SSS-Rank Passive Skill and Return

The dungeon's level was determined by the color of the portal.

Red - F, Orange - E, Yellow - D, Green - C, Blue - B, Purple - A, Black - S.

The portal Jonghyun was about to enter was yellow, meaning it was a D-rank dungeon.

Even for a C-rank hunter like Kim Gwangsu, the monsters in this dungeon posed a threat, so caution was necessary.

Although they were his teammates, it was just a formality.

If Jonghyun found himself in trouble, they wouldn't help him.

Caution was paramount in any dungeon, but here, extreme focus was required.

He had been in countless dungeons over the past 10 years, but every time he stood before a portal, he felt his heart clench.

This tension heightened his senses, which wasn't entirely a bad thing.

Moderate anxiety had a positive effect on reflexes and could save a life.

Even A-rank hunters, overconfident in their abilities, often died due to carelessness. What could be said about an E-rank hunter?

To survive, he had to constantly hone his skills.

Especially a tank, who had to be the first to sense danger to protect the team.

One tank, three melee fighters, and one ranged mage.

Usually, a team consisted of a larger number of hunters, but they decided to keep it to a minimum to get a larger share of the reward.

With Lee Joohyun, a hunter with 5 years of experience, C-rank Kim Gwangsu, and mage Song Harin, there shouldn't be any problems.

Jonghyun was the first to enter the portal.

Actually, he wanted to be a fighter, not a tank, but he didn't have the right skills.

He was often told that he had a natural talent for attacking, but unfortunately, due to the lack of necessary skills, he couldn't reach his full potential.

Skills were divided into passive and active.

Passive skills were always active and didn't require mana, while active skills required mana expenditure, so if mana was low, even learned skills were useless.

If I had at least one active skill, I wouldn't be in this situation.

When he first awakened, he was overjoyed to receive a passive skill instead of an active one. But his passive skill turned out to be completely useless.

Even E-rank hunters usually had one or two active skills, but he didn't have any.

He had a low mana level, like an ordinary person, so even if he learned low-rank skills, the status window didn't display them, and the money was wasted. After that, he stopped buying skill books.

It was awkward to hold the shield with just his left hand.

He tied a spare dagger to his wrist — his only self-defense weapon.

— Hey! Don't dawdle, move forward!

Kim Gwangsu pushed him in the back, urging him on.

Even in a D-rank dungeon, one needed to move cautiously, but he apparently didn't care.

Easy to say when it doesn't concern you.

In Kim Gwangsu's eyes, he wasn't a comrade, but a "tool" — an old shield in his hands.

Jonghyun, obeying, quickened his pace.

But at the same time, he strained all his senses and concentrated.

A square corridor.

There should be shadow hounds here.

— Team Leader, it seems the information is incorrect. This is a maze dungeon.

— So what? A maze is a maze. Let's move on.

— But… if it's a maze instead of shadow hounds, we need to change the plan…

Song Harin supported Jonghyun, but the other three ignored his words.

They looked at him as if an E-rank hunter had no right to express his opinion.

Did they really think he survived so many dungeons through sheer luck?

Kim Gwangsu, in an oily voice, arching his eyebrows, said:

— Harin, don't worry. I, a C-rank hunter, will protect you!

Harin replied with a strained smile:

— Thank you for your concern, but I can take care of myself.

Thud.

Everyone except Song Harin remained indifferently silent.

In maze dungeons, one had to reach the end of a long corridor for an exit portal to appear. Passing through it allowed one to escape the dungeon.

It sounded simple, but in reality, mazes were full of traps, so careful preparation for the raid was necessary.

They say A-rank hunters and above can simply ignore traps…

But his team didn't seem to care what monsters or traps they might encounter.

I thought we would stop and discuss the plan… Well, I'll have to act on my own.

On the other hand, Jonghyun was glad that this dungeon turned out to be a maze.

I feel confident in mazes.

E and D-rank dungeons had more traps than monsters.

Those who underestimated the danger or were overconfident often died from arrows, poison, or other traps.

And in this dungeon, traps were everywhere.

— Wait here.

He stopped, and Kim Gwangsu immediately started grumbling:

— Why did you stop?!

Jonghyun stopped because he sensed something was wrong.

What is it?

A chill ran down his spine.

He decided it was just his imagination and continued walking.

— Sorry, I thought I felt something.

— Ugh, Jonghyun, 10 years in the guild, and still E-rank.

— Too bad you didn't have a second awakening.

— What awakening? He gambles away all his money, look at his clothes, and he lives in some kind of shack.

Kim Gwangsu started criticizing his clothes.

He had somehow found out where he lived and was now using it to humiliate him.

— He does raids 6 times a week, right?

Usually, hunters went into dungeons 3, maximum 4 times a week.

— He probably lost all his money gambling or got into debt.

— What?! Really?

Kim Gwangsu was making up stories about him.

Jonghyun hadn't told anyone about his sister's illness.

No one in the Devil Guild would sympathize with him; most likely, they would try to borrow money. They were all devils, except for Song Harin.

— Hey, you! You don't know anything about him, why are you saying such things?!

Song Harin, outraged by what was happening, stood up for him as if she herself had been insulted.

— But… he earns a lot, but lives like a beggar, that's a fact.

Kim Gwangsu objected.

— So what? It's his business how he spends his money, on gambling or drinking.

After Harin's words, everyone fell silent.

Even the inveterate conservative Kim Gwangsu decided not to continue the argument so as not to spoil his relationship with her.

— Ah, ha-ha-ha, you're so kind, Song Harin.

— Really, Harin? Thanks to you, I'm so happy. By the way, I got an artifact in the dungeon yesterday…

— And I bought a new car, if you want…

— And I got a new weapon, so light…

The raid wasn't over yet, and they were already fawning over Harin.

They behaved as if they weren't in a dungeon, but on a walk or in an escape room.

How do they even survive in dungeons with such an attitude?

They started bragging about their artifacts, cars bought on credit, and other things.

Harin looked at them indifferently, letting their words go in one ear and out the other.

— Let's finish the raid first.

— Uh… yes.

Her usual radiant smile disappeared, and she spoke in a cold tone. Everyone immediately fell silent.

When she got serious, her gaze became icy, and everyone around froze.

The team members wanted to impress her.

Song Harin wasn't just beautiful; she was smart, kind, and strong.

He turned around, and Harin smiled at him again with her pure, innocent smile.

— Jonghyun, what's wrong?

— N-nothing.

He quickly turned away and walked forward, not daring to look her in the eye.

Is this really the same girl?!

He barely had time to recover when a new trap appeared.

He raised his shield and forcefully planted it into the ground.

Taking a defensive stance, he shouted:

— Arrows! Hide behind me!

Whoosh!

Dozens of arrows flew straight at them.

Jonghyun dropped to one knee and held his shield forward to protect the team.

— Whew!

One of the arrows grazed Lee Joohyun's arm.

The shield wasn't big enough to protect all four of them.

— Hey! You should have warned us earlier!

He had just boasted that he knew about these traps, and now he was blaming Jonghyun. What a disgusting attempt to shift the blame.

— Wait! That's not fair! Jonghyun is also human, he couldn't have foreseen the arrows! And what would we have done without him?!

Only Song Harin stood up for him.

— Ouch…

Lee Joohyun, wincing, looked at Jonghyun reproachfully.

The arrow had only slightly scratched his arm, and he was acting as if he had been seriously injured.

And yesterday, a monster almost bit off Jonghyun's arm.

What was the point of getting angry in a dungeon? It would only make things worse.

He tried to calm down and analyze the situation.

It's suspicious that a low-rank dungeon like this has traps that trigger for no apparent reason.

He carefully examined the walls.

— Did any of you happen to lean against the wall?

— No, I didn't.

Only Song Harin answered his question.

She was standing in the middle, while Lee Joohyun and Kim Gwangsu were by the wall.

To stop the argument, Jonghyun approached the wall where the leader and Lee Joohyun were standing and began to examine it.

— What are you doing?! Joohyun is injured!

Park Sihu yelled at him, but Jonghyun ignored him.

It was unlikely they would have worried if he had been injured. What touching concern for each other, he thought.

Found it.

— Team Leader, one of the bricks in the wall is indented. Did you happen to press it? It looks like it triggered the trap.

Kim Gwangsu's pupils trembled — a clear sign of guilt.

— N-no, it wasn't me.

Kim Gwangsu hesitated and tried to deny it.

He didn't want to admit his mistake; it would hurt his pride.

— Strange… Park Sihu was standing by the left wall, Song Harin was behind me, and only you and Lee Joohyun were on the right…

To avoid responsibility, Kim Gwangsu decided to shift the blame to someone else.

— Hey, Lee Joohyun! Are you out of your mind?! You messed up, and now you're blaming others!

— But, Team Leader…

Lee Joohyun wanted to object, but Kim Gwangsu interrupted him:

— What?! You dare argue with me! You've gotten too spoiled, do you think the Team Leader is a nobody?!

Realizing that arguing was pointless, Lee Joohyun bowed and apologized to the leader:

— I'm sorry.

— Tsk, I'm being kind, in another guild you would have been kicked out already!

He should have apologized to Jonghyun, not the leader.

Raising his head, Joohyun glared at him angrily.

Jonghyun responded with a smile.

Who's to blame but you for deciding to pin it all on me?

In his 10 years as a hunter, he had gotten used to this kind of treatment.

— Joohyun, do you need a bandage?

— Tsk, no.

Joohyun apparently decided that Jonghyun was mocking him and clicked his tongue in displeasure.

He stopped paying attention to the scratch. His pride was hurt, and he decided to pretend that everything was fine.

Even minor wounds needed to be treated — it was a basic rule, but he was too careless.

Someday he'll get seriously hurt because of this.

Jonghyun wanted to reprimand him as a senior in experience, but he remained silent.