Chapter 3: Second EX-Class Skill

Park Chanseong was in an excellent mood, at least until tonight.

He’d booked a room at a club and managed to pick up a pretty cute girl.

He was excited at the thought of spending a wild night.

‘Tonight, it’s you.’

Just as he was about to take the girl to his room, an unwelcome guest butted in.

-Park Chanseong. Get up.

He wanted to refuse.

But the person continued, as if knowing he would.

-I’m just repeating what Kwon Yeok-i wrote down. If you refuse this time too, you’ll have to pay the penalty in full.

Damn it!

Park Chanseong had no choice but to leave the room and get in a taxi.

He ground his teeth as he glared at Cheon Yongje, who was sitting next to him.

That guy just stared blankly out the window, his face expressionless.

Seeing someone who wasn’t even part of a Guild act so superior made Park Chanseong grit his teeth even harder.

‘…Tsk.’

The Guild Managers all knew to bow their heads in front of him.

After all, he was a promising Talent of the Guild.

The most valuable Talent in the Kim & Choi Guild, able to raise his price higher than anyone.

Park Chanseong knew this himself.

That’s why he enjoyed the power his Talent gave him to the fullest. Even when he caused trouble, someone always cleaned up after him, making life so comfortable.

On top of that,

It was amusing to see the managers flustered and speechless at a single word from him.

He liked the feeling of being in a position of absolute power.

But Cheon Yongje, maybe because he wasn’t affiliated with any Guild, held his head high and ruined his mood.

He didn’t even grovel like the other managers.

He always spoke his mind, clear and direct, which was incredibly irritating.

‘Bastard.’

That guy had been annoying ever since they met at Hunter Academy.

Acting all kind.

Pretending to have convictions.

Trying to look cool.

Even as an Unawakened, he monopolized her attention, and in every way, his attitude was just infuriating.

‘…I definitely warned them not to send that bastard.’

Even so, the Guild had sent Cheon Yongje as his manager—a clear warning from them.

‘These bastards are completely ignoring me now. Weren’t they desperate to keep me just a while ago?’

All of this was because of that guy.

A newcomer who had joined the Guild a month ago.

Bursting with potential, he was already in contact with the big-name Guilds.

Ever since that guy showed up, Park Chanseong had been tossed aside in an instant.

‘Shit.’

Park Chanseong clicked his tongue.

He felt like he wouldn’t be able to sleep unless he vented his irritation.

As he glanced at Cheon Yongje, an idea struck him.

‘Yeah. Tonight, I’ll have a little fun with that guy. He’s getting paid to work, so he should work for his money!’

Park Chanseong snickered to himself as he caught an Orc on site.

He only broke its arms and legs before tossing it toward Cheon Yongje.

Cheon Yongje may have attended the Academy, but he was still an ordinary person, an Unawakened.

Even if he worked as a Dungeon Worker, it was rare for him to actually encounter real Monsters.

And if the Monster was still alive and moving?

‘He’ll faint for sure.’

If he wet his pants, Park Chanseong planned to snap a Certification Photo and spread it all over the Academy Chat Room.

But—

“Can you take responsibility for this?”

Cheon Yongje looked at him with a calm expression. There was pity in his eyes.

Park Chanseong clenched his jaw.

The nerve of a bug who hadn’t even Awakened as a Hunter.

How dare he look at him like that?

“Hey. Do you wanna die? I’ll gouge your eyes out, you little shit. Who are you threatening, huh? Gonna get all serious over a little prank? That’s why you’ll never Awaken as a Hunter, you cowardly bastard.”

A smirk.

That guy was smiling.

‘He’s smiling?’

Park Chanseong’s lips trembled.

His anger boiled over until he couldn’t see straight.

He clenched his fist and strode toward Cheon Yongje.

At that moment, the Orc lying on the ground got up.

“Uoooooooh!”

It charged straight at him.

“Now even Orcs think they can mess with me?”

Park Chanseong thrust his clenched fist with all his strength. He was a D-rank. An E-rank Orc should go down in one punch.

Whoosh!

A blow that cut through the air.

But his attack didn’t land.

The Orc dodged and countered with a punch of its own. Park Chanseong raised his guard, blocking the Orc’s attack.

Thud!

Thwack!

“What… the hell. Wait, how is this thing moving?”

“Kuuruk! Kuruk!”

The agitated Orc threw a flurry of punches.

“Shit!”

Park Chanseong activated his skills.

Swift Movement (C)

Punch Enhancement (D)

He weaved through the Orc’s attacks using his Boxing Step and quickly countered with his own punches.

One-Two.

A Jab and a Hook landed on the Orc’s face.

He closed in and delivered an Uppercut, smashing the Orc’s head upward.

Thud!

The Orc’s head snapped back, but its body remained rooted in place. Lowering its head slowly, the Orc glared at Park Chanseong with a murderous look.

Then it charged again.

As Park Chanseong tried to dodge with his footwork, the Orc lunged and grabbed his waist.

Normally, he would’ve dodged easily.

But his drunkenness dulled his reflexes.

Thud.

The Orc toppled Park Chanseong to the ground and mounted him, letting out a triumphant roar as it rained down punches.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Park Chanseong crossed his arms to block.

He tried to defend against the Orc’s fists.

But the force behind each blow was overwhelming.

‘This is E-rank? No way!’

‘How did it suddenly get this strong?’

‘How did it come to this…’

Park Chanseong’s confusion didn’t last long.

Thud!

His guard broke, and the Orc’s heavy fist slammed into his face.

“Gah!”

The Orc’s fists pounded Park Chanseong’s face. His nose caved in, blood gushing out. His lips split, and his voice came out hoarse.

“P-please, spare me—”

But the Orc didn’t understand human language.

“Kuwaaaaaaah!”

With a fierce roar, the Orc raised both fists and brought them down with all its might.

Crack!

Even if you weren’t a Guild Manager,

You’d know everything about Park Chanseong.

Back at the Academy, I’d seen enough of him to know him inside out.

And he was the type who never improved.

‘He hasn’t changed at all.’

I recalled Park Chanseong’s detailed profile in my head.

He had the Swift Movement and Punch Enhancement skills, and a background as a childhood Boxing athlete.

That’s why he was weak against Grapplers.

Plus, he was still drunk, so his control over his body was worse than usual.

‘Time to exploit that weakness.’

At my command, the Orc subdued Park Chanseong.

Twisting his waist and launching a one-sided attack, Park Chanseong couldn’t even resist.

The outcome was a complete victory for the Orc.

The Orc, following my orders, didn’t kill him.

It just beat him until he was on the verge of passing out. I looked at Park Chanseong sprawled on the ground and laughed inwardly.

‘That feels so satisfying.’

If he’d spent even a little time training or clearing Dungeons instead of drinking and chasing girls, he wouldn’t have gone down so easily, even drunk.

What a waste of Talent.

Shaking my head, I turned my attention away from Park Chanseong and looked at the Orc.

‘Still, thanks to him, I learned quite a bit.’

That I could issue commands through willpower.

That the Guardian would follow my orders exactly.

That I could use Dragon’s Blessing to boost its rank, and so on.

I was starting to get a feel for how to handle a Guardian.

Fwoosh!

Boom!

Just then, a red firework exploded in the sky.

Red meant there were still Monsters left unaccounted for.

The firework was fired by the Soldier guarding the entrance.

Most likely to call for help to deal with the Orc that had just beaten Park Chanseong.

‘Impressive.’

The sound of the firework could have drawn even more Monsters and gotten someone killed.

“Uoooooooh!”

I suppressed the Orc, who was getting riled up. I had no intention of causing harm to civilians.

And soon enough,

A Hunter arrived at the scene, responding to the firework. It was a familiar face. The B-rank Hunter who always showed up whenever a Dungeon Break occurred.

Saint of the Sword.

Han Ye-rim.

Han Ye-rim surveyed the situation, shook her head, and raised her sword.

“Park Chanseong… that crazy bastard.”

With a blade shimmering with white light, she sliced the Desert Crocodile Tribe Orc in a single stroke.

[The Guardian has suffered a fatal blow.]

[The Guardian is returning to the Dragon Lair.]

So it doesn’t die, it just returns to the Lair?

I stored this new information in my mind.

“Is everyone okay?”

“Thank you, Saint.”

“Yes, you saved us.”

The Soldiers breathed a sigh of relief.

I bowed my head lightly to express my gratitude.

“Thank you.”

Boom!

Another red firework exploded.

“Please take care of that lunatic for me.”

“Yes.”

Han Ye-rim moved toward the direction where the firework had gone off.

To clean up, she walked over to where Park Chanseong lay, pulled out her phone.

Click.

Click.

She took a few Photographs to report the situation.

“Jeez. He’s completely wrecked.”

She wrote up a Report for the Guild and attached the photos.

After submitting the Report, she picked up Park Chanseong. There should be a Public Official Hunter with healing skills waiting nearby.

She asked a Soldier for the location and carried Park Chanseong to the healer.

While Park Chanseong was getting treated at Base Camp, I checked the Quest I hadn’t had a chance to look at.

[You have completed Main Quest 2.]

[Growth Unlock. You can now grow your Guardian in the Dragon Lair.]

So Growth is possible.

I’d gotten stronger by investing idle rewards. If this worked like in the game, would I be able to do it the same way?

I’d have to check it out inside.

[A new Main Quest has arrived.]

[Main Quest 3]
-Use the Growth ability to improve your Guardian’s stats.
-Reward: Dragon God’s Body (EX) Unlock

Another skill as a reward?

I was about to go check, but someone called me from inside the tent, so I turned and entered.

“Park Chanseong’s treatment is complete.”

“Thank you.”

Park Chanseong, his eyes unfocused, just stared blankly at the ceiling.

The shock must have been great.

He’d nearly died and barely survived.

If this experience straightened him out, good for him. If not, it was no longer my concern.

I’d given him as much as he’d given me.

I let go of any lingering feelings toward Park Chanseong.

“The Guild will cover the treatment cost.”

“Yes.”

“Park Chanseong. Get up. I’ll take you home.”

I bundled the staggering, puppet-like Park Chanseong into a taxi and dropped him off at his house, then checked the time.

7 p.m.

After another taxi ride back near my home, I realized I was hungry. I considered just having some cereal with milk, but changed my mind.

I’d gotten paid, so I might as well eat well.

I went to a nearby 24-hour hangover soup place and ordered a bowl of gukbap.

After filling my stomach, I returned home.

“…Whew.”

Time to check out this Growth ability.

And to get another skill.

[Would you like to move to the Dragon Lair?]

“Yes.”

[Moving to the Dragon Lair.]

A flash of light, and the cave I’d seen before appeared.

Nothing much had changed since last time.

The only difference was the Orc from before, standing and staring at me blankly.

“Grrr…”

As I looked at it, the information I’d seen before appeared in front of my eyes again.

[Desert Crocodile Tribe Orc (E)]
-A member of the Orc tribe that worships Desert Crocodiles.
-Overall Stat: E
-Potential: D
-Access denied due to low rank.
-Access denied due to low rank.

At the same time, an additional message popped up.

[Tip: You can use money to grow your Guardian. Check the detailed stats and try growing your Guardian.]

It was all familiar from games.

When I checked its overall stats, the E-rank was broken down into more detailed categories.

Attack Power, Stamina, Evasion, Magic Power, Durability, and so on.

Each of the Orc’s Stats was listed in detail.

[Attack Power: E]

[Stamina: D]

[Durability: E]

[Evasion: F]

[Magic Power: F]

I selected the Orc’s Attack Power.

[To raise Attack Power to D-rank, you need 1 million won. Would you like to spend 1 million won to upgrade the rank?]

Where was the money coming from?

A message window popped up with my bank account balance.

Just over 10 million won.

It was my emergency fund, saved for paying off loans or in case of dire need.

“…Let’s just invest 1 million won.”

If clearing this Quest gave me another EX-rank skill, then 1 million won was a bargain.

Others spent billions to get this.

[Increasing Attack Power.]

[The Orc’s Attack Power has become D-rank.]

[You have completed Main Quest 3.]

[You have obtained Dragon God’s Body. From now on, the Lord’s own Growth is possible.]

I can grow myself now?

Swallowing nervously, I checked the new skill I’d obtained.

[Dragon God’s Body (EX)]
-A body enhancement magic created to allow a human to properly wield a dragon’s power.
-Physical abilities are enhanced, and resistance to poison, fear, and curses is granted.
-Attribute resistance can be increased.
-The more Potions consumed, the greater the boost to physical abilities.
-Training will further enhance physical abilities.

Whoa.

That’s insane.

[Applying Dragon God’s Body magic to the current Lord’s body.]

[There may be some pain.]

My joy was short-lived.

As the message disappeared, a wave of pain so intense it made me feel faint crashed over me.

“…Gah.”