Dressed in equipment that looked expensive at first glance, he could be described in one word... a peacock of a man.
Behind him were four hunters dressed relatively plainly. It was a rather unusual party composition.
"If you keep wasting time, let's go first."
Without waiting for a response, the peacock pushed his way in. The official tried to push him back, saying it wasn't allowed, but he was relentless.
Oh, is he scared of something?
Seeing the official's troubled look, I suggested letting the peacock go first. The official bowed to me and checked the documents with a tired expression.
"Sure, I'll confirm the entry of the Supreme Party."
Then, a familiar word caught my ear.
A clumsy name that seemed to have been used about ten years ago. I felt like I had heard such a cringy word recently. Where was it...?
"Ha ha ha! No need for such explanations. Just trust this Supreme, and we'll breeze through the tutorial. Let's go, newbies."
Right, the nickname Supreme!
He was the owner of the bus recruitment post on the Hunter Channel, the unscrupulous hunter who demanded 100 rubies from F-rank hunters.
"Wow, what a pain..."
I said, watching Supreme and the newbie party disappear beyond the dungeon gate.
"To be so boastful even at C-rank, I bet S-rank hunters would have their heads touching the ceiling."
But Ki Yuhyun shook his head with an ambiguous expression.
"Hmm... I don't think so. It might be a personal character issue. S-rank doesn't necessarily mean they're arrogant..."
That's strange. We're talking about the less than ten S-rank hunters in Korea, so why is this guy desperately defending them?
Anyway, it was our turn again.
The process of entering the dungeon was very simple. Ki Yuhyun and I stood on the platform, and the official activated the gate.
A blue light enveloped me, and when I opened my eyes, I was in a field.
Ding.
[Welcome to the Great Dungeon 《Abyss》.
The tutorial is currently in progress.
Good luck to all beginners.]
[Ktuga welcomes your visit.]
What was that just now?
But before I could properly check, the notification disappeared.
I took my eyes off the system notification and slowly looked around.
The first thing I saw was the sky, dyed red by the sunset.
A gentle wind swayed the reeds and shrubs that grew sparsely. In the distance, the ruins of a half-collapsed building were visible, with a peculiar style that seemed to belong to a foreign place.
It felt more like being in a ruin than inside a dungeon.
"Is this inside the Abyss?"
The sky, wind, and sunlight felt very real. The only thing that seemed out of place was the slightly damp air.
However, unlike me, Ki Yuhyun didn't look surprised at all. He calmly surveyed the surroundings, almost as if he were familiar with the place.
"The Abyss isn't a real tower but a space where different dimensions overlap. It's not one building but a series of connected dimensions. Other floors have seas and snow-covered landscapes."
"Wow... Have you been there?"
"No. I... heard about it from someone who has been there."
Ki Yuhyun corrected himself, looking flustered. He seemed like someone who had been there before.
"I don't see anyone else."
"They probably dropped in different places. The starting and ending points are different for each person, so we won't run into them. Let's go."
Ki Yuhyun started walking in a direction. I hurriedly followed and asked.
"Hey, do you know the way?"
"Well... it's just a feeling."
Indeed, with no map or anything, we had no choice but to go somewhere.
Still, it was hard to believe we were inside a dungeon. The reeds and trees all looked real. I was so fascinated by the surroundings that I didn't find walking boring at all.
After walking for about ten minutes, a green, jelly-like blob appeared in front of us. At the same time, a system notification sounded.
[A beginner's Green Slime (F) has appeared.]
The slime looked very different from the cave black bear that had attacked the shop recently. It had no sharp teeth or claws, and its translucent, smooth body trembled.
In short, it looked cute.
"Kyuuuu..."
The slime's cry was also cute. As I took a step closer to get a better look, the slime's round body suddenly spread out like a curtain and lunged at me.
"Aaaaah!"
I jumped back in surprise, and a flash of light appeared. When I opened my eyes, the slime had melted away.
"Huh...?"
What just happened? It didn't seem like a magic skill, as there was no incantation, and it didn't seem like an attack skill, as there was no visible movement.
[Party member: Ki Yuhyun has defeated the beginner's Green Slime (F).]
[You have gained 10 exp.]
The notification window that appeared in front of me was the only proof that Ki Yuhyun had just defeated the slime.
"Mr. Lee, are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm... Did Mr. Yuhyun just defeat it?"
I looked at Ki Yuhyun with a suspicious eye.
I had been suspicious since we entered the dungeon.
This guy... is he strong?
His calm attitude and the way he instantly melted the slime were suspicious.
Although the situation was suspicious, Ki Yuhyun answered with a sheepish expression, saying he was surprised too.
"Ha ha ha... Maybe it's because it's for beginners, so the difficulty is set low."
Does he not realize he's strong? Is he a power-sleeper I've only heard about? Or a ha ha bus?
Did I accidentally enter the world of "I'm a beginner hunter, but I'm too strong"?
Either way...
'I need to get close to him.'
When Ki Yuhyun becomes famous, I'll post something like "I cleared the tutorial dungeon with Ki Yuhyun." I'll hang a sign in the shop and sell a coffee for hundreds of thousands of won, calling it "Ki Yuhyun's drink."
'Hehehe...'
"Mr. Lee."
Ki Yuhyun spoke to me, who was momentarily lost in materialistic thoughts.
"Ah, yes, yes?"
"Be careful. Slimes aren't that dangerous, but it's better not to touch them."
"Do they have poison?"
"Touching them will make your skin swell and itch."
"Ugh..."
That's a big problem. I need to be careful.
As we walked, various colored slimes kept appearing. Ki Yuhyun easily defeated green, blue, and yellow slimes.
The slimes melted and were absorbed into the ground.
As a result, system notifications kept appearing in front of me.
[You have gained 10 exp.]
[You have gained 10 exp.]
[You have gained 10 exp.]
...
I was gaining experience without doing anything.
This is... a huge gain, isn't it?
At this rate, I could level up without lifting a finger. This is worth entering the dungeon for.
As we walked, melting slimes, we came to a fork in the road covered with bushes. At that moment, the sound of water flowing nearby could be heard.
Phew, I almost forgot the original purpose of the dungeon, distracted by the free experience.
"Mr. Yuhyun, I'll be right back..."
I was about to say I was going to collect the ether water, the reason we entered the dungeon.
"Yahahaha! Supreme Sword Technique!"
From the opposite side, the peacock... no, Supreme, swung the sword in his hand.
Behind him were four beginners with tired expressions.
Supreme swept away the surrounding slimes and shouted in a loud voice.
"One hit with this Supreme's Supreme Sword Technique! Yahahaha!"
What can I do? The skill name is cringy too...
And why does he yell when using a skill?
I gave Ki Yuhyun a look.
'You said we wouldn't run into them.'
'Bad luck, I guess.'
"This is my hunting ground! Get out of here, you pests."
Of all the hunters, we had to run into that guy. I had a feeling it would be troublesome. I was about to ignore him and move quietly when...
Rumble, rumble.
My body swayed from the ground tremors and vibrations. What's happening? Is there an earthquake?
Ki Yuhyun also looked surprised by the unexpected situation.
Soon, a system notification appeared in front of us.
[Warning!
The tutorial dungeon is a special dungeon designed to help beginners grow.
Please use a dungeon of appropriate difficulty for you.]
[The difficulty of the tutorial dungeon has changed due to the appearance of a strong player.
The tutorial dungeon—Special Hard has started.
Defeat stronger monsters and gain more experience.]
What does this mean?
I read the notification window in a daze, and a laugh came from beside me.
"Oh, oh... Yahahaha!"
It was Supreme.
"Sorry, but it seems I'm too strong to be in here. I wanted to help beginners, but my presence has raised the dungeon difficulty. Sorry."
I don't think so.
I strongly felt that this wasn't the case, though I didn't know the exact situation.
At that moment, the sun in the western sky disappeared, and darkness fell.
A red moon in the center of the sky emitted an ominous light, making it clear that something was about to happen.
Thud, thud, thud.
The ground tremors, which had been regular, suddenly stopped.
[The dungeon difficulty has increased. An expert-level Giant Slime (???) has appeared.]
The giant slime bounced its way toward us.
The body that emerged from the bushes was over 5 meters tall. It glowed fluorescent green in the darkness, and it looked like touching it would be bad for the skin.
As I stepped back from the bizarre scene, Supreme stepped forward.
"Yahahaha! Don't worry. It's just a slime. I'll take care of it."
Oh, he looks cool now.
"Yaaaaah... Supreme Sword Technique!"
Supreme swung the sword in his hand.
However, the giant slime easily deflected the sword with a thud. The impact made Supreme drop his sword.
But Supreme didn't give up.
"Ugh... It's pretty tough. But I still have this skill. Ultimate... Supreme's Iron Punch!"
With a roar, an enormous force condensed in Supreme's fist. He leaped nimbly and swung his fist at the giant slime.
Thud.
However, Supreme's fist couldn't penetrate the giant slime's smooth body.
He was thrown back and rolled on the ground.
"Ugh..."
Groaning, Supreme got up and glared at the giant slime with a determined look.
Then he ran away.
"Huh?"
He was so fast that his back was soon out of sight.
"Let's... go together!"
As the party leader Supreme ran away, the confused beginners quickly followed.
In an instant, only Ki Yuhyun, me, and the giant slime were left.