Chapter 19: Doing Well Even Alone

• Porter Lee Hyunbin LV7
• Physical Strength: 30
• Agility: 40
• Stamina: 30
• Magic Power: 04
• Luck: 30

The Awakener switched careers to become a Hunter.

I cleared three dungeons alone.

Normally, I would have moved with my team members and shared the experience points, but thanks to going solo, I took all the experience points for myself.

I set the stats I gained from leveling up precisely.

It looks clean that way, and it’s easier to get stat corrections too.

The members of Team 3, where I was assigned, were territorial.

Well, in any workplace, you’re bound to encounter territorial behavior. The rougher the work, the more it tends to happen.

Territorialism. So human, yet so unpleasant.

They intended to establish dominance over the newcomer who parachuted in, trying to take the lead in future conversations.

Orders came down from above. The team leader must distribute tasks among team members for quick and accurate processing. But what if the subordinates can’t handle it?

Of course, it’s said the employees lack ability. But if the entire team says they can’t do it?

Then the fault lies with the team leader for failing to manage the subordinates.

Knowing this better than anyone else, the schemers of Team 3 openly declared a boycott.

This would force the flustered team leader to bow down and attempt persuasion, which was predictable.

A perfect way to make the inexperienced team leader, with no real credentials or recognized ability, pay for their arrogance.

Here’s what must be acknowledged:

I am a parachute.

I snagged the team leader position through the chairman’s connections.

And I’m a rookie with no experience. On top of that, I only recently awakened.

There is only one thing to overturn everyone’s assumptions here.

“I’m not a clueless newbie.”

“Shall I transfer the settlement payment right away, or would you prefer a lump sum on settlement day?”

“Please auction the obtained items, and settle the payment once they are sold.”

“Yes, understood, Team 3 Leader. Oh, the suit you requested from Development is ready.”

“Ah, yes. Tell them I’ll be there soon after a quick shower.”

“Yes.”

The Guild’s desk employee replied with a gentle smile.

I remember the first day I was assigned here, clearing two Lowest Grade Dungeons solo.

The desk employee just stared blankly, unable to believe I’d quickly clear two dungeons alone, even if they were the lowest grade.

“Team Leader Lee.”

“Hello.”

On my way to shower, I ran into some Team 3 members.

Deputy Team Leader Kim Kimon smiled warmly and looked me up and down, then spoke with admiration.

“I heard you cleared a Lower Grade Dungeon today?”

“Oh, yes.”

“By yourself?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Kim Kimon paused, seeming to hesitate about what to say next.

I smiled faintly and greeted them before continuing on my way.

“Well then.”

“Team Leader Lee, you’re stronger than expected. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Push myself? I don’t do that.”

Kim Kimon smiled warmly and patted my shoulder.

“Magic stones are just a few coins, after all. If you push too hard and get hurt, won’t the team members who are resting for treatment be burdened?”

I appreciated his concern for my health this much.

“I shouldn’t get hurt. I’m not sure what’s wrong with the others, but I hope they recover soon. This is quite profitable. I underestimated the Lower Grade Dungeon—unique weapons and rare skills even drop here.”

Hearing my words, Kim Kimon’s group visibly tensed. For the first time, the lackeys trailing Kim Kimon started to speak up.

“Unique weapons and rare skills?”

“Yes. I just asked the desk to put them up for auction.”

I glanced toward the desk and smiled.

I had obtained a Unique-grade weapon and a Rare skill from the Lower Grade Dungeon boss.

The Unique weapon was the Silverblade Longsword, which deals extra damage to Undead. I decided to keep it for myself.

The Rare skill was listed at the auction house with an estimated price of about 100 million. A good haul.

“Well, see you later.”

I said that to the team members whose faces were visibly souring.

No, normally, when the team leader scores loot, the team should be happy. Why the long faces?

“Oh, right.”

I offered a considerate word to the team members who couldn’t say anything.

“I’ll take care of the next Lower Grade Dungeon myself. Everyone else, just focus on your rehabilitation training without stress.”

If someone’s injured, you can’t make them work. I planned to let them rest properly.

Forever.

“No way, is that guy really just a porter?”

“What? Did Mo kill the boss alone? No way.”

The members of Team 3 were completely taken aback, far from their expectations.

“He didn’t kill it alone. He must have borrowed help from another guild.”

“I heard since it was a Lower Grade Dungeon, no other guild could bid, so only our guild entered.”

“Was the boss weak?”

They couldn’t understand the situation at all. Because the Hanul Guild was rife with factional fights, it was unlikely other teams supported him.

“Hmm, maybe he hired mercenaries.”

“Mercenaries?”

“Yeah. I heard the new team leader is a former trainer and knows some Hunters.”

After Deputy Team Leader Kim Kimon spoke, the others furrowed their brows, thinking it was possible.

After all, it must have been bitter for them to see a clueless rookie snag loot without a team, so they tried to seize the initiative but ended up caught.

“I heard the new team leader trains every day without fail.”

One junior said with shining eyes.

In fact, the new team leader liked exercising enough to train even after dungeon raids.

“Maybe sometimes he even helps with the team’s rehabilitation training. Hyunsu or Hanseon can confirm.”

No way they didn’t understand that Kim Kimon was implying rehab training was unnecessary for me.

Jo Hanseon smiled with a crooked mouth.

He was a C+ ranked dealer. Taking down one porter was easier than pie.

“Yeah, don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Push myself? I was a bit stiff after resting lately, but I’m fine.”

Jo Hanseon said confidently.

After a while, the whole Team 3 headed down to the training hall.

People’s gazes gradually gathered.

It was unusual to see an entire team going down like this.

Once officially licensed Hunters start dungeon raids, they tend to neglect training.

Almost all of them were like that.

Once connected to the System and awakened, you can raise stats.

Stats raised via the System affect the body directly.

Increasing strength doesn’t happen instantly, but gradually and naturally as muscles develop without conscious effort.

Spending months training to raise strength by one point was less efficient than leveling up through hunting.

Therefore, most people in the training hall were unlicensed Hunters who hadn’t yet cleared dungeons or new Hunters.

Their team leader was there too.

“Oh, Team Leader Lee. How long has it been since you returned from a dungeon raid and you’re already training?”

“What brings you here?”

Anyone from Hanul Guild could come here, but Jo Hanseon teased as if I had intruded.

I replied coldly, “Ah, yes,” and focused on my workout.

“Damn, this guy just keeps training even when people show up.”

Jo Hanseon’s eyes burned with frustration. He thought it arrogant for someone younger and less experienced to act so cocky.

“Team Leader, stop training alone and leaving your team behind. Use me for rehab training and sparring…”

Jo Hanseon casually put his hands in his pockets, teasing, but stopped as he blinked.

Watching me do leg extensions and build leg muscles made him flinch.

He had only seen me dressed before, but now in training gear, the muscles in my legs were rock-solid.

Those weren’t just leg muscles—they were like iron maces.

He swallowed hard. The aura emanating from the muscular Lee Hyunbin was mysterious.

His heartbeat quickened.

He looked scrawny in clothes, but without them, it was like a monster was standing there. A low kick to those legs would definitely break bones.

His fists looked like they could shatter a nose with a single jab.

“This guy’s muscles are all battle-hardened.”

They weren’t just for show, but proven in real combat.

Even with Jo Hanseon’s tough nature, his rank as one of the team’s best fighters let him sense this.

“Sparring?”

I stopped exercising. Jo Hanseon saw me smile brightly for the first time.

He felt a threat to his life.

“No, spar.”

“Spar?”

“Yeah, let’s spar.”

“Just like that?”

His expression was openly disappointed. Team 3’s members were signaling him to spar and beat me up, but Jo Hanseon deliberately ignored them.

“Men should bare it all—talk naked, eat delicious food together, that kind of thing.”

I had a dungeon reservation in two hours, so I said, “That might be tough. Save that for when you’re with your girlfriend.”

Jo Hanseon wiped cold sweat from his brow and thought to himself how lucky that was.

He had no desire for an awkward spar date with just the two of them.

“Oh, another dungeon? Alone again?”

“Yes.”

“Well, no choice. Good luck.”

Jo Hanseon said that and headed leisurely but swiftly toward the others.

The people of Team 3, who had been faking workouts, looked at him in disbelief.

“No, he’s going into a dungeon again? We’re busy without him, how can we let him get hurt? Even if he’s reckless, that’s too much.”

“Didn’t ask.”

Deputy Team Leader Kim Kimon scratched his head and pretended to be interested in the gym equipment to dodge the question.

Kim Kimon looked at me wiping sweat with a towel after finishing my workout.

‘The connection to Winners Guild.’

That phrase filled his mind.

• The dungeon entry ticket has been sent via QR code. Please get approval before entering, and be careful out there.

“It’s a Lower Grade Dungeon, so it should be over quickly anyway.”

• Only until Lower Grade. From Mid-Rank Dungeons, I will participate as an operator and provide support.

Before entering the dungeon, Olivier spoke.

I was well aware of Olivier’s abilities as the Elder Succubus from another world.

“I’ll be counting on you.”

• Of course you should. Well then.

She cut the call with a casual tone.

Using the code Olivier gave me, I authenticated with the gate operator and set off to tackle the dungeon alone.

I had some luck this morning with the Lower Grade Dungeon. Thanks to going solo, I gathered a decent amount of magic stones.

A rough estimate put the three-day earnings at about 150 million.

‘No wonder being a Hunter is a dream job for many.’

As a trainer, you’d have to work your fingers to the bone for years without eating or dressing well just to touch that kind of money.

But as a Hunter, joining a Guild instantly started increasing my assets.

The second dungeon I was heading to today was infested with Undead monsters.

Name: Silverblade Longsword

• Grade: Unique
• Attack Power: 10
• Option: +10 Additional Damage to Undead

This new weapon dealt double damage to Undead.

I gripped it in one hand and traced a few arcs in the air.

Inside the gloomy dungeon, the mournful groans of zombies echoed.

This place was a cradle for the dead, endlessly repeating habits from their lives.

Zombies seek rest.

Of course, I wasn’t reading their minds, but no one could find joy in mindlessly scavenging for flesh with a rotten body.

If they can’t hunt, they tear into weakened comrades.

If that’s not enough, they even eat their own flesh to survive.

What meaning could that existence have?

I walked forward slowly.

Activating the System power in the Power Suit Katrinne bought me, the installed skills kicked in.

My defense increased, physical damage was reduced, and a dim light shimmered over me.

Whoosh!

I charged and sliced through a zombie’s neck.

The cut felt precise, like slicing A4 paper with a new pair of scissors.

With each swing, bits of rotten flesh and blood splattered around.

Turning on the Power Suit’s blocking feature prevented the filth from touching me, trapping it behind a thin armor layer to drip off harmlessly.

Whoosh!

The slicing sensation was invigorating.

The combination of System powers and modern technology in the Power Suit was truly convenient.

No need for heavy, cumbersome armor, nor to get soaked in blood.

As I cut through the horde, the area became like a field cultivating zombies.

Having swept them clean, I moved on to the next hunting ground.

• Level Up.

Another level went up before I realized it.

‘Is the big catch about to hit?’

Zombies that were once human seek rest through death.

What does rest mean to these refuse who deny their own humanity, consumed by a sense of superiority?

Suddenly, the Zombie Dungeon’s boss monster, the Ghoul, roared, sending its offspring forward.

Somehow, I felt this guy might answer my question.

I adjusted my grip on the Silverblade Longsword and infused it with Magic Power.