Levelling Up In An Exclusive Dungeon

Chapter 3

Kang Jin-hyuk immediately entered the dungeon and began hunting.

Even though their levels were low, goblins were the weakest of the weak, so they weren’t difficult to deal with.

Kang Jin-hyuk, who encountered five or six goblins at once, recalled the appraiser’s advice.

This time, he only aimed precisely at their heads and swiftly eliminated the goblin horde.

『You have leveled up.』

Kang Jin-hyuk opened his inventory and stuffed the goblin corpses inside.

It was quite amazing to see goblins, each with a height of 110cm, being crammed into a space the size of a pouch.

It was a shame that it was a cheap inventory, only able to store monsters and items.

“But there’s still plenty of space left.”

Kang Jin-hyuk was excited to have stumbled upon an unexpected gold mine.

But no matter how excited he was, he had to value his own life.

Kang Jin-hyuk took out two Return Stones from his inventory just in case and left one outside the attic.

And he securely put the other one in his pants pocket.

“It costs 500,000 won each, but when would I use it if not now?”

Now, if anything happened, he could immediately use the Return Stone to escape outside the attic.

It was a 1 million won escape method, but it was better than dying here.

Having secured his insurance, Kang Jin-hyuk then took out a disc-shaped object that looked like a hand mirror.

“I never thought the day would come when I’d actually use this.”

A search radar（(Regular Price: 398,000 won)） that he bought after being fooled by the advertisement that said it could detect the location of monsters anytime, anywhere.

As expected from a product sold on a home shopping channel, the reality was that it was a trash item that could only detect a range of 50m ahead.

This white elephant, which couldn’t be refunded or exchanged because the manufacturer ran off with the money, started working again after a long time.

Numerous spots appeared on the disc.

This was an indication that there were multiple monsters nearby.

“Good!”

The radar’s guidance was a great help in the winding labyrinth.

Kang Jin-hyuk ran towards the nearest spot, holding his baseball bat.

“Kieeek?”

By the time the goblin was startled by the sudden presence, it was already too late.

Like a batter facing a fastball, the bat swung with full force crushed the goblin’s face.

The sound of the impact, “Kang!”, resonated deeply within Kang Jin-hyuk.

“Home run!”

As Kang Jin-hyuk cheered at the sight of the goblin flying backward, his notification window popped up once again.

『You have leveled up.』

Thinking that his level must have increased a bit, Kang Jin-hyuk checked his stat window after a while.

『Kang Jin-hyuk』

Level: 13

Race: Human

Class: None

Strength: D

Agility: D

Magic Power: F

Stamina: C

Although his level had increased considerably, his stats were still dismal, contrary to his expectations.

The stats of a low-class Hunter without any skills were usually at this level.

“I can just raise them from now on.”

Until yesterday, just looking at his stats would have made him sigh, but now it was different.

Kang Jin-hyuk had a dungeon overflowing with monsters.

The days of worrying about when he could level up were now over.

“Now, where to next?”

Checking the radar, the closest group of spots were three clustered together in his current location.

As expected, their identities were also goblins.

It seemed that, as the name “Goblin’s Labyrinth” suggested, all the monsters around here were goblins.

Although it was monotonous, it was the optimal hunting ground for the low-level Kang Jin-hyuk.

Realizing that there was nothing as simple and exciting as smashing goblin heads, Kang Jin-hyuk ran through the dungeon, following the radar.

“Kieek!”

“Keeeaaak!”

For a full three hours, the screams of goblins echoed endlessly through the labyrinth.

Kang Jin-hyuk, who was rampaging like a fish in water, only stopped swinging his bat when he confirmed that his inventory was full.

“Tsk…… It’s already full.”

At best, there was only enough space for about one more monster.

He wished he could leave the corpses in the labyrinth and come back to collect them later.

But that wasn’t a very wise method.

Goblins would devour even the corpses of their own kind without hesitation, so leaving the bodies behind would only serve to feed them.

If he wanted to hunt more, he had to empty his inventory and then come back.

“If it’s the last one, I’d prefer a bigger one.”

He could get more money for goblins that were over 130cm tall.

Apparently, the bigger and healthier they were, the better the quality of their leather and bones.

There happened to be a spot glowing around the corner to the left.

Even if Kang Jin-hyuk didn’t go there, the spot was moving towards the corner on its own.

“If I wait here and ambush it, it’ll be an easy finish.”

Kang Jin-hyuk leaned against the wall, firmly gripping the bat with both hands.

And he waited patiently for his opponent to come around the corner.

As the spot approached and came into view, Kang Jin-hyuk swung the bat reflexively.

He only realized that his opponent wasn’t a goblin after the bat had struck its head.

After the sound of metal clashing against metal, the opponent clutched his head and collapsed.

“… … I’m screwed.”

He mistook it for a goblin because it was about the same height.

The opponent with a bushy beard threw off his helmet and shouted.

“ᛋᚢᛞᛒᚢ! ᛏᚺᛖᛋᛒᚱ!”

Even though his opponent was yelling with a red face, Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t understand a single word because it was a language from a completely different world.

But he could roughly guess the meaning.

At the very least, he must have asked about his parents’ well-being at least three times.

“I’m sorry!”

Since they couldn’t communicate, Kang Jin-hyuk bowed 90 degrees to express his apology as much as possible.

Maybe his sincerity would get through if he bowed his head to the point of looking servile.

‘I never thought there would be a person in the dungeon.’

It was small and hairy for a human, but at least it didn’t look like a monster.

“ᚢᚱᚨᛈᚫᚳᚢᚳ!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Since he couldn’t understand his opponent’s shouts, all Kang Jin-hyuk could do was keep bowing his head.

Then, the opponent, who had been hit with the bat, huffed and puffed before taking out a necklace from his pocket and tossing it to Kang Jin-hyuk.

When Kang Jin-hyuk caught it in surprise, the opponent gestured with his hands as if putting on a necklace.

“Does he want me to wear this?”

He didn’t understand why he was suddenly being given this gift, but he followed the instructions for now.

The moment Kang Jin-hyuk put on the necklace, his opponent’s voice, which had sounded like an alien language, became clearly audible.

“Can you understand me now, you little punk!?”

When the surprised Kang Jin-hyuk just stared with wide eyes without answering, the opponent shouted again.

“I said, can you hear me, you tiny brat!?”

“The tiny one is you, not me…….”

“What did you say, you little punk!?”

“Ah, no! I’m sorry!”

Seeing Kang Jin-hyuk bowing his head and apologizing again, the opponent clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Damn it. In my 132 years as a dwarf, I’ve never met such a punk.”

“Dwa, Dwarf?”

“Yes, you punk! You’ve never seen a dwarf before!?”

Kang Jin-hyuk immediately nodded his head instead of answering.

The dwarf had a dumbfounded expression on his face.

“Not only do you babble in a language I’ve never heard of, but you’ve never even seen a dwarf? Where are you from, some backwater village?”

“I’m from Bangi-dong…….”

“What’s that? Some village at the edge of the world?”

“Korea.”

“Never heard of it, must be a backwater village.”

Kang Jin-hyuk thought that the dwarf seemed to be from a completely different world.

Not only could they not communicate, but he didn’t even know Korea.

It was strange that he had never even heard of it, especially with that fat guy in the north making so much noise.

And in the first place, dwarves didn’t even exist on Earth.

“What’s your name?”

“Huh? Why are you suddenly asking for my name……?”

“I’m trying to learn the name of the punk who tried to smash my head! Why!?”

“Ka, Kang Jin-hyuk.”

“Kang Jin-hyuk? Whoever you are, you have a crappy name.”

“Well, I admit I was wrong, but could you please refrain from insulting my parents?”

“Who cares, damn it! You made me drop all my stuff!”

The dwarf grumbled and started picking up the equipment scattered on the floor one by one.

When Kang Jin-hyuk just watched him, the dwarf’s neck veins bulged.

“What are you doing, punk! You caused this! Help me out!”

Hearing the dwarf’s shout, Kang Jin-hyuk started to get annoyed.

He knew it was unfair, but he couldn’t help but get angry after being constantly yelled at and cursed at.

When he felt like the baseball bat was craving blood, Kang Jin-hyuk took a deep breath.

“Alright. I’ll help you.”

Kang Jin-hyuk put down the bat and helped the dwarf organize his belongings.

What he had dropped were a hammer, tongs, and numerous other weapons.

Every time Kang Jin-hyuk picked one up, a message window popped up in front of his eyes.

『You have picked up a Rare item.』

『You have picked up a Rare item.』

“…….”

Messages that Hunters might see once in their lifetime, if they were lucky, were popping up continuously.

Kang Jin-hyuk was so stunned by the sight that he had a blank expression on his face.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Did you see a ghost?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

He wanted to beg for one, if he could.

But he couldn’t do that because he had a criminal record of trying to crack the dwarf’s skull.

‘Should I sneak one?’

Kang Jin-hyuk shook his head at the sudden selfish thought.

If he got caught, the dwarf might kill him.

Judging by the fact that he had so many rare items, the dwarf must have been a high level.

If a low-level Hunter who didn’t even have a class tried to fight him, he would surely get beaten up legally.

While Kang Jin-hyuk was struggling with his internal conflict, the dwarf tied his belongings back together with a rope and reached for the bat that Kang Jin-hyuk had put down.

“What the hell did this guy hit me with? My head is still ringing.”

Thinking that it might be a weapon made of good quality iron, the dwarf was curious about the baseball bat.

The dwarf picked up the bat without asking the owner’s permission and started examining it.

Kang Jin-hyuk noticed the dwarf’s actions belatedly.

“What are you doing with my bat?”

He asked, but there was no answer.

Watching closely, the dwarf’s shoulders were trembling.

He thought it might be an aftereffect of being hit in the head, but it wasn’t that either.

The dwarf ran towards Kang Jin-hyuk with a pale face.

“Where did you get this!?”

“Wh, why?”

“Why!? Are you serious!?”

The dwarf took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs, making the labyrinth resonate.

“This is Orihalcon!”

“…. … It’s aluminum.”

“Is that what you call Orihalcon in your village?!”

“It’s just aluminum, so I call it aluminum…….”

Rather, Kang Jin-hyuk wanted to ask the dwarf why he was giving such a grand name to a piece of aluminum.

The Orihalcon he had encountered in games and novels was clearly a divine metal or something, and it was treated as a very precious metal.

But to shout about it while holding an aluminum bat.

From Kang Jin-hyuk’s perspective, it just looked like the actions of a crazy person or someone with a late-onset chuunibyou.

“Be honest. Did you steal this?”

“What nonsense! I bought it with my own money!”

“You bought this with money? Does that even make sense?”

Kang Jin-hyuk’s irritation surged.

Not only was he making a fuss about an aluminum baseball bat and accusing him of stealing it.

He was frustrated because the dwarf wouldn’t even believe him when he said he bought it.

“Why are you making such a big deal out of this cheap bat?”

“This guy is crazy. Calling Orihalcon cheap.”

“I mean, what the hell is this Orihalcon anyway?”

“Is this guy uneducated?…… Do I really have to explain it to you?”

Kang Jin-hyuk barely managed to suppress his rising anger.

“I don’t know how great this Orihalcon metal is, but my bat is just an ordinary item, okay?”

“Stop talking nonsense. How can this be ordinary?”

“You’re the one talking nonsense. If you don’t believe me, try hitting it with the hammer you’re holding!”

Of course, if he actually did that, he was planning to get compensated for it no matter what.

Preferably with the rare items the dwarf was carrying.

But contrary to his expectations, the dwarf didn’t take out his hammer.

Instead of conducting an experiment, the dwarf just kept ranting about how ignorant Kang Jin-hyuk was.

“Don’t you know that Orihalcon is just a soft metal if left alone? Of course, it’ll break if you hit it in this state!”

Looking at the dwarf lecturing him, Kang Jin-hyuk felt that he was severely mistaken.

If what the dwarf said was true, Orihalcon would become amazing after special processing.

But aluminum would remain a soft metal no matter how it was processed.

‘If I play this right, I can trick him.’

Kang Jin-hyuk decided to take advantage of the dwarf’s stubbornness and made him an offer.

“Then how about we make a bet?”

“A bet? What kind of bet?”

“About whether it’s really Orihalcon or whatever.”

“I keep telling you it is. This idiot keeps arguing.”

“Then show me the proof. I won’t believe it until I see it with my own eyes.”

“Oh my god! Listen to this guy!”

The dwarf pounded his chest with his fist, expressing his frustration.

“Alright, I’ll prove it to you. Don’t go back on your word later!”

“And if it turns out to be cheap like I said, be prepared to hand over all your equipment, old man.”

“Huh……. Look at this arrogant punk? You better be prepared.”

Kang Jin-hyuk smiled inwardly, watching the fuming dwarf.

He was certain that the dwarf’s rare equipment would soon be his, as there was no way the aluminum bat could be anything special.