Did we really need to bother with all this, Mr. Dongsuk?
We could've just killed them.
What are you, dense?
We fight in there, and the spider wakes up? No more mana crystals.
I don't care if he's the weakest or the bleakest,
there's no way that wimpy piece of crap and a D-Rank with no raid experience
can take a boss down.
The spider eats them, it goes back to sleep, and then we haul out the mana crystals.
Should I light the place up with magic again?
That would also wake the spider up!
There were side tunnels near the ceiling. That's where we'll drop back down.
I get it. Nice plan, Mr. Dongsuk.
You think it'll be asleep, though?
If not, we'll have to take the boss down ourselves.
Though, that Yoo Jinho kid... You saw his gear, right?
The sword and shield alone must be worth hundreds of millions.
If we can't grab enough mana crystals, his stuff will have to do.
Better find out whose trust fund kid he is.
It'd look bad if I didn't show at the funeral.
Gotta say, that was a hell of a noise when the entrance caved in.
The boss has gotta be pissed.
Kyuhwan, do you think you could take that nasty bastard down yourself?
Not at all!
I'm right there with you. It was a pretty impressive boss.
Which means those two little twerps have absolutely no chance of surviving.
Hang on! You'd need to be at least B-Rank to take down a C-Rank boss by yourself.
Or an upper C-Rank, at the very minimum!
You've got no chance, Jinwoo...
Let's try and find a way out instead!
Jinho is right. I may have reawakened and leveled up, but I'm still weak.
The Blue Venom-Fanged Kasaka I ran into in the instance dungeon was probably D-Rank,
and that golem boss was probably D-Rank or lower.
This boss is guaranteed to be a lot stronger than either of them.
But for some reason... I don't feel intimidated enough to give up.
I've gotten strong enough to stand my ground against a C-Rank boss.
I'm level 18 now.
Taking on a C-Rank boss...
is worth a shot!
We're called hunters for a reason.
And the real hunt begins now!
Another long day, sir.
The government, the media,
organizations related to energy development...
These nonstop meetings are beginning to wear on me.
I was never much of a talker in the first place.
Your schedule is clear for the time being.
Would it be all right if I asked for a bit of instruction?
It might be the change of pace you need, too.
They say old soldiers fade away...
but I can hardly turn down a youngster asking for a spot of guidance.
Its exoskeleton is so hard!
And it strikes with tremendous power! One false move, and I'm dead!
The way he's moving... No way is he E-Rank!
Wh-What in the world is he?!
Wait... Did he fake his ranking?!
I've heard the rumors.
Rare individuals can control their magic power to register with a lower ranking—
the hunters known as false rankers!
And most of them are said to be lunatics who kill for the fun of it!
What am I doing here?
D-Dad...
Damn! Its exterior is too tough for me to do any real damage!
And if my fatigue gets any higher, I'll start to slow down.
I need to kill it before that happens!
Paralysis and drain... This dagger's special abilities will be the key!
If I aim for a weak spot, it should get through!
There!
Acid?! That's a nasty surprise!
Rock-solid armor and acidic spit...
This eight-legged freak is even worse than I thought.
And the longer this goes on, the worse off I'll be.
I need to get up close, regardless of the risk.
My new skill, Dash...
I can use this to get in, fast!
If one hit won't cut it, then I'll keep going!
S-So fast...
But will he have enough stamina to hang in there?
What is he even trying to do?
Faster...
I have to go faster!
Almost there!
Jinwoo!
It's a good thing I sat on those daily quest rewards.
I would've had more trouble otherwise.
I can't believe it...
He really did beat a boss by himself!
And there can be no other explanation! He's a false ranker!
I wonder how much this'll go for...
U-Um... B-Boss?
Would you like me to carry the essence stone for you?
I'll handle the gear, too.
Here's some water. Please help yourself, Boss.
U-Uh... Sure.
Why is he calling me that?
You rest up, boss! I'll excavate the mana crystals!
What the heck's gotten into him?
Huh... They're alive.
Are you all right?
Yes, sir. Thank you for the lesson.
I should be thanking you. This really was just what I needed.
I appreciate it.
I'm impressed, Chairman. You don't seem to have lost a step.
No, compared to when I was on active duty...
You've gotten better at defense yourself, Jinchul.
It shows you've kept up your practice.
Training might not raise your rank,
but you can always hone your body and technique.
It's important to work on one's body and mind,
instead of relying solely on your hunter powers.
Especially if you regularly find yourself in extreme situations like dungeons.
It's at times like those when human nature can rear its ugly head.
Is the freaking boss dead?
I guess it was just an overgrown spider? What a joke.
Maybe that gear was enough to beat a C-Rank boss with.
But in the hands of a D-Rank... Just how weak was this thing?
What's the call, Mr. Dongsuk?
Ain't it obvious?
Yoo Jinho!
That fancy gear of yours got me curious, and I'm impressed!
Your old man's Yoo Myunghan, the head of Yoojin Construction, right?
Wh-What of it?
I'm giving you a chance!
Kill Sung Jinwoo.
You've figured it out by now, right?
We pick up wastes of space to round out our numbers, let them die, and keep all the loot.
Jinho. You're gonna be an accomplice.
That's the only way you're walking out alive.
That's...
That trust fund kid's gear was enough to take down a C-Rank...
If it has special effects, it could be a real pain.
Or if you'd prefer, you can both die here.
What's up? Why hesitate?
Nothing that happens here is ever going to get out, anyway.
Don't tell me a D-Rank like you is afraid of an E-Rank like him...
So you're siding with him?
What now, Mr. Dongsuk?
Deal with the weak one first.
Have you boys...
ever killed a human before?
An urgent quest?
What the hell?
You're gonna wanna pay attention!
Boss!
Heejin!
It's been a while.
How have things been with the White Tiger Guild lately?
Nothing special, really. Just the usual business.
What about the Hunters Guild, Gina?
Same for us, really. Just normal stuff.
You mentioned you were going to start A-Rank dungeon training with Ms. Cha.
How'd that go?
It was really something...
Something fast.
We were all struggling against an A-Rank beast...
But she defeated it in a flash.
She made it look extremely easy.
We were all pretty surprised, but Kihoon was completely bowled over.
He'd been hoping to become the next strike team captain, you see.
He is pretty straight-laced, yeah.
What about Chul in your guild?
He's after the same kind of position, right?
He's... not a bad guy or anything...
The fact that you said it like that tells us everything.
Well, be that as it may, we're pretty lucky.
The Hunters Guild and the White Tiger Guild... We're in the big leagues.
You've got a point there.
You hear plenty of unsavory rumors about a lot of places out there.
Like what?
Strike teams with suspiciously high fatality rates, for instance.
Yoo Jinho! He's dead.
How could you?!
How could I have forgotten?
I work in a world where survival of the fittest is the reality.
A world filled with violence, deception, and betrayal.
How could I...?
How? How? How...?
How? How? How? How?! How?!
That's it. I'd grown numb to it.
Carelessness. Overconfidence. Delusion.
Enemies...
The system is telling me to kill.
Does it need to keep me alive for some reason?
This isn't a coincidence. It's not charity.
The system wants me alive.
It wants me strong.
Boss! Thank goodness...
Dude, he's alive.
Okay, then.
If the system wants to use me, then I'll use it, too.
Damn it, Kyuhwan. Don't hold back so much.
I'd forgotten.
The weak always get taken from. That's how it works here.
Hey, look! The Weakest Hunter of All Mankind actually gets it!
That means you guys understand how it works, too, right?
How what works?
If you're hunters...
then you're ready to be preyed on yourselves, right?
Let me handle this, Mr. Dongsuk.
Look, buddy. You clearly don't understand what's going on here.
We should be ready to be preyed on?
And what's a jumped-up E-Rank like you gonna do?
The Weakest Hunter of All—
One down.
J-Juntae!
What the hell?
When did he draw that weapon?!
Where was he even hiding it?!
Overconfidence aside, Juntae was D-Rank!
How could an E-Rank manage to kill him?!
I just killed someone.
A human being.
Even if I was just obeying the system,
I've... just murdered another person.
But if I hadn't done it, I would've died.
So I can't back down now.
If only the strong get to survive, then...!
Go to hell!
How's an E-Rank got moves like that?!
Son of a bitch...
Kyuhwan!
R-Right!
Take this!
He's so strong...
He feels stronger now than when he was fighting the dungeon boss.
H-He took my entire team apart in seconds...
Was he hiding his true strength?
You beat the boss, didn't you?!
Well, I might be a C-Rank, too, but you'll find I'm nothing like them!
Reinforcement!
This guy may be a monster,
but after fighting a boss and five hunters, he can't be at full strength.
The trick is in how fast he is, and in his dagger's special abilities.
But when I use the Reinforcement skill, my body becomes as strong as steel!
That knife of his won't affect me!
Mr. Hwang. You're strong.
But I've got some bad news for you.
I've been leveling up this entire time.
Wh-What just happened?
He... He smashed me into the ground?
There's no way in hell he's E-Rank!
H-Hang on! Don't kill me!
You've gotta show mercy! I-I can pay you!
The mana crystals and essence stones... You can have the lot!
I-Is that not enough for you? I-In that case...
I'll pay you double! Double what I was—
Three times.
You tried to kill me three times...
and now you want mercy?
D-Don't do it! Y-You won't get away with this!
Weren't you the one who said nothing that happens in a dungeon ever gets out?
You little shit! Do you have any idea who my brother—
The boss is dead, so the dungeon's closing. Let's get out of here.
You mean to tell me that all the C-Rank hunters died in action,
and the only survivors were... a D-Rank and an E-Rank?
That's true. Well...
You!
Y-Yes?!
Your gear... That's the Maya Company's Kalion Longsword! The one that just came out!
Oh... Yeah.
I got rewarded for something like that, huh?
And that's Gredos's Royal Series!
The Murderous Intent skill...?
It can cut all abilities in half, huh?
I see! Well, your equipment explains your survival.
You must've handled everything yourself,
while this E-Rank probably hid to say safe.
I appreciate your cooperation after such an ordeal.
That should be everything.
E-Excuse me...
B-Boss... Good work back there!
Right.
Is everything okay?
I was just thinking...
I'm glad I gave her that umbrella.