Chapter 7: Chapter 7

When Kang Jin-hyuk asked if he could have any of the equipment he currently owned, the dwarf let out a snort.

“Why would I give you my collection? Selling and collecting are completely different, punk.”

Asking why he collected swords or spears was a foolish question.

Whatever the hobby, that was a personal freedom—something no one had the right to comment on.

“Ugh… Just tell me what mithril looks like, clearly.”

“There’s no need to explain. Just go and see for yourself.”

“You’re not lying, are you?”

“Punk, have you lived your life getting conned?”

“I’ve been backstabbed more times than the average person, that’s for sure.”

“Ha, sure. Look at you acting so tough.”

The dwarf looked at him with scorn and tossed him a pickaxe.

“Stop talking nonsense and go mine some mithril.”

“If I bring it back, you’ll make me some equipment?”

“Yeah, so make sure you hurry before I change my mind.”

If someone who knew the dwarf heard this conversation, they would have been shocked.

The dwarf was not the type to take on others’ requests lightly.

He only collected for his own satisfaction when wielding a hammer.

“I’m only helping you this one time because you brought some alcohol. Hurry up before I change my mind.”

* * *

Pushed by the dwarf, Kang Jin-hyuk reluctantly started searching for a way down to the lower floors.

As he wandered through the maze without a map, doubts began to creep into his mind.

“What if mithril is just as common as orichalcum?”

Just like orichalcum had turned out to be aluminum in Kang Jin-hyuk’s world, it was possible that mithril could turn out to be as common as copper or iron.

“I really hope I’m not making a fool out of myself.”

If he had gone through all this trouble to gather mithril, only to find it was a soft metal like copper, it would be pointless.

“Come on, let’s not think about such things already.”

To shake off the worries, Kang Jin-hyuk swung the baseball bat triumphantly and moved forward.

After crushing enough goblin skulls to reach level 33, he discovered a staircase.

“This must be the stairs leading down.”

Finding the stairs amidst the complicated maze was a stroke of luck.

Considering stronger monsters might appear, he descended the stairs with a tense expression.

As he moved downward, he noticed the surrounding environment change and his eyes widened.

Once on the lower floor, the color of the maze shifted from the brown walls.

Before him lay a green maze, with the sounds of insects chirping, almost mimicking a forest.

“Now, this is a uniquely decorated maze.”

Whether it was just him, the air felt clearer than on the upper floors.

As soon as Kang Jin-hyuk set foot on the ground after descending the stairs, a message with unfamiliar content appeared before him.

[You have reached the ‘Maze of Dogs and Skeletons’ on the second floor.]

[Would you like to record this location at the warp point?]

“Warp point?”

This was the first time Kang Jin-hyuk had heard of such a term.

In a situation where he had no clue what it meant, he had to choose between Yes or No.

“Ah, whatever.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Kang Jin-hyuk chose Yes.

[The second floor has been recorded at the warp point.]

Once the message faded, a gate that resembled a purple vortex appeared right in front of him.

[From now on, you can travel between the first and second floors through this gate.]

Thanks to the friendly description in the message, Kang Jin-hyuk understood the purpose of the gate.

“Wow. This feels just like a game.”

Leveling up by hunting monsters and even entering dungeons felt eerily similar to a video game.

However, human lives were not to be treated like a game.

A moment of carelessness could lead to death, without even a chance to respawn.

Kang Jin-hyuk took out his radar to check for nearby monsters.

The radar indicated numerous dots in front of him, indicating the presence of monsters.

“They’re swarming over there.”

Kang Jin-hyuk picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it toward the fork in the path.

Immediately afterward, monsters with dog heads jumped out from behind the walls.

Two-legged creatures wielding weapons with the heads of dogs.

Kang Jin-hyuk recognized immediately that these were ‘Cobalts.’

“So it really is the Maze of Dogs and Skeletons…?”

Cobalts were more agile and stronger than goblins, but they were still classified as low-tier monsters.

Seeing the approaching Cobalts, Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t help but laugh.

The abundance of weak monsters indicated there was plenty of loot to be collected.

Just thinking about the accumulating balance in his bank account made him grin.

Meanwhile, the Cobalts misunderstood his reactions.

How could a mere human arrive alone, while they had many companions and still laugh?

One of the offended Cobalts growled and stepped forward.

“Grr!”

The cobalt barked loudly and rushed at Kang Jin-hyuk.

But before it could swing its sword, it was struck in the face by the bat that Kang Jin-hyuk swung.

Having steadily leveled up by continuously hunting goblins even after taking down two orcs, the Cobalt stood no chance.

“Ugh!”

With a crumpled snout, the Cobalt flew back like a baseball.

The Cobalt lay motionless on the ground.

While the other Cobalts struggled to understand the situation, Kang Jin-hyuk approached leisurely.

“Get ready to take a beating today, you mutts.”

Having just defeated two orcs, Kang Jin-hyuk was bursting with confidence.

Compared to the massive orcs, these small creatures felt utterly pathetic.

“Grr!”

“Yip!”

With each swing of the bat, a barking sound followed.

No Cobalt could withstand even two hits from Kang Jin-hyuk’s swinging bat.

His inventory had already filled with the corpses of 25 Cobalts.

If he sold them at the fixed price determined by the association, that would amount to 80,000 won per Cobalt—16 million won total!

Lee Jun-cheol had even mentioned giving an additional 15%, so Kang Jin-hyuk’s profit would be over that.

“Hehe…!”

Sensing the smell of money, Kang Jin-hyuk charged into the forest like a whirlwind.

The Cobalts, who had lived as hunters, could now experience what it felt like to become the hunted.

Even if they escaped deep into the maze, Kang Jin-hyuk wouldn’t let them off the hook.

“Where do you think you’re running off to?! You mutts!”

* * *

Delightedly hunting Cobalts without worrying about interference from large guilds, Kang Jin-hyuk eventually reached the center of the maze.

He stopped, noticing walls of a different color at the center.

“It doesn’t seem like the color would change for no reason…”

Trusting his instincts, Kang Jin-hyuk moved along the black wall.

Though no sunlight penetrated the maze, he didn’t need to pull out a flashlight.

Perhaps due to some mechanism, torches lined along the walls automatically lit up, illuminating the inner depths.

“Did the dwarf set this up?”

Cautiously watching his steps, Kang Jin-hyuk advanced slowly.

After walking some distance, he began to hear the sound of rattling from somewhere.

Turning around, he saw that human bones were walking around without any mechanism.

“Damn! It’s a skeleton?!”

Kang Jin-hyuk suddenly recalled that this level was the Maze of Dogs and ‘Skeletons.’

Letting out a sigh, he swung the bat at the skeleton’s head.

Unlike other monsters, even after the skeleton’s head was knocked off, it didn’t fall.

With only the body remaining, the skeleton kept heading toward Kang Jin-hyuk.

“Why are only these worthless creatures the monsters here?!”

The only way to deal with skeletons was to either hire a cleric or break the mana stone that rendered them immobile.

As a D-ranked hunter who hadn’t yet job-changed, Kang Jin-hyuk had no choice but to pick the second option.

If it were something he could sell for money, he’d gladly accept the struggle, but skeletons were just piles of rotten bones.

Who would buy putrid bone remains that weren’t precious or particularly sturdy?

The only valuable component, the mana stone, would have to be crushed to eliminate the skeleton, so hunters had no reason to welcome these monsters.

“So this is what he meant when he said it’s a pain to come.”

Before him stood dozens of skeletons blocking the path.

Taking them down one by one wouldn’t be difficult at all, but at this rate, it would take forever given their numbers.

“Alright then, let’s see what I can do!”

Having come this far, it wouldn’t make sense to turn back simply out of annoyance.

Kang Jin-hyuk swung the bat fiercely, clearing the path blocked by the skeletons.

Since they were just bones, aiming for their mana stones was an easy task.

However, due to their overwhelming numbers, a considerable amount of time was still needed to proceed deeper into the maze.

Despite his attacks, the number of roaming skeletons didn’t seem to dwindle at all.

“Can you just die already?!”

Occasionally, a skeleton he failed to take out would cling to his ankle, hindering his progress.

Each time that happened, he would stomp on the fallen skeleton, crushing it to move onward.

Ten, fifty, one hundred.

By the time he had defeated over 120 skeletons, Kang Jin-hyuk lost count of his kills.

After nearly a half-day of labor, he finally broke through the skeletal graveyard and reached deep into the maze.

“Pant, pant…”

Having swung the bat without rest, he was now breathless and barely able to speak.

Once he ensured no skeletons were pursuing or blocking his path further, he sat down for a moment to catch his breath.

“What on earth has so many skeletons turned up in a place that isn’t even a tomb?”

Despite exerting all that energy, he hadn’t received any reward at all.

But it wasn’t entirely without worth.

Thanks to all the skeletons he had hunted, Kang Jin-hyuk’s level had now remarkably reached 50.

Only two days ago, he had been at level 12—and now, he had reached level 50 all because of this dungeon.

If he had lived his previous life, reaching level 50 would have likely taken two to three years.

Perhaps it could have taken even longer if the monopolization of the large guilds continued.

[You have achieved level 50, enabling job change.]

[Recent activities will be reviewed to automatically determine your job. ]

The moment he had longed for—his chance to change jobs—was here at last.

After swinging the bat joyfully these past two days, he assumed he would naturally gain a warrior-type job.

However, the outcome exceeded his expectations.

[Having defeated numerous undead, you have changed to ‘Cleric.’]

[You have acquired the skill – Slow Heal.]

[You have acquired the skill – Cure.]

[You have acquired the skill – Holy Shield.]

“…Uh?”

As he checked the messages, Kang Jin-hyuk’s expression turned blank.

“Cleric? Me?”

He never imagined that he would earn a job typically reserved for those with profound faith by merely defeating skeletons.

Receiving a top-tier job in party settings was obviously a cause for celebration.

Yet the process had taken such an unexpected route that he felt more bewildered than anything else.