Chapter 24: If You Have No Strength, You Just Have to Get Beaten

Today is the day to enter the Labyrinth 11th Floor.

To enter the Labyrinth 11th Floor, I need to visit the Association and update my Provisional Certificate to a Regular Certificate.

“Haaaam.”

I woke up early in the morning and got ready to go to the Association.

I put on comfortable clothes and stopped by a convenience store to have breakfast, my eyes half-closed the whole time.

‘So sleepy.’

Maybe it was because I pushed myself too hard clearing the Red Dungeon, but as soon as I got home yesterday, I passed out and only barely managed to open my eyes this morning.

Thanks to the Dragon Heart’s increased Mana, I can now unleash much greater power.

But that just means the fatigue has increased as well.

It feels like my body still can’t keep up.

‘Isn’t there some elixir or something?’

I poked a straw into my banana milk and stepped outside.

Just as I arrived at the bus stop, the bus pulled up.

I sat by the window, by the wheel.

If I closed my eyes now, I’d probably fall asleep again, so I took out my phone and logged into the Community.

The main page was plastered with sensational article headlines.

-Korean Hunter Association President must take responsibility and resign!

-Citizens demanding to give up on the Red Dungeon.

-The strongest raid team? The weakest raid team!

-A D-rank Hunter who used his father’s name to join the raid team.

And that wasn’t all.

-Japan: ‘Korea should give up its greed even now.’

-China: ‘If this continues, Korea will be destroyed. If you keep doing dangerous things, there will be consequences.’

-United States of America: ‘It’s best to refrain from attacking the Red Dungeon until an S-rank Hunter appears.’

But the mood in the anonymous gallery was different.

-Damn clickbait journalists. Look at those sensational headlines just for views.

-If the President resigns, who’s going to be President? Is there anyone as responsible as Lee Changgeon?

-Hey, seriously. Using your father’s name is crossing the line, isn’t it? Didn’t he break through a wall and become B-rank recently?

-Who’s messing with my sister.

-That’s my wife, don’t cross the line.

-Come on. The gains from the Red Dungeon are huge. They want us to give that up? Are they all traitors?

-Isn’t it dangerous though? If a Dungeon Break happened, Yongin would’ve been wiped out at least, right?

-I know it’s dangerous, but damn. They make it sound like a Red Dungeon Break is the end of the world. Isn’t a regular Dungeon just as bad if it breaks?

-Classic watering down. Tons of foreign IPs. Get lost, comment trolls. The Red Dungeon is ours.

-China’s gone nuts. They already took Kim Muhyeok and the Labyrinth. Talking about consequences? Have some shame.

-Only one thing matters. The Red Dungeon didn’t break, and someone cleared it.

-It must be the Hidden Piece Discoverer.

-Or a hidden S-rank Hunter?

-Didn’t they get help from another country?

I wanted to read more, but—

The bus had already arrived at the Association.

I got off the bus and entered through the Association’s main gate.

Since I knew the procedure, I headed straight to the New Hunter Management Division.

I took the elevator and got off on the third floor.

There was the staff member who issued my Provisional Certificate last time.

“Hello.”

“Welcome. What brings you here today?”

“I’m here to get my Regular Certificate.”

“Ah, I see? Could you give me your Provisional Certificate and your ID, please?”

I handed over the two items for a moment.

The staff member typed away busily on the keyboard.

Then handed me something like a black card.

“Please go to the Examination Department on B3 and take the test.”

“Okay.”

I stood up and took the elevator down to B3.

Ding!

As I stepped out of the elevator, a long hallway appeared, with a transparent glass wall to the right.

Beyond it was a space as large as a sports field.

The Comprehensive Measurement Hall.

I’d heard you could measure all of a Hunter’s abilities in there.

A product of magic and science, you could say.

I only caught a glimpse of it back when I was at the Academy, so I don’t know the details.

When I reached the end of the hallway, an Examination Department staff member approached.

“What brings you here?”

“I’m here to take the test for my Regular Certificate.”

“Ah, so you cleared Labyrinth 10th Floor. Please follow me.”

I followed the staff member to the entrance of the Comprehensive Measurement Hall.

There were already other Hunters waiting.

“Please wait a moment. We’re testing in order, starting with those ahead of you. When it’s your turn, we’ll begin.”

“Okay.”

Since we were lined up along the glass wall, I could see clearly inside the Measurement Hall.

A man was visible through the glass.

Wearing a robe and holding a staff, he looked like a Hunter who specialized in magic.

“D-rank Hunter test will now begin.”

A mechanical voice echoed in the Measurement Hall, and with a flash of light, an Orc appeared.

A Black Orc with dark skin.

One of the Orcs commonly seen in D-rank Dungeons and Labyrinth 10th Floor.

A monster that could be killed in one shot with D-rank magic.

The man raised his staff.

“Fireball!”

As he chanted and used Mana, a magic circle formed at the tip of the staff, and a sphere of flame appeared.

The moment I saw it, a strange sensation spread throughout my body.

I could see the movement of Mana.

Something was engraved in my mind.

The principle and structure of Fireball became conceptualized in my head.

[Blessing of Magic (EX) allows you to understand the principle and structure of Fireball magic.]
[Your understanding of magic is extremely high.]
[Your understanding of the attribute is very low.]
[Adjusting grade.]
[You have acquired Fireball (B).]

Huh?

Wait a second.

“…One, two… twenty.”

There were twenty people ahead of me, and people started lining up behind me one by one.

Even if I only got one from each person, that’s over twenty.

‘Isn’t this a complete magic goldmine?’

Japan Hunter Association.

Yookai, President of the Japan Association, quietly checked the news in his office.

-Korea, first to clear the Red Dungeon!

-The birth of a new S-rank?

-Red Dungeon reward is a B-rank Skillbook?

Just this morning, only negative articles were pouring out, but now positive news was flooding in.

It was clear the Korean Association had taken action.

They must know that if this atmosphere continues, it would negatively affect the Korean Hunter world.

Other countries must have heard the news as well.

“…Let’s see how they respond.”

Yookai glanced at the time.

It was almost time for the secret meeting.

He turned on the tablet on his desk, dedicated for video conferences.

Two people were already connected.

The Association Presidents of France and the United Kingdom.

As soon as Yookai joined the video call, their voices came through.

“Isn’t this actually helping Korea? There’s a huge fuss about a new S-rank Hunter.”

“I should’ve known when they spoke so confidently. China always does things that way.”

“So what should we do? Should we try to repair relations now?”

“We should demand more from China. Now that we know they tried to target the United States of America, we have the upper hand.”

The Chinese Association President wouldn’t act without considering all that.

Yookai waited silently.

And before long, the central figure of the conversation, the Chinese Association President, appeared on screen.

“How’s everyone doing? Judging by your faces, you haven’t slept much.”

“What’s your plan now?”

At the question from the UK Association President, the Chinese Association President shrugged.

“What do you mean?”

“You said you’d prevent Korea from clearing the Red Dungeon. But look at the news. It’s full of reports about a new S-rank Hunter in Korea.”

“I’m curious how you got your position.”

Bang!

The UK Association President slammed his desk.

“What did you say?”

“Chasing illusions leads to this. Open your eyes and look at reality. Does this really look like good news for Korea?”

“Of course it does.”

The Chinese Association President clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“To have to work with someone like this… Isn’t it exhausting, President Yookai?”

“I don’t know why you’re dragging me into this.”

“I think you understand what I mean.”

Yookai was about to shut his mouth at the strange smile, but seeing the UK Association President’s expression, which seemed to demand an explanation, he sighed.

“Five A-rank Hunters from Korea died, and ten more were critically injured. Most of them also suffered psychological trauma. So it’s safe to say there won’t be any attempts to clear the Red Dungeon for a while.”

“But there’s that S-rank Hunter who cleared it this time. Won’t he handle it?”

“If he were really S-rank, he would’ve been on the initial raid team. He must’ve just had a good affinity with the Red Dungeon.”

That’s how Dungeons worked.

If the affinity was right, a lower-ranked Hunter could clear a higher-ranked Dungeon.

On the other hand, a higher-ranked Hunter might fail to clear a lower-ranked Dungeon if the affinity was bad.

The rank shown on the status window was not an absolute indicator.

“Hahahaha. Now do you get it? Don’t worry too much. Our plan is already half-successful.”

“Bold words for someone who failed.”

The French Association President sneered, and the Chinese Association President smiled kindly.

“What’s so bad about failure? Just try again and succeed.”

“Enough. Tell us the next part of the plan. If it’s not good, we’re out.”

“So are we.”

“Impatient as always.”

The Chinese Association President clicked his tongue and got to the point.

“We’ll gradually cut off Dungeon supply to Korea.”

“Cut off Dungeon supply?”

“Remove any chance for their Hunters to grow. Then how will Korea clear the Red Dungeon?”

“Can’t we just trade that uncleared Red Dungeon?”

The French Association President nodded at the UK Association President’s words.

“And it’s not like we’re the only ones who own the Maze Master. Does it mean anything to control it among ourselves?”

“It does.”

Yookai spoke up.

“There aren’t that many Dungeons to go around. The number of tradable Dungeons is limited. And aren’t the four countries here the main suppliers of Dungeons to Korea? If we collude, it could be fatal for Korea.”

“What about the United States of America?”

“The United States of America is probably looking to steal the Hidden Piece Holder. They must be eyeing those ten Achievements Korea has.”

“…Hmm. Still feels a bit weak, though.”

At that, the Chinese Association President raised a finger.

“That’s why we’ll control the Labyrinth as well.”

“That’ll cause a lot of controversy. What if we get caught?”

“Aren’t we all doing it in secret anyway? Even if Korea notices, what can they do? We’re the ones calling the shots.”

“Hm. That’s true.”

The reason for descending the Labyrinth is growth.

If you get items and Skills from Dungeons, you improve your Skill proficiency and physical abilities in the Labyrinth.

But if both Dungeons and the Labyrinth are controlled—

Hunters can’t grow, so they’ll have no choice but to leave Korea.

And there’s even justification.

Obtaining the Red Dungeon has become a poison for Korea.

It might take a little more time.

But it was certainly not a bad plan.

“Are you saying we should just sit and watch until then?”

When the UK Association President grumbled, the Chinese Association President gave a strange smile.

“I’ll give you each an S-rank Red Dungeon. And we’ll put on the pressure first, so you can watch the situation and follow at your own pace. Is that good enough?”

“Fine.”

“We’ll join in.”

Yookai also nodded.

“We accept the deal.”

All I did was watch, but—

I ended up acquiring five different elemental magics.

It’s a bit disappointing that it’s less than I initially expected.

‘Well, it can’t be helped.’

Since it was a new Hunter test, most people used common magic rather than special ones.

So most of the Skills overlapped.

I only managed to get the most widely used spells.

‘…Still.’

My available magic repertoire has grown, and I figured out how to use the Blessing of Magic.

It was a huge gain for me.

“Here you go. Congratulations on becoming a Regular Hunter.”

“Thank you.”

I took the Hunter Certificate handed over by the New Hunter Management Division staff and headed straight to the Labyrinth entrance on B10.

I showed my Regular Hunter Certificate to the staff managing the entrance.

“Now you’ll see the true face of the Labyrinth. I’m sure you’ve heard it countless times, but you really have to be careful from now on.”

“Yes.”

“Especially, watch out for people, not monsters. In the Labyrinth, we can’t respond right away no matter what happens to you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Sorry for nagging so much. Still, you should be able to get to the 20th Floor without much trouble. Good luck!”

With the Association staff’s encouragement, I threw myself into the Labyrinth, donning the goblin mask I’d been carrying.

[Entering the Labyrinth of Bahart.]

A new landscape unfolded before my eyes.

A forest filled with blue grass and trees under a clear sky.

‘So this is the 11th Floor.’

From the so-called tutorial Labyrinth 1st to 10th Floor, the path had always been a straight line with traps, monsters, and simple maze structures.

But starting from the 11th Floor, it was different.

It was a single field, filled with various monsters targeting Hunters trying to descend.

But the scariest thing was, as always, people.

Just as the Association staff had said, you have to be wary of other people.

Now, I wouldn’t be challenging the Trial alone, but with other Hunters.

Shuaaaa!

Shuaaa!

One by one, other Hunters appeared.

“Oh, you can tell that guy’s a newbie just by looking. Entering here without any gear, he’s got guts.”

“Is this really the time to worry about others? Man, I hope I can finally make it down this time.”

“Same. I want to get down quickly, raise my Skill grades, and join a good guild.”

Flags from various countries appeared above their heads.

Japan, China, Spain, Italy, and so on.

As the group filled with Hunters from various countries—

Dozens of Chinese Hunters in blue uniforms appeared.

Just like that—

Once thirty people had gathered, a message appeared with the Trial of the Labyrinth 11th Floor.

[Trial of the Labyrinth 11th Floor]
-Find the hidden path to the 12th Floor.
-Time limit: 5 hours.

After checking the contents of the Trial, the Hunters started moving to search for the path.

I was about to move as well when—

“Hey, you bastard! Didn’t I tell you not to enter the Labyrinth? Huh? Did my words sound like shit to you?”

I glanced over to see Chinese Hunters surrounding the Korean Hunters.

“Why… are you still on the 11th Floor…”

“Kuhuhuhuhu. Why? Because as long as guys like you keep crawling in, I can’t go down in peace.”

“Can’t we just go our separate ways? Why do you have to go this far?”

“Because it’s fun. Hahaha.”

A Chinese Hunter kicked a Korean Hunter.

Then all the Chinese Hunters rushed in and trampled the Korean Hunter.

“I’ll go outside and… ugh… tell them about this…”

“This bastard still doesn’t get it. Keke.”

“Aaagh!”

“What have we ever done wrong!”

“Was it being born in Korea? If you’re weak, you deserve to get beaten.”

I’d seen it on the Community before.

There are quite a few who, despite being strong enough, deliberately don’t descend the Labyrinth and instead bully new Hunters.

Especially since Korea is weak, discrimination is even worse.

I never thought I’d witness it with my own eyes.

“What are you doing? Not coming over here? Trying to sneak away?”

A few Chinese Hunters approached me.

Just as one of them tried to grab my arm—

“Fireball.”

A fireball the size of a face blew off the Chinese Hunter’s head.

Fwoosh!

Boom!

The Chinese Hunters pulled out their weapons and aimed them at me.

The one who seemed to be their leader grinned.

“Think you can handle this?”

“If you’re weak, you deserve to get beaten, right?”

“Looks like the newbie needs some education. Teach him a lesson.”

“Yes!”

“Understood!”

Heh.

“You guys started this, remember?”

“Get him!”