Inventory. And on top of that, being able to use the skills of those inside? That was unheard of.
Well, my curiosity would be answered soon enough by the people standing right before me.
Flashes popped.
Anyone could tell something was going on.
Then, I pulled out the person they were all most curious about.
“Deposit and Withdrawal.”
The Murderer who had killed dozens.
The so-called Office Worker—the infamous villain—emerged from the Inventory system.
He was battered and bruised, his body in no condition to stand.
Startled by the sudden bright light, he shaded his eyes and squinted.
When trapped inside the Inventory, consciousness seemed to be suspended too. Seeing himself outside the Dungeon made him flinch.
Reporters went wild, firing off flashes like crazy at the Office Worker—known as the worst villain.
The Guild raid team, who had nothing to do anymore, blinked at the Office Worker I had brought along.
The Office Worker tried to stand, gasping for breath.
But I showed some mercy to keep him comfortable.
Bam!
A strike to the back of his head sent him collapsing to the floor like a rag doll.
I doubt anyone would sue me over the rights of a Murderer. If that guy started causing trouble again, someone could get hurt.
The reporters instantly shifted their attention to me, snapping photos and bombarding me with questions.
The way they looked at me—a Hunter not yet officially registered—was filled with the kind of curiosity one has about a first love.
I smiled leisurely.
Though I wasn’t thrilled about awakening as a Porter, I had handled a major case with it.
More importantly, I had confirmed my Second Awakening.
- The Synchronization Rate increases according to the Salvation Score.
- Current Synchronization Rate: 3.5%.
Startling.
Suddenly, a red-highlighted Status Window popped up before my eyes.
I still wasn’t used to this.
But salvation?
I’d saved roughly twenty people so far.
The more people I saved, the more benefits I received from the System.
I opened the Blue Status Window.
The damaged second slot gradually restored itself until I could read it.
- Phantom Step Activation.
It had been a while.
Phantom Step was a skill that selected the optimal path during combat.
It felt like accelerating one’s awareness. In other words, it was a skill that helped you fight better.
With this, the true identity of the Blue Status Window was confirmed.
The Blue Status Window was the System I had been connected to in the Otherworld.
Meaning all my achievements and abilities built up in the Otherworld were sealed over there.
Why?
Maybe because it was a different dimension.
Soon, the Guild Guarders cuffed and tightly bound the unconscious Office Worker.
“Those injured, this way. And you’re Lee Hyunbin, the one who caught the Villain, right? Hey, stop blocking the way! Stop taking pictures! Ah, sorry.”
A middle-aged man among the Guarders, looking somewhat experienced, extended his hand to me.
I accepted his handshake with a smile.
“How many Healers do we have right now? There are too many wounded.”
“Healers? Just two at the moment.”
“Then let’s treat the most critical patients first.”
I pulled out those with only 1 HP left.
People struggling to breathe, groaning painfully, emerged from the Inventory.
Seeing this, the Guarder Team Leader’s eyes flared with urgency.
“Healers, come here! And bring all the healers you can muster right now!”
“There are eighteen people left. I think it’s best to take them to the infirmary first.”
“Ah, yes. Eighteen people?”
It was important to check my abilities, but there were more urgent matters now.
My capabilities could be checked slowly later on.
Thanks to the many people who had seen my abilities, rumors about me would spread like wildfire.
And I might get a new nickname.
The Strongest Porter.
Usually, Porters were seen as mere carriers of goods, but here I was—taking down the Office Worker alone and rescuing dozens.
That would surely catch the attention of many Guilds.
All of them.
Reporters swarmed around, requesting interviews.
At first, I was happy to be in the spotlight, but it quickly became endless.
They kept firing flashes madly and asking only the questions they wanted.
It was tiring beyond discomfort.
What made it worse was their total lack of interest in the survivors.
Inside my Inventory were patients in critical condition.
If they didn’t receive treatment immediately, they’d die.
Most needed to be rushed to the hospital, treated by Healers, and taken to surgery or the emergency room.
Yet the reporters blocked my way, only curious about what my ability was or how I had caught the Villain.
So, I was currently at the Anyang Amusement Park Dungeon Center.
The four who had been with me—Blondie, Rookie, Bearded Man, the Coach, and the Mage—were all undergoing checks for any aftereffects from the battle.
They had been dazed by the reality of surviving such a horrific scene, but after medical exams, they seemed a bit more stable.
“Wow, Lee Hyunbin. Amazing.”
It was the person I’d met before entering the Dungeon.
A representative from the Fighting God Guild.
He came to visit me resting in the hospital room after the exams.
“Twenty people rescued. And you hunted the Villain alone on your First Awakening day. Did you know the Office Worker was an A-rank Hunter?”
“I’m not sure if he was A-rank, but I knew he was worth 300 million won.”
The Fighting God Guild rep tapped his forehead, laughing as if it was the funniest thing ever.
His protruding belly shook with laughter—it seemed genuinely amused.
“There’s chaos outside right now. A Porter who took down the Office Worker alone, and on his very first day of Awakening. Besides, no Porter can put people in their Inventory. Only inanimate weapons without life can be stored there.”
“Is that so? Since I could do it, I thought it was supposed to be that way.”
It’s amazing.
In this world, there’s nothing more valued than a rare ability.
The middle-aged man pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down.
He smiled warmly as he continued.
“You really raised your price.”
I had asked for an unprecedented 2.5 billion won as a Porter.
But then I said my real worth was even higher and left.
That must’ve been his first time experiencing that as a sales rep.
“How about 3.5 billion won as a signing bonus?”
He who had offered 2.5 billion raised it to 3.5 billion in just a few hours.
I couldn’t help but flinch.
For an ordinary office worker, earning 100 million won is incredibly difficult.
Skipping meals, going without what you want—it’s how you gather that amount.
Usually, B-rank contracts start at 100 million.
A-rank contracts range from 1 billion won up, but there’s a huge gap.
From A-rank, you can become a franchise player representing your team.
Speaking of team, that fits oddly well.
“As you know, our Fighting God Guild isn’t easygoing. We’re aggressively recruiting hunters who became free agents this year, building a talent pool, and pushing to become the top domestic Guild within three years.”
The middle-aged man pulled a gold-trimmed contract from his briefcase, glanced over it, then handed it to me with a smile.
“We’ll provide all the equipment you want. You can skip everything except the Guild Official Raids. We have plenty of Porters, so this is a special exception.”
I took the contract and scanned it.
But the signing bonus wasn’t written as 3.5 billion won.
“It doesn’t say 3.5 billion here.”
“Do you really want to get only 3.5 billion? When there’s rarity, you raise it even more. We purposely left it blank. We push our people to the top.”
That “push to the top” sounded more like a threat.
Like, if you’re not one of ours, you’ll get treated terribly.
3.5 billion won. A huge sum.
Probably a fortune I’d never touch even if I trained as a Trainer until I died.
But from the start, I had made up my mind.
“I’m not planning to sign.”
……
Was my answer too unexpected?
The Fighting God Guild rep seemed momentarily at a loss for words.
He kept saying he’d raise the amount, but I refused.
“Why not?”
“They told me not to come until I summoned the Holy Sword.”
To be exact, I had been rejected at the interview, with a wish that I’d quickly retrieve the Holy Sword.
The middle-aged man blinked as if he didn’t understand.
I wasn’t being shy.
As I’d said before, I had no interest in a Guild whose interviewer could only sneer about holding the reins.
They were kind for now because they wanted to entice me, but who knew how they’d change later.
“There was someone who advised me that during the Fighting God Guild interview.”
“I see. I’ll check on that.”
He put the contract into an envelope, but instead of placing it back into his briefcase, he left it on the headboard of my bed.
“If someone spoke rudely, I apologize on their behalf. That staff member will be reprimanded. Don’t miss the best opportunity because of a careless word.”
He said that and bowed.
I felt some revenge.
It felt good, but also bittersweet.
Still, 3.5 billion.
Enough to immediately move out of this rented room and buy a house.
Even if Katrin were an Eating Goblin, that’s money to eat worry-free for 365 days.
Still, no.
I didn’t like the Fighting God Guild.
The Hwarang Guild had treated me well since I was a Trainer, never looking down on me.
Especially Team Leader Jeon.
There was no rush.
Rumors about me had probably already spread, and other Guilds would contact me.
Then I could sign with whoever offered the best deal.
Signing with the first Guild that contacts me would be stupid.
‘First, let’s get the bounty and buy a house.’
It wasn’t because I was worried about House Pest in my current home.
“Sigh, that bastard won’t say a word.”
Beyond the interrogation room’s glass wall, the Office Worker was blindfolded, arms and legs tied.
Seeing him tightly bound in a special Wheelchair, it was clear the criminal’s human rights were completely ignored.
And it was understandable—he was a Murderer who massacred over seventy people.
There was no point protecting his rights.
Giving him any freedom would probably mean killing someone right in front of him.
“Senior, get some rest. The Special Guard will escort him soon.”
“What can Badge-wearing bastards do? That bastard won’t even move his mouth waiting for a lawyer. People like him don’t deserve the death penalty—they deserve to be tortured for life.”
“He’ll soon face the strict judgment of the law.”
The junior Guard clicked his tongue, glaring at the Office Worker.
“I’m going to hit him once, so watch.”
“Yes, Senior.”
The junior saluted behind the senior’s sharp back.
His smiling face stiffened like concrete as the door closed.
The benevolent expression turned cold and dry.
The kindness hanging around his mouth dried up.
He flipped the security switch on the door where the Office Worker was locked in.
Click, clack.
Hearing the door open, the Office Worker turned his head.
“Got your ass good, huh?”
His tone was mocking, but the Office Worker said nothing.
“Disappointing, Ji-tae.”
“…There was something unexpected.”
“Unexpected? Oh, we didn’t expect that either. To think the first plan would fail.”
His voice, tinged with madness, seemed to freeze the air.
The junior who had been kindly behaving toward the senior was nowhere to be seen.
Then the Office Worker spoke.
“Hero.”
Hearing that, the junior frowned.
“A Hero appeared.”
“Bullshit. If you’re gonna make excuses for failure, do it properly.”
“It’s true.”
The junior ran a hand through his hair, irritation rising.
He wanted to kill this defeated dog right then and there but couldn’t.
The Office Worker was still needed.
“You want to call the guy who caught you a Hero?”
“That’s right.”
The Office Worker recalled the man who had demonstrated overwhelming one-on-one combat ability against him.
A chill ran down his spine again.
That man had completely sealed off his abilities and launched a reckless attack.
It was the first time he had ever felt hopeless.
“That guy is a Porter Awakened Hunter.”
“…”
“Today was his first Awakening.”
The Office Worker looked utterly disbelieving.
The junior smirked and spoke softly.
“Whether you were the bubble, or that guy is amazing—you’ll find out soon enough.”