Evolution Theory of the Hunter

– Anyone been in the Red Dungeon?

– Red dungeon? What’s that? Just say ‘Bbalgan Dungeon’ in our language.

– Let’s just call it Red Hole. Dungeons were originally called Blue Hole after all.

– I concur with calling it the Blue Hole. Red Dungeon is difficult to pronounce.

– These English sycophants. There’s no reason to go to America now so why are you still so obsessed with English?

– Who says we’re obsessed? We’re just using it because it’s more comfortable.

The Hunter Market’s community was also mainly talking about the Red Dungeons.

I found a rather interesting post while scanning through the community posts.

– The difficulty of the Red Holes are a lot higher than Blue Holes.

The content was basically about how the Red Hole had more monster and were more powerful even at the same level.

It was an opinion that I could agree upon thinking about the vampires.

Instead, the items dropped better. There were people that worried about the price falling as a result of this.

– Wouldn’t the items become dirt cheap at this rate?

– It’s not like it the price became dirt cheap a day or two ago. It’s not that big of a deal.

– True…… I sold all the items I had for low prices. Huge losses.

– But if the level 1 monsters are stronger, doesn’t that mean the items they drop are better as well?

– You have a point. There needs to be more data but I feel like it might be so.

There were already people that realized the functionality of the new items just through speculating.

As the Red Dungeon was a dungeon that was part of the new system, the items that dropped form it were also clearly new items.

Also, the new items mostly had better specs than the original items.

There was no difference in the base attack power or defense stat but the options attached were quite a bit better.

“Should I close these again?”

Most of the new items were in my possession.

I felt like I was losing if these spread like this.

“It doesn’t matter but that means that there will be more hunters we meet in the Yellow Sea.”

Han Joon-suk said. Currently, Han Joon-suk, Soo-ah, Edward, and I were sitting at a nearby cafe discussing our next schedule.

Han Joon-suk had been surprised at first at Edward’s identity but he soon showed a adaptive attitude.

I was planning on revealing this guy’s identity to the other party members truthfully.

This kind of thing would quickly be found out even if it was hidden after all. His canines aren’t like that of a humans in the first place you see.

“Red Dungeon, so how about we try going around a Red Hole as a test?”

Soo-ah said.

“I was planning on checking the inside. I was interested in the kinds of items that drop and I have to check if it actually works.”

The dungeons created by the program called Mystic Dungeon was immediately put under the Dungeon Administration Team’s management.

Because of a large portion of the workforce sent to the Yellow Sea returning the Chinese hunter extermination in the forest region was being delayed as well.

Since there was a more pressing matter, it was obvious that it would be put off.

“How about we go today since it came up?”

“And the equipment?”

“I brought it with me.”

“I also brought it. Just in case.”

Soo-ah and Han Joon-suk indicated their large baggages. I was wondering what they had stuffed in there, it turned out to be that.

“But what should we do about Edward? It would be dangerous for him if we went into a high level dungeon.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m have confidence in surviving.”

“He has his shadow transformation technique so it should be fine.”

He was a guy that had escape for quite long even after getting caught by me. He really face no danger of dying unless he was ambushed by an attack that he couldn’t even react to.

Also, it would have been different if he was alone but Soo-ah and I were here.

I don’t think there’s a monster that can approach without getting spotted by us in a level 4 dungeon.

After finishing up our meeting, we headed to a nearby level 4 dungeon.

As a dungeon that had been created under a monastaery at Bonghwo Mountain, they had gotten quite a profit for a while from the hunters that visited the dungeon.

It was a place where rumors say that they are hiring mercenary hunters to participate in the battle for the land.

The inside was crowded due to the people that haven’t been able to hunt until now because of the dungeons that disappeared.

I checked the time to enter and quietly waited.

“There’s quite a few people. Are these all people going to the dungeon? Then won’t we have space?”

I shook my head at Soo-ah’s words.

“I think it’s because they are trying to fit as many people as they can before going in since it’s a new dungeon and all. You don’t know what might happen inside after all. It seems like they’re going in groups of 20 or so.”

“I see. There wouldn’t be much dropping then though.”

“Well, it can just be seen as a preliminary inspection. We are the only ones that know what come out inside after all.”

The things that came out at the Bonghwa Mountain dungeon was mostly level 4 Mukamuka and Tutulips.

Mukamukas were monsters that looked similar to gorillas while Tutulips were feline type giant beasts with purple colored fur.

It can be deduced by the type of monster but the inside of the dungeon was a jungle region.

I seems the setting is changed according to the type of monster its changed into.

The things that drop are mostly level 4 shoes.

Seeing how there weren’t many shoes that dropped among the original items, it can be presumed that this place would become a hotspot.

Of course, as long as I didn’t change it that is.

Among the bustling people, our team was a pretty eye catching formation.

For now, Soo-ah who had good style and Edward who could be mistaken as a celebrity with a glance.

“Is it only four people there?”

“Yeah. They look really weak too.”

“Did they come for a fashion show of some sort? What kind of clothes are those?”

“Tell me about it. A leather suit and a fur coat.”

“It might look like that but it might be that the equipment or skill is good.”

“Hah. Anyone is coming saying that they’re hunters these days.”

“That’s all because of that Yellow Sea or whatever. There’s a lot of noobs after all those items got supplied.”

I could hear the people whispering while looking at us. They slowly turned away as Soo-ah glared at them in anger.

“Hah. I don’t know what they think they are to talk behind others’ backs.”

“Leave them be. They will stop eventually.”

“Seonbae oppa always says it like that and causes a problem somewhere.”

“Hey, when did I ever. A problem always happens because of you.”

“For me it was only when those high school students picked a fight you know? That was an accident too.”

“I also only have the one where I took Park Jung-bae’s armor. And I didn’t start the fight at that time either.”

“Then let’s say we’re tied.”

“It feels like I’m losing out though……?”

“Then I will compensate for it. What would you like? Should I buy you dinner?”

“…… No, don’t take this in a direction that you like.”

“Keep your expression in check. I’ll really feel down.”

Soo-ah bit her lips hard after saying so. It was an expression that seemed like she would actually cry soon.

“You’re going to come out seriously now. I get sorry if you’re like that.”

“Buy me food if you’re sorry.”

“Well, if it’s just that.”

“This time just the two of us.”

“…… Urg. I got it.”

“Yay!”

As I nodded my head, Soo-ah’s two hands shot up. Han Joon-suk nodded his head and held up a thumb towards her.

“Was it acting?”

“Of course. No take backs.”

A sigh came out on its own. Well, I felt like it was good that she wasn’t really feeling down.

There was still about an hour left until the time we have to enter.

We ordered tea sitting at a nearby Buddhist temple while waiting to enter.

There was only a tea shop and restaurant operated by the temple here.

The food was only wild herb Bibimbap and Cheonggukjang and they sold barley tea or lycium tea instead of coffee.

There would be no one that wants to eat that but they were doing quite well as this was the only place nearby, be it drinks or food.

“Hm?”

We were resting like that when I saw a rather familiar silhouette pass by. I quickly turned my head away to avoid being seen.

“Huh? Hey, you’re here as well?”

He recognized me. With no choice left, I nodded my head and replied.

“Yeah, it’s been a while. You doing well?”

“I’m always doing well. You?”

“Doing well you say. Have to repaid all your debt?”

“Of course. I’m telling you that I’m doing well now after paying all that off.”

“Yeah? It’s good if you’re doing well.”

“That’s why this Won Jong-tak will buy you something today so just give me the word. There is that one you bought me before after all.”

“It’s fine. I already ordered.”

Buy me, as if. He was saying so while clearly seeing the tea cup in my hand.

Either way, I didn’t know how this guy had everything in order when he had said some time ago that his debt was piling up while working as a porter.

“Anyway, introduce me will you.”

“Who?”

“The person next to you.”

Won Jong-tak said while pointing at Soo-ah. Soo-ah was looking at me as well seemingly curious as to who this was.

“Greet him. He’s a person called Won Jong-tak that I kind of know. He was a porter and now…… You’re a hunter?”

“A level 3 hunter. Isn’t it amazing?”

To become a level 3 hunter from a debtor. I was curious about what happened in the last few months.

“Congratulations.”

“If you have any thoughts as well then tell me.”

“What thoughts?”

“If you do as I say then I will get you to become a hunter like me.”

“Hm……? It’s fine.”

To get me to become a level 3 hunter. I didn’t know what it was about but I politely refused.

It was an attitude that somehow smelled like a scam.

“Don’t be like that. It seems like you’ve come for business. There’s no opportunity like this I’m telling you, you know?”

“What opportunity?”

Soo-ah asked him with wide eyes. I gave her an eye signal but she continued while ignoring me.

“I’m interested. How can I become a level 3 hunter?”

“You see. It’s a thing called network system…….”

Won Jong-tak sat down between our party members. Looking at the guy with the manual, only the sword was a level 3 among the equipment he had.

It was a no name but it was still worth about 800m.

It was the same thing as carrying around an apartment on your waist.

“…… It’s pretty good isn’t it?”

“So it’s basically a pyramid?”

“What’s that supposed to mean? It’s not a pyramid. It’s a networking system.”

Won Jong-tak became expressionless as he shook his head. What he was saying was simple.

A bunch would take out a certain amount of money and buy hunter equipment.

Then, the equipment would be given to a single person to hunt, and you would receive as much as you took out from the profit.

It looked like a pretty reasonable method as a hunter’s job guaranteed greater profit as the equipment stacked up.

No, it was actually an okay method. If there was a problem, it was that it was difficult to properly distribute the profit and on what basis you could trust a person to leave all the invested money to a single person.

Because the name was network system it was easy to mistake it as a pyramid scheme but it was actually closer to a high risk high return investment business.

“If you invest the invested profit then the equipment becomes that much better so the latent profit increases as well. Isn’t it a pretty good business?”

“If it’s that good then you should just do it yourself, why are you trying to recruit people?”

“That’s because it’s better the more skillful people there are. As I started this work, I found that people like me that worked as a porter and gained experience did well. They had a lot of dungeon experience so they had good survivability. The most important thing is to not die after all. If you die then the invested item all disappears.”

“It doesn’t seem like a complete scam but. I’m not really interested.”

It was fine since I already knew what this guy was doing for now.

It wouldn’t feel good if a guy I used to know was going around scamming people but it’s fine if it’s not that I guess.

“Ah. This is a really good opportunity thought. You’re missing out big. I’m saying this especially for you. The president is young so he’s open minded too.”

“You weren’t the president?”

“How would a debtor like me start a business like this. I’m still just running as a monthly salary man. This equipment is the company’s too. I still paid off my debts thought. Aren’t I great?”

“Yeah, you’re great.”

I held up my thumb. I wasn’t ridiculing him but was honestly complimenting him who had gotten free of his debt life by working diligently.

“Ah. The president is coming.”

“President?”

I turned my head to the direction he was indicating.

There was a face that I didn’t imagine.