SSS-Rank Passive Skill and Return

A cramped, box-like apartment, barely bigger than a square meter. The space was so tight that if he stretched out his arms and legs while lying down, he could touch opposite walls. The young man, barely opening his eyes, started groping around the floor for his phone.

— Somewhere around here…

Still half-asleep, he squinted to check the time.

Saturday, 9:05 AM.

He had no one to call, but scrolling through his phone on a day off was his only entertainment. A missed call icon blinked on the screen.

— From the hospital, maybe?

Glancing at the call log, he punched the floor in frustration. Wincing, he squeezed his eyes shut.

Damn! Sleep was definitely over now.

Kim Gwangsu, the team leader from the Devil Guild. If it were truly urgent, he would have called at least twice or sent a message. But he had nowhere else to go, so gritting his teeth, he turned his phone back on.

— That damn dog, calling me this early on a weekend…

He placed his left thumb on the fingerprint scanner to unlock the phone.

Ding.

A notification popped up: "Fingerprint does not match."

He turned his head to the right, looking at his missing arm.

— Ah, right.

He accepted the absence of his arm calmly, as if it were something mundane, like he'd always been missing a limb.

His right arm had been cleanly amputated.

— Status Window.

A translucent bluish window appeared in the air. He was checking if his passive skill was working.

Bruises and contusions — 1 hour. Fractures and cracks — 12 hours - 1 day. Amputated fingers — 2 days. Amputation from the wrist — 3 days or more.

Regeneration slowed with age.

In his 10 years as a hunter, he had lost limbs numerous times. This was the third time his right arm had been severed.

— Because of that bastard!

Kim Gwangsu had used him as bait in the dungeon, which is how he lost his arm.

He didn't want to answer, but if he didn't now, he'd be harassed for an hour on Monday. He picked up the phone and addressed the AI:

— Call that horny dog.

— Calling horny dog.

Ring. Ring.

I hope he doesn't pick up. I'll just say it was a wrong number and go back to sleep.

He clung to hope, but the call was answered.

— Hey, you mutt! There's a dungeon raid today, and where are you?! You think you can just ignore me? And why aren't you answering your phone?!

As soon as he answered, a torrent of curses rained down on him.

Fortunately, it was just a phone call, not a face-to-face encounter, so the blow to his pride wasn't as severe.

Just one missed call, and he's already yelling… what the hell?!

He wanted to retort, but the images of his rent bills and his sister's medical expenses flashed before his eyes.

This is disgusting! I need to quit…

He had been telling himself this for almost 10 years, but the words never seemed to leave his mouth. He just kept replaying the thought in his head.

To calm himself, he moved the phone away from his ear. He took three deep breaths and spoke again:

— Team Leader Kim? What are you talking about? What raid? It's Saturday, and I took a day off yesterday…

— Hey! Your superior is calling, so you show up! No arguing!

Typical stubborn conservative behavior. Only a three-year age difference, but he thinks like an old man.

Do all thirty-year-olds become like him? Does that mean in two years I'll…

The thought that he might become the same crossed his mind.

Ugh, even thinking about it is disgusting.

He cleared his throat again and said:

— Team Leader Kim, the thing is, my arm got cut off in the dungeon yesterday, so I took a day off…

— Shut up and get here quickly. If you don't come, don't blame me during the next evaluation.

He said what he wanted and hung up.

What damn evaluation? In 10 years of working in this hole, he hadn't seen a single hunter promoted to deputy leader or department head.

He threw his phone onto the bed, venting his anger.

— Damn it! The man lost his arm, and he's being forced to work?! I hope the dungeon monsters tear you to shreds!!

He wasn't prone to cursing, but the constant threat of death in dungeons had roughened his speech.

Ding.

He picked up the phone from the bed and saw a message.

— 10:00 AM, OO Park.

A message demanding his presence at 10:00 AM in OO Park in Seoul.

Usually, hunters raided dungeons 2-3 times a week and rested the rest of the time. But for an E-rank hunter like him, such privileges didn't exist.

He let out a heavy sigh.

— Ugh, when did my life go downhill?

His gaze rested on the blank wall with no windows, and a sense of hopelessness washed over him.

Ding.

He thought it was Kim Gwangsu messaging again and checked his phone.

— If I don't answer, he'll start yelling again…

Withdrawal N*: -2,120,500 won.

23.09, 09:10, Hansaran Hospital.

Balance: -54,020 won.

Like adding fuel to the fire. Kim Gwangsu was already infuriating, and now the money he received for his lost arm had vanished overnight. He wanted to drop everything and find another part-time job, but he needed the money urgently.

The thought of his sister, Jia, lying in the hospital spurred him to action. He pulled crumpled clothes from the washing machine, got dressed somehow, applied Fucidin to his wrist, bandaged it, slung his shield on his back like a backpack, and ran towards the dungeon.

Judging by the location, it was close to his home, so if he ran as fast as he could, he might make it on time.

20 minutes later, he arrived at OO Park in Seoul.

— Huff… huff…

He had run so hard that his lungs felt like they were about to burst. The park was deserted.

He saw an orange portal.

He took out his phone to check the time — 9:50 AM.

He had 10 minutes until the appointed time. He figured he had arrived quite early.

— Did everyone already go in?

He was debating whether to enter the portal or not when someone called his name from behind.

— Hey! Kim Jonghyun!!

It was Team Leader Kim Gwangsu and the other hunters from the guild.

They strolled leisurely with coffee in hand, as if they had come for a picnic.

— Team Leader, give me my 50,000 won, as agreed, — the DPS hunter, Lee Joohyun, extended his hand to the leader.

— Money? What money?

Jonghyun didn't understand what was happening.

The portal was real, but the words "agreement" and "50,000 won" suggested that they, the entire team, had made a bet on him.

Whoosh.

The leader splashed the remnants of his Americano on Jonghyun's clothes and said irritably:

— Tsk, you're so slow-witted. Your arm is crippled, you can't work…

— Heh heh, Team Leader, with or without an arm, he can't work anyway, can he?

Kim Gwangsu and Lee Joohyun, as if by prior agreement, openly mocked him.

How well they got along, these two… even though Joohyun was 5 years younger and had less experience than him, having worked in the guild for 10 years.

One of the girls looked at him sympathetically and clenched her fists. Jonghyun pleaded with her with his eyes not to interfere.

She understood him without words, gritted her teeth, and held back.

It was humiliating, but if he left now, he was unlikely to find another guild.

An E-rank hunter with 10 years of experience. His only skill was a C-rank passive skill, and even that had started to slow down with age.

D-rank hunters and above could leave and find another guild, but E-rank hunters were like grains of sand on the seashore — there were too many of them, and finding work was difficult.

If only I were a full-fledged C-rank hunter…

He suppressed his anger. Over 10 years, he had learned to hide his feelings. He forced a smile and addressed the leader:

— Team Leader, can I join the raid?

He desperately needed money. He was ready to endure any ridicule and humiliation for the sake of his family.

Hearing his words, Kim Gwangsu clicked his tongue and handed him an empty plastic cup.

— Ha! With a crippled arm, unable to do even half the work, and you're asking to join?! Do you think this is a playground?! Here, take this and throw it away on your way home.

Jonghyun bowed low again and pleaded:

— I can handle it! Give me a chance! If something happens in the dungeon, you can leave me, I don't care.

This man was going to abandon him anyway.

At that moment, the only girl in the Devil Guild, hunter Song Harin, spoke up for him.

— Team Leader Kim, you called him, and now you're chasing him away? Jonghyun, although E-rank, is a perfectly capable hunter. A hundred times better than those over there, — she nodded towards the other hunters.

— Still… in the dungeon…

Black hair, fair skin, a look that any celebrity would envy.

Any man would lose his head over Song Harin's beauty.

Kim Gwangsu was no exception.

"Butterfly Lover." That's what he was nicknamed for losing his head over every new female hunter in the guild. He acted like a horny dog, ready to pounce on any skirt. Once, he harassed a healer hunter so much, whom the guild master had barely persuaded to join them, that she eventually left the guild.

That was the first time the guild master had punched Kim Gwangsu in the face. It was a beautiful sight.

Song Harin, who had only been working in the guild for 6 months, for some reason hadn't left Devil.

She was a D-rank mage and could have found a better place. Mages were in demand; they could work not only as hunters but also as researchers in large companies.

— Well… we only have one tank — Jonghyun.

Besides Song Harin, who was responsible for support from the rear, all the other four were melee DPS hunters.

— Well, if our Song Harin thinks so…

He casually took Song Harin's hand.

A shadow of displeasure flickered across her face.

The strength of a C-rank hunter surpassed that of a D-rank mage. In a physical confrontation, a mage always lost.

— Hmm, hmm. You're lucky, Jonghyun. If it weren't for Harin, I would have sent you packing.

— …Thank you.

Jonghyun felt pathetic.

He faced the truth and closed his eyes. Despite the bright sunny day, all he saw before him was pitch-black darkness, just like his future.

— What's wrong? Closing your eyes?

Kim Gwangsu apparently didn't like that Jonghyun had closed his eyes and frowned. He probably wanted to show off in front of Song Harin, whom he was hugging, and chose him as a target for his display of masculinity.

— …Sorry.

— Tsk, come on, pull yourself together, Jonghyun.

Kim Gwangsu patted Jonghyun on the back of the head and headed towards the portal.

Jonghyun bowed after him and trudged after the rest of the team.

Damn, it's so hard to make money.

Song Harin approached him.

— You're having a hard time because of the Team Leader. How's your arm?

She was the only one who worried about him. Despite the passive skill "Regeneration," the pain was still there, but those around him paid no attention to his injury.

Song Harin pulled something out of the inner pocket of her robe.

— Here, take this, it's not much, of course…

She placed five small candies in his hand.

— These are healing potion candies. Eat them, maybe your arm will heal faster.

— What? Are you really giving me something so valuable?!

Jonghyun's eyes widened in surprise. He looked from the candies to Harin.

Healing potion candies.

These were very popular restorative potions that cost from several hundred thousand to several million won apiece. The cheapest ones were around 100,000 won. They were a favorite treat of the rich.

His reaction made her laugh. She squeezed his hand with the candies for three seconds.

— Heh heh, yes. Just don't tell anyone!

Song Harin smiled radiantly and ran towards the portal.

The only unspoiled person in the Devil Guild.

Polite, kind, and capable hunter.

Honestly, he didn't understand why she stayed in this guild. She could have found a better place.

Her kindness to him was probably more out of pity than interest.

Sometimes she offered to have lunch together on weekends, but he always refused because he spent that time with his sister in the hospital. After several refusals, she stopped messaging.

— Hey! Move your legs faster!!

Kim Gwangsu's angry shout rang out, and Jonghyun winced.

He shoved the candies Harin had given him deep into his pocket and ran towards the portal.

— Coming!

Everyone had gathered at the portal and was about to enter without discussing a plan of action.

— Wait! What kind of dungeon is it? What's our plan?

Before each raid, Jonghyun tried to learn as much as possible about the dungeon, its level, and the types of monsters that inhabited it.

This was necessary for survival.

An E-rank hunter, relying only on a passive skill, had to gather information. Information was power, increasing his chances of survival.

But the message contained no information, and the team leader decided to skip the plan discussion and enter the dungeon immediately. He couldn't accept this.

The leader looked at him irritably, clicked his tongue, and kicked him in the shin.

Thwack.

The bone seemed to be intact, but the pain was excruciating. Jonghyun fell to one knee, grabbed his bruised shin, and groaned softly.

— And this is called a hunter? Tsk, the guild's tank, and such a weakling. If it weren't for me, you would never have become a hunter. You should be grateful!

— S-sorry.

He was the one who got hit, but he was the one who had to apologize.

He signed a contract with a minor on extremely unfavorable terms, and now he demands gratitude?!

Seventeen years old, winter. He awakened, but his mother was in the hospital, and he, willy-nilly, became the head of the family. He needed to earn money somehow.

Then he received an offer from the Devil Guild. There were no adults around to help him, and he needed money urgently, so he made a deal with the devil.

He still shuddered at the memory of that day. And now they demand gratitude.

— Come on, Team Leader, it happens. We discussed the plan at the cafe while Jonghyun wasn't there.

Lee Joohyun looked at him with a sly smile. One corner of his lips curled up contemptuously.

Jonghyun wanted to punch him in that smirking face, but he knew he would lose.

Lee Joohyun was a D-rank hunter, and he was an E-rank. Even one rank was a huge difference.

As they say, an older brother by a year or two is scarier than an older brother by ten years.

— Ha, what a hassle. Team Leader, let's ditch this loser and go. It's a D-rank dungeon, why do we need to drag an E-rank along?

Park Sihu, another team member, also sighed and looked at him as a burden.

— No, but how can we do that? Jonghyun came!

Only Song Harin stood up for him.

The leader wanted to impress her, so he decided to wait a bit.

— Five minutes enough?

Heh heh, Harin will surely think what an attentive leader I am.

Usually, discussing a plan took from 15 minutes to 2 hours, and here it was only 5 minutes?

— I'll explain it to him.

— Thanks, Harin.

Harin approached him and briefly outlined the plan in 5 minutes.

The leader apparently hadn't expected him to come and had developed a plan without a tank. But, frankly, this plan raised doubts about the adequacy of its author.

Shadow hounds inhabited the D-rank dungeon.

Destroying them required at least two tanks to distract their attention. And according to the leader's plan, one tank (himself) and melee hunters were supposed to take turns striking?

If they were experienced hunters, it would make sense, but with their level of training, distracting shadow hounds was pure madness.

How could he even come up with such a plan? Does he have a pumpkin for a head?

It seemed like this raid would be difficult.

— I'm relying on you, Harin.

Instead of empty promises of protection, he decided to be honest. Harin was stronger than him, that was a fact.

Harin, pleased with his words, smiled happily.

— Okay!

The pain in his shin subsided in less than 5 minutes, and he was able to stand up.

Bruises and contusions healed quickly, and he didn't need to go to the hospital.

Of course, hospital treatment would be more effective, but…

With their terrible benefits package, a hospital was just a dream. Even when his arm was cut off, they didn't send him to the hospital, saying that he would heal anyway thanks to his passive skill.

It was better that he hadn't seen the morning message about the withdrawal.

Why dwell on it now? I need to finish the raid and run to my sister.

— Sigh…

He sighed and took his shield off his back.

Without saying a word, he stood in front of the team and was the first to enter the portal.