SSS-Rank Passive Skill and Return

Even maze dungeons had monsters.

D-rank dungeons occasionally spawned D and E-rank monsters.

[Slime (E)]

A transparent, jelly-like substance, sticky to the touch.

— Has no vision but senses its surroundings through touch.

The only monster that posed no danger to humans.

Jonghyun focused his gaze on the slime, and a new message appeared:

[Corrodes everything].

Fortunately, not the most dangerous monster.

Jonghyun calmed down and relaxed his shoulders.

Gwangsu ordered him and Harin to stay back.

— Harin, stay here, it's dangerous, — he told her.

And to Jonghyun, he tossed:

— Tsk, good-for-nothing, you're useless.

The other hunters, trying to show off in front of Harin, importantly brandished their new swords, destroying the slime.

Song Harin and Jonghyun watched them.

Seeing how they were deliberately stalling, Harin sighed and said:

— God, they're acting like children. So immature.

— Unexpected to hear that from you, — Jonghyun chuckled.

His laughter amused Harin, and they chatted while the other three continued their charade.

They disarmed several traps and moved on.

At the end of the maze, a portal should appear, through which they could return.

The reward for this dungeon was small, but Jonghyun was glad to be alive.

Good thing they pay immediately.

He liked that he received the money right after the raid, like a day laborer, and didn't have to wait a whole month.

Although the commission eats up almost half.

He wanted to get home quickly and see his sister.

— What?

Jonghyun stopped abruptly, a bewildered expression on his face.

— What now?! — Kim Gwangsu shouted irritably.

— W-what is this?

Kim Gwangsu was also stunned.

— What happened?

One by one, all the team members reached the end of the corridor and froze in astonishment.

Before them wasn't a portal, but a massive door with ancient-style drawings.

— Where did this door come from?

Song Harin, as befitting a mage, asked a logical question.

The door was huge and majestic.

Its mere appearance sent shivers down their spines. Jonghyun swallowed.

Even if the entire team combined their strength, they would hardly be able to move this door even a centimeter.

If it weren't for the even vertical crack down the middle, he would have mistaken it for a wall.

— Team Leader, is this really a door?

Park Sihu looked at Kim Gwangsu, but he, being a C-rank hunter, also seemed to be seeing such a door for the first time.

— Y-yes, probably.

Kim Gwangsu went into dungeons less often than Jonghyun, so it was no surprise he didn't know about this.

Despite his rank, he always chose D-rank dungeons and below to pad his stats.

And even then, he most likely falsified them or used the services of other hunters.

Terror was written all over Kim Gwangsu's face.

The other hunters were also puzzled.

[Condition fulfilled].

A new message appeared before the hunters' eyes.

— Did you see the message?

— Yes, "condition fulfilled."

Judging by the identical text of the message, it was sent by the dungeon system.

Jonghyun tried to understand what condition had been fulfilled.

Could the door have opened because of our emotions?

He pondered, and at that moment…

Rumble!

The door began to open automatically.

The ground trembled as if an earthquake had begun.

Humming.

A sound came from behind. Jonghyun turned and saw the floor begin to collapse.

The door swung open as if inviting them to enter, and they had no choice.

Beyond the door was an empty space, resembling outer space.

Buzzing.

Another tremor, and the hunters, backing away, stepped inside.

A white portal appeared in the doorway.

— A p-portal!

They were about to enter the portal and return home when…

— A h-hidden prize!

Suddenly exclaimed Park Sihu, who had been silent until now.

A hidden prize.

It was a rare bonus that sometimes appeared in low-rank dungeons.

A place where hidden treasures were stored.

Once, an E-rank hunter, separated from his team, stumbled upon a hidden prize and became one of the hundred richest people in the world.

It was a real lottery.

But the chance of finding a hidden prize was negligible.

In the hunters' eyes, surprise and fear were replaced by greed.

Numerous treasures appeared in the space beyond the door.

— There was nothing here when I entered.

When he jumped through the doorway, the treasures weren't there yet.

The sudden appearance of treasures was suspicious.

This wasn't like a normal hidden prize.

— Team Leader, the sudden appearance of treasures could be a trap…

— Shut up! Is that important now? Stop whining and collect the loot!

Kim Gwangsu interrupted Jonghyun and, along with Park Sihu and Lee Joohyun, rushed towards the treasures.

Their eyes burned with greed.

Jonghyun also wanted to run after them, but a bad feeling washed over him.

The portal beyond the door led to the exit of the dungeon.

Harin, apparently sensing something too, cautiously tugged at his sleeve:

— Jonghyun, what are you going to do?

If it wasn't a trap, then he needed to grab the treasures like the others.

Honestly, when he heard about the hidden prize, his heart beat faster, and he also felt a surge of greed.

If he could get even one of these artifacts, he could pay for his sister's treatment.

[Golden Dragon Armor (A)], [Fire Spirit Spear (A+)], [Infinity Gauntlet (S)].

Artifacts that couldn't be bought for any amount of money. And skill books were scattered on the floor.

[Fire Impulse (A)], [Enhancement (A+)].

Jonghyun had too little mana to learn these high-level skills, but even selling one such book would solve all his financial problems.

Gulp.

His intuition screamed danger, but how could he resist such treasures?

One or two artifacts or skill books — and he wouldn't have to worry about money for his sister's treatment anymore.

But his intuition almost never failed him.

Thanks to it, he, an E-rank hunter, managed to survive for 10 years.

Of course, the passive skill "Regeneration" also played a role, but in dangerous situations, it was his intuition that saved him from death.

— Ah…

Jonghyun noticed a small glass vial.

The patterns on the vial were like a work of art.

[Supreme Elixir (SSS+)]

The only artifact with an SSS+ rank.

The elixir was a universal potion capable of curing any disease. Its value was comparable to an entire nation.

C-could this be the elixir?

He widened his eyes and read the description.

[Panacea].

Seeing this word, he forgot everything and rushed towards the vial.

Fortunately, the other three were too engrossed in the other treasures and didn't pay attention to him.

— With this, I can save Jia.

Jonghyun carefully hid the vial with the elixir inside his shirt.

Now he wouldn't have to endure humiliation anymore.

Even with hundreds of millions, he couldn't cure Jia.

She lay unconscious in the hospital.

Magical poisoning was a rare disease, and there were no known cures yet.

— Jonghyun!

Harin called him, but he didn't hear.

Then she approached him and called again:

— Jonghyun.

Harin gently touched his shoulder.

— Everything will be alright. Let's go back through the portal.

— Th-thank you.

He was ashamed that a junior colleague was comforting him.

— Harin, aren't you going to take any artifacts?

— I don't need anything.

— Are you from a rich family? Are you just giving up such valuables?

Any of these artifacts was worth more than a lottery win, but Harin seemed completely indifferent to wealth.

— I took something, don't worry.

Jonghyun, grabbing the elixir and a few artifacts, headed towards the portal.

— Hey! Where are you going?

Jonghyun tensed, thinking that Kim Gwangsu had noticed the elixir.

This one vial alone was worth a third of all the treasures in this hall.

— Huh? So many treasures…

Kim Gwangsu glanced at the artifacts in Jonghyun's hands.

Finding nothing more valuable than what he had himself, he lost interest.

Jonghyun deliberately took only A-rank artifacts and worse.

— Tsk, you took all the junk.

Kim Gwangsu looked at his left pocket with disappointment.

— Hey, take out what's in your pocket.

Jonghyun reached into his right pocket, but Kim Gwangsu barked:

— Your left one!

— Team Leader, this is too much! Jonghyun has the right to take some of the treasures!

If he refused to show the contents of his pocket now, sooner or later they would discover the elixir.

— It's alright, Harin.

Jonghyun reassured her and pulled out the potion candies Harin had given him before entering the dungeon from his left pocket.

— What? Ordinary candies? Tsk, hiding something so trivial!

Kim Gwangsu, having lost all interest, ordered him to carry the treasures.

The raid wasn't over yet, and Jonghyun wanted to leave quietly, but he had to obey the leader's order.

If he disobeyed, they might search him.

That was too risky now.

No one knew he had the elixir.

— Phew, that was close, — Harin whispered, as if it concerned her.

Did she know about the elixir?

Her words made him think.

It can't be… I must have misheard.

On Kim Gwangsu's orders, Jonghyun loaded his shield with artifacts, skill books, and gold.

He gave the elixir and the other artifacts to Harin.

He trusted her.

Harin didn't take anything for herself. Kim Gwangsu tried to give her a ring with an artifact, but she refused, saying it was too expensive.

— Tsk, you should have brought a bag instead of this junk.

He was the one who summoned him in a hurry, and now he was complaining that he didn't have a bag.

Jonghyun's shield was the heaviest.

— Oh, Jonghyun, let me help.

Harin rolled up her sleeves and wanted to help him.

— N-no, thank you, I can manage.

— But it's heavy for you.

— You hid my artifacts, this is nothing compared to that.

The others didn't offer their help.

They were too busy trying to stuff as many treasures as possible into their pockets.

Though I'm the same.

The main thing now was to get out of here as soon as possible.

As soon as he cured his sister, he would immediately leave this lousy guild.

The resignation letter that every employee carries in their heart.

Jonghyun couldn't afford it, but now he had a chance.

He was going to tell these bastards everything he thought of them.

They think I don't know how to curse?

This must be how people who win the lottery multiple times feel.

Jonghyun crouched down, straightened his back, and lifted the shield.

Harin's hands were full, so she cast a strengthening spell on him.

— Shh, don't tell anyone, — she put a finger to her lips and winked at him.

— Thank you.

Jonghyun bowed slightly in gratitude and headed towards the portal.

Harin's mana level was comparable to a C-rank mage, not a D-rank.

This was the fourth time she had strengthened him. She did it secretly when he was struggling.

Crash!

He carefully walked towards the portal, trying not to drop the treasures, when suddenly a deafening crash echoed through the chamber.