Levelling Up In An Exclusive Dungeon

Chapter 11

When the news that Ahn Do-yoon had been knocked out by a C-rank Hunter, and a Cleric at that, spread, Titan was thrown into chaos.

The executives were furious and insisted that they had to find the person who had tarnished the guild’s reputation, but Seo Sang-ho did not accept this.

“It wasn’t that person who tarnished the guild’s reputation, it was Ahn Do-yoon.”

Ahn Do-yoon had stubbornly put the new recruits in danger and had tried to use violence against someone who deserved gratitude.

Seo Sang-ho held him accountable and demoted Ahn Do-yoon from Vice Guild Master to an ordinary guild member.

Originally, it was an offense deserving of expulsion, but the punishment was given in consideration of his dedication to the guild.

After kicking all the protesting executives out of the conference room, Seo Sang-ho sighed and leaned back in his chair.

“The more I think about it, the more regrettable it is.”

Seo Sang-ho deeply regretted not being able to recruit Kang Jin-hyuk into the guild.

Even if he had been caught off guard, the skill that knocked down an A-rank Hunter in one blow was definitely not the talent of someone who would remain a C-rank Hunter.

It was obvious that with a little time, he would become a stronger person than Ahn Do-yoon.

He was someone who might even become an S-rank Hunter like himself.

It was a thousand regrets that he had not been able to quickly recruit such a person.

“I really want to make him one of our people before he grows any bigger.”

Fortunately, he was at least able to get Kang Jin-hyuk’s contact information.

Since the connection was not broken with this, there was enough possibility that an opportunity would arise depending on how he acted in the future.

“Would it be better to start as drinking buddies first?”

Apart from his abilities, Seo Sang-ho also liked Kang Jin-hyuk’s refreshing attitude.

The character who refused even the additional compensation despite having made a contribution that everyone acknowledged.

He felt like he wanted to build a personal friendship with him, regardless of whether he joined the guild or not.

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“Should I have just taken it when he offered it?”

Kang Jin-hyuk felt a little regret as he checked his account balance.

Due to the purchase of various scrolls, including potions, and equipment, his spending had increased more than he had expected.

He had refused Titan’s additional compensation, thinking that he could earn it from the dungeon anyway.

Now that he thought about it, it was something he didn’t have to do.

“I ended up losing money for nothing just to show off.”

It was true that he had gained a good image from the Clerics thanks to that, but it was foolish to give up the immediate benefits he could have gained.

“Damn it, I’m not going out today until I make up for the loss.”

Kang Jin-hyuk, firmly determined, immediately opened the attic door.

As soon as he entered the dungeon, he felt an intense heat, as if the Dwarf was making something again.

“Is he increasing his collection again?”

Since it seemed like he shouldn’t interrupt him while he was busy working, Kang Jin-hyuk immediately headed down to the lower floor through the gate.

As he went deeper into the forest and passed the cave he had seen before, he was greeted by Orcs instead of Kobolds this time.

“Tsk.”

The Orcs, spotting Kang Jin-hyuk, walked towards him with a threatening attitude.

Even though he was surrounded by over 20 Orcs, Kang Jin-hyuk was overflowing with confidence.

Since he had taken down Orcs in one blow even when his level was lower than now, there was no reason for him to be intimidated just because the number had increased a bit.

Kang Jin-hyuk moved before the Orcs and swung his bat at the Orc in front of him.

The Orc, too startled to even raise its shield, had its skull caved in.

“20 Orcs should be quite profitable.”

Luckily, the Orc that Kang Jin-hyuk had taken down with his preemptive strike was the leader.

Dealing with the Orcs who were in disarray after losing their leader was easier than a post-meal workout.

After just 10 minutes, there was not a single Orc left with an intact head among those who had flocked around Kang Jin-hyuk.

After taking care of the Orcs’ corpses and going further into the forest, Kang Jin-hyuk discovered stairs that looked exactly like the ones he had seen on the 1st floor.

“Can I go down to the lower floor?”

As with this forest, there was a high probability that stronger monsters would appear below.

Kang Jin-hyuk, confident in his skills, went down the stairs without hesitation.

『You have arrived at the 3rd Layer, ‘Labyrinth of Temple Guardians’.』

『The 3rd Layer has been registered at the Warp Gate.』

The same messages that appeared when he first came down the stairs appeared.

The place that the messages referred to as the 3rd Layer was like a labyrinth, but not quite a labyrinth.

It looked like an old temple.

It was a place covered with moss on every wall and where no human presence could be felt.

“The atmosphere is kind of creepy.”

It was fortunate that the surroundings were bright as if the sun had risen.

If it had been dark, it would have been a place suitable for a haunted house.

Although it was an eerie place, Kang Jin-hyuk had no intention of turning back.

“Maybe I can find enchantment materials in a place like this.”

Aluminum was overflowing outside, so if he could just get enchantment materials, it was only a matter of time before he became filthy rich!

And Kang Jin-hyuk was curious about what kind of monsters would appear in a place like this.

As if to answer his curiosity, a Golem suddenly sprang up from the ground.

“What the heck?!”

As soon as it appeared, the Golem struck Kang Jin-hyuk with its stone fist.

He stepped back and dodged it, but it was a very close call.

Kang Jin-hyuk saw that the spot where he had just been standing was dented by the Golem’s fist.

Even if he had armor made of Mithril, he didn’t think he would be safe if he got hit by something like that a few times.

“I need to hit and run quickly…….”

Kang Jin-hyuk took advantage of the moment when the Golem was regaining its posture and quickly ran towards it.

When he struck the Golem’s head with his tightly gripped bat, the stone head shattered into pieces.

However, unlike other monsters, the Golem did not die from losing its head.

The Golem’s fist, which stretched out without stopping, struck Kang Jin-hyuk’s body.

“Ugh!”

Thanks to the damage reduction effect of the chainmail, Kang Jin-hyuk was able to avoid a fatal injury.

Kang Jin-hyuk rolled back once and then quickly got up.

He tried to act as if he was fine, but in the end, Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t overcome the pain and knelt on one knee.

“The damage, even after being halved, is this much……?”

The fact that it was stronger than he thought was a problem, but the bigger problem was that it was fine even after its head was smashed.

There had been no information about Golems being spotted outside before.

Since it was a monster he didn’t know how to deal with, Kang Jin-hyuk had to figure it out on his own.

“If you watch things like cartoons, they say you can kill a Golem by destroying its core.”

Normally, the vital point would have glowed due to the enchantment effect of the bat, but not now.

No matter where he looked on the Golem, there was no part that glowed separately.

So, even if he tried to find the core, it was useless with just his naked eyes.

“Is there even a core in the first place?”

In fact, the Golem’s core was just a story that appeared in novels and cartoons.

There was no guarantee that it would apply in reality.

“Why did that thing have to appear when normal monsters would have been fine?”

Kang Jin-hyuk realized that he was not fully prepared to come here and prepared to escape.

However, a new Golem sprang up from under his feet faster than he could take out the Return Stone from his inventory.

“Whoa!”

He lost his balance and dropped the Return Stone he had picked up.

Moreover, the newly appeared Golem was about to mercilessly swing its fist at Kang Jin-hyuk, who had fallen.

Kang Jin-hyuk desperately stretched out his hand forward and cast the Cleric’s skill.

“Holy Shield!”

A golden shield appeared in front of Kang Jin-hyuk and successfully blocked the Golem’s fist.

However, he couldn’t relax yet.

Due to the low level of the skill, the shield was already on the verge of breaking.

If the Golem punched again, he probably wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

“Damn it!”

As Kang Jin-hyuk hurriedly tried to get up to escape, someone’s shout was heard.

“Stay seated!”

Immediately after the voice was heard, an arrow flew past Kang Jin-hyuk’s head and pierced the Golem’s chest right in the center.

The Golem, pierced in the chest, collapsed powerlessly, turning into ordinary stones.

At that moment, Kang Jin-hyuk realized that the Golem’s core was located in the center of its chest.

Now that he knew the weakness, there was no need to hesitate.

Kang Jin-hyuk immediately got up and threw his bat at the Golem running towards him.

The baseball bat, flying at high speed, accurately struck the Golem’s chest.

With the sound of stones breaking, the running Golem crumbled.

After catching the baseball bat that returned thanks to the retrieval function, Kang Jin-hyuk breathed a sigh of relief.

“Phew…… That was close.”

Kang Jin-hyuk caught his breath and looked back in the direction the arrow had come from.

There stood a figure with a brown hood covering their entire body and face, holding a bow.

He couldn’t tell their gender from their appearance, but the voice was definitely that of a woman.

Kang Jin-hyuk thought that she, like the Dwarf, was someone who lived in the dungeon.

This was because he felt a sense of incongruity in her attire, making it hard to believe that she was someone from the outside like him.

“Thank you for your help.”

Kang Jin-hyuk, approaching to express his gratitude, was grabbed by the collar before he could even react.

“Ugh?”

It happened so suddenly that he didn’t even have time to think about why he was suddenly grabbed by the collar.

The hooded figure pulled Kang Jin-hyuk’s face close and asked.

“Where did you come from?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking where you came from. Are you trapped too? Or did you come in from outside?”

It was a sudden question, just like her actions.

Kang Jin-hyuk answered without thinking, just saying what came to mind.

“I came in from outside.”

The moment he heard those words, the other person’s actions became even more intense.

She grabbed his collar with both hands instead of one and shook Kang Jin-hyuk’s body back and forth vigorously.

“You came from outside?! When!?”

“T-Today.”

“Where and how did you come in?!”

“I just came in because I saw the entrance!”

Kang Jin-hyuk felt like he was going to get motion sickness because the hooded figure was shaking him so much.

Just as he was about to tell her to stop shaking him, the two hands gripping his collar fell away.

Since it happened without warning, Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t cope with the recoil that followed.

Kang Jin-hyuk lost his balance and fell on his butt.

“Ouch……. What the heck are you doing?!”

The hooded figure didn’t even acknowledge Kang Jin-hyuk’s protest.

Lost in thought, she earnestly muttered something, looking like a person possessed by a ghost.

‘Is she mentally ill?’

Kang Jin-hyuk stealthily stepped back, looking for a chance to escape.

When he moved about 10cm, an arrow flew past his head, cutting through the wind.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Terrified, Kang Jin-hyuk only opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish.

He hadn’t seen her take out the bow and draw the string at all, but an arrow had flown right in front of him.

Just from that, he could tell that she wasn’t someone he could dare to challenge.

“Take me to the entrance you came in from right now.”

“…….”

Kang Jin-hyuk nodded with a pale face.

If he expressed his refusal here, his body might end up riddled with holes.

“Good answer.”

The other person seemed satisfied and slung her bow on her back again.

And she took off the hood that was covering her face.

Bright blonde hair, green eyes, and long, pointed ears.

Seeing the very image of an ‘Elf’ as depicted in creative works, Kang Jin-hyuk was so surprised that he closed his mouth.