Hello...?
Jinwoo, are you still asleep?!
Yeah. I was a little worn out.
Do you realize what time it is?
You do remember you're supposed to meet with my teacher, right?
Uh... That is you, right, Jinwoo?
What? You think it looks bad?
It's been over ten years since gates began appearing across the world.
The battles between the magic beasts inhabiting the dungeons through the gates
and the human hunters who have awakened the abilities to fight them
show no signs of ending.
Sung Jinwoo, looking to earn enough money
to provide for his sick mother and his student sister,
started working as a hunter of the lowest possible level: E-Rank.
In most cases, a Hunter's powers do not change from the moment of their awakening,
and nor does their rank.
However, during a raid on a double dungeon, Sung Jinwoo
gained the ability to level up as though in a video game.
As he grew stronger in battle, he obtained the recipe
for the Elixir of Life, said to be able to cure any disease,
as well as a new job class allowing him to command an army of shadows: shadow monarch.
Not exactly bad, but...
Well, it's not like I can meet with your teacher in a tracksuit.
People sure can transform, huh?
Oh my gosh, who is that?!
Wow, you're the center of attention.
You don't have a girlfriend, right? Want me to make some introductions?
Pipe down.
Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!
Miss Jinah is very well behaved, and she gets wonderful grades.
She's a role model to the other students, which is a relief to those of us on staff.
I see.
Her mock exam results have been excellent,
enough to qualify her for the medical school she's aiming for,
so I only ask you not to put additional pressure on her.
Understood.
That's everything I needed to cover, but there was one other thing...
What's that?
If Jinah were to awaken, would you allow her to become a hunter?
No.
I thought so.
Why do you ask?
Mr. Sung, I realize that I'm asking a lot here...
Uh...
What's going on here?
You recognize her?
Wait... You're Jinah's brother?!
Small world, isn't it?
I have no idea what our teacher told you,
but I'm not going back to school or quitting hunting.
You're an E-Rank. You can't earn a living like that.
I'm sure you made some money with our strike team, but that was a one-time thing.
If you're here to lecture me, you can go home now.
Besides, you're E-Rank, too, aren't you?
I'm not here to tell you to stop.
Come on.
Welcome home, Hunter Hwang Dongsoo.
Like I'd call an old-fashioned dump like this home.
Gotta admit, I'm surprised
a Hunter's Association manager would deign to meet me in person.
How long will you be staying?
I don't like this country enough to stick around. You can unclench.
Did you come all the way back to your abandoned homeland to find the two of them?
"Find" them?
Don't ask when you already know the answer.
You folks in the Surveillance Team can just pretend you had no idea...
what I plan on doing to them inside a dungeon.
First the E-Rank, and then the D-Rank.
Or are you really stupid enough to try and stop me?
A scrub like you?
All I intend on doing is my job.
So they had wings...
The real issue is that the bodies fell into the sea.
You're saying these beasts are now capable of flight?
Only over short distances, for now, but in time...?
I'll have to arrange for it to be looked into on this end.
Manager Ahn, Mr. Hyun. It's good to see you again.
It's been a while!
I didn't expect to hear from you, Mr. Sung.
What a pleasant surprise!
Good evening.
Hey, I remember you from the other day!
Sorry to impose.
Oh, not at all. If it's for you, Hunter Sung...
I was surprised to hear you wanted to sit in on some training. Is it for that girl?
That's right.
You timed it perfectly, actually.
This area has been designated a high-frequency gate zone.
A C-Rank one opened up this morning, in fact.
How long are you going to stand around and chat? We're not here on a field trip.
Sorry about that. We're almost done.
Who's that?
Kim Chul, an A-Rank. As you can see, he's a tank.
He's A-Rank...?
This excursion was actually designated as a training experience for our younger hunters,
him included. He'll be serving as the leader of the strike team.
When we asked him about you tagging along, it seems to have put him in a mood...
Hey!
Unbelievable. Can't believe I'm stuck with babysitting a couple of E-Ranks.
One would be bad enough, but two?
Now, today's strike team will consist of one A-Rank, five B-Ranks,
and two C-Ranks. Eight in total.
With the addition of you two, that makes ten members.
I had hoped she might reconsider upon seeing how brutal raids can be,
but that's a stacked lineup.
If they succeed too easily, it'll defeat the purpose.
Hunter Sung?
In order to ensure the rookie hunters have something to do,
try to limit your participation, okay?
I'll keep that in mind.
Let's get underway, then.
Don't have to tell me twice.
Let's go, mister.
I'll be right behind you.
Something feels off.
This bizarre sensation...
Don't tell me...
What in the world...?
Hunter Sung?
Manager Ahn! Contact the primary strike team!
Right now!
A red gate?! How did a C-Rank gate turn red?!
I'm headed there right now!
What happened back there?
The gate's disappeared!
How do we get back now?!
That was a red gate.
What exactly is a red gate, mister?
Unlike typical gates, once you step through,
it takes you to a dungeon completely isolated from the outside.
You can't leave until the boss is defeated or a dungeon break occurs,
and no one can send help from the outside.
Not only that, but the magic beasts inside are usually stronger than normal.
So if this is a C-Rank dungeon...
An ambush! On your guard!
Uh... Thank you.
It's fine. Don't worry about it.
Ice elves?
And they're way up there!
That's a lot of distance. Most people wouldn't have noticed.
They went after our weakest two members...
which would've included me, two months ago.
Mister... What were those?
Ice elves.
Though due to their cruel nature, hunters call them something more befitting of demons:
Ice Slayers.
Attention!
As you know, a red gate means we're completely cut off from support,
facing enemies of B-Rank or higher.
Given the situation,
I expect you to obey the highest-ranked hunter here in order to survive.
That said, even I can't command all of you by myself.
Which is why I'll be forming a second group to proceed onward.
What?
This is to raise our chances of survival!
If we stand around debating,
our only outcomes will be freezing to death or getting slaughtered!
I guarantee that anyone who follows me will make it out of here alive!
I-I'll join you.
Let me go with you!
M-Me, too!
Not you.
The girl who's here to observe, and you... and anyone C-Rank or lower.
Every day we spend in here, an hour passes on the outside.
Whether we end up beating the boss or waiting for a dungeon break,
we could be here for up to several months.
That's too long to spend looking after dead weight.
Don't look so depressed. Just stay alive until we beat the boss, and we can all go home.
Excuse me. Is it okay if I join them?
Suit yourself.
Does she pity them? What a fool.
Mr. Kim didn't even notice that arrow.
You aren't E-Rank, are you?
A-Rank... or maybe even higher.
Good to meet you.
H-Hello.
Hey.
We'll be taking the path through the clearing.
In that case, we'll head for the woods.
I wish you luck.
Likewise. Be careful out there.
Captain?
Look.
Those are...
An ice bear did that.
We're basically leaving that E-Rank's group to die.
They probably haven't had proper training or anything.
Dying after coming to observe a raid... Talk about rotten luck.
Hang on. They've got a C-Rank, and Park Heejin, who's a B-Rank...
So why did I assume the E-Rank was their leader?
Get ready, people!
I want all of you to focus on staying alive.
Stop!
What is it?
That should be obvious.
Look at those claw marks. This entire forest is ice bear territory.
We should turn back before we run into any.
That's exactly why we'll keep going further.
If this is bear territory, we'll only need to worry about bears while we're inside of it.
It beats dealing with an intelligent enemy like ice elves.
If ice bears can thrive here, there must be no stronger beasts that'd prey on them.
I hadn't thought that far ahead.
That said, it's as cold as you'd expect out in the woods.
I've got one for each of us.
Was that summoning magic?!
But even high-ranked hunters have trouble storing more than two or three low-level items!
So warm!
Seriously, mister, who are you really?
I brought you in here, so it's my responsibility to keep you safe.
All I ask is you don't ask questions.
That goes for the two of you, as well.
Don't ask me about anything, or for anything.
Change title.
It's sealed shut.
If we're lucky, a few of the A and B-Ranks will make it back alive...
It's all going to depend on Hunter Kim.
There's actually someone else who accompanied our strike team.
His name is Sung Jinwoo. He caught my eye recently, and—
What's his rank?
E-Rank, sir.
But I suspect he might have reawakened!
Have you confirmed it?
Not... directly, no.
Get a load of this.
It's like a who's who of White Tiger Guild bigwigs.
There an A-Rank gate around here or something?
Hwang Dongsoo...
It's been a while, Baek Yoonho. Didn't think I'd run into you.
Why are you here?
You're supposed to be in America. What are you doing in our jurisdiction?
Your "jurisdiction"?
I got a question for you, then.
What the hell's some unaffiliated E-Rank trash doing inside of a White Tiger Guild gate?
What?
This Sung Jinwoo guy.
Hwang's after him, too?
I bothered coming down here, and he's stuck behind a red gate?
I was hoping to at least get a look at the bastard.
And now he's probably gonna bite it on the other side.
Sung Jinwoo... You're a lucky man.
Even Hwang Dongsoo can't do anything to someone on the other side of a red gate.
The question then becomes: are you lucky enough to get out of there alive?
The experience payout here is way higher. I guess that's a red gate for you.
Wh-Who in the world are you?
Bear meat tastes better than I expected.
We're not getting attacked as much...
Did Hunter Sung kill most of the bears already?
There should still be some in their dens. We have to be careful.
I can't help but wonder...
After all of that fighting, he still wants after-meal exercise?
He's definitely a strange one.
Sure is.
Looks like an even match, numbers-wise.
Get out here.
This'll be your first job.
Go.
Artillery with high firepower. Infantry that can regenerate quickly.
They're outperforming my expectations.
Although they do drain a ton of mana...
You must be the leader of the pack.
The shadow soldiers were wiped out instantly. I don't have the mana to resummon them.
Igris.
Wow.
If Igris had been fighting with his sword the entire time,
he definitely would've killed me.
Only at my current level are we on equal footing...
No. I might still be weaker.
Nice work.
Help—
This shouldn't be possible...
I... I'm going to join the elite of the White Tiger Guild!
This can't be happening to me!
Captain...!