...I quit my job.
I think I've completely lost it.
Bosses that yells at you, managers that drops a bunch of work on you like a bomb... I seriously couldn't continue this lifestyle any longer!
So, I gave my resignation letter.
I'm twenty five now. I can't keep rotting away like this. It's time to open up the shop that I've always wanted... A cafe store!
Sweets and coffee have always been my saviors. Whenever work stress pushes me to the edge, caffeine never lets me down.
I should have enough saved to start a small business now.
Just to be safe, I checked my bank account. Hire a Hitman on the Boss: ₩10,962,640.00
...Huh?
Why... why do I have that much in my hitman fund?
Then it hit me. I'd set up automatic transfers three years ago. Right after I got chewed out over the celebrity ad proposal... I think?
I still remember how excited I was to pitch my idea. I thought it was good—no, great. But I got shot down before I could even finish. All because I... tripped over my words a little.
Okay, maybe I was talking too fast. I was nervous. Still, did he have to ignore the entire concept just because I stumbled a bit? What about the work itself? What about the effort?
I poured everything into that job. Four years of college. Sleepless nights. Instant noodles. Stress migraines. And what did I get in return? Not even enough pay to afford a pet, let alone a house.
Honestly, life felt a little unfair.
But I'm done being bitter. I quit.
So I bought a building with the money. A very cheap building. One room upstairs, a store downstairs.
But before that, I need to clean up this disaster zone.
·•—–٠✤٠—–•·
The inside of the building I bought... Mm. How should I put this?
It looked like something out of a horror game. Dusty floors, cracked walls, windows that rattled even when there was no wind. If someone told me a ghost lived here, I would've believed them without question.
...I didn't get scammed, right?
I mean, sure, this place is in the same district where the first disaster-class dungeon ever appeared.
But that was years ago. They rebuilt everything.
The real estate agent swore it was safe now.
...Well, whatever. It's too late to back out anyway. Let's just focus on what's ahead.
First on the list: repainting the walls, fixing the broken windows, and finding something to cover that weird stain on the ceiling.
Ahh~ There's actually so much to do.
But strangely enough... fixing the place up was kind of fun.
After two weeks of working day and night, I'd gotten a lot done.
The dull, crumbling walls were now a soft, textured cream. The kind that made you feel warm just by looking at them. I installed hanging lights above each table, wooden ones, each big enough to seat three people without bumping elbows. Potted plants lined the windowsills and shelves, weaving around the beams like lazy green vines.
It looked... extremely cozy and tropical with all the greens everywhere.
Like the kind of café you'd stumble across on a rainy day either at night or day (preferably night) and never want to leave.
I could see it now, my own café.
The warm scent of roasted beans in the air, soft music humming in the background... and maybe, in the corner, a sleepy cat napping like it owned the place. If I can find one who's fine working part-time in exchange for treats and head pats.
Business registration was also done. Technically, I could open tomorrow.
But no, not yet. I wanted the menu to be perfect first.
The very first item needs to be an americano. My signature brew—strong, bitter, and just a little sweet. The kind of coffee that kicks you awake so you won't fall asleep in the middle of work.
I wiped my hands on a towel and looked around the space, letting out a small sigh. Right now, it still smelled like paint and sawdust... but give it a week.
Soon, it'll smell like roasted beans. Maybe even cookies, if I decide to make them too.
Then, the floor creaked just by the empty storage room that I managed to dust away.
It wasn't the normal kind of creak, like old wood under shifting weight. No. This one sounded... hollow, like a hidden passage way.
I froze at the realization.
Slowly, I stepped back and stared at it.
I stomped on it once.
Thud.
Again.
Thud... thunk.
My eyes narrowed. I grabbed a mop and tapped the spot. Definitely hollow, which means there's...
"...No way."
I crouched down and knocked on the wood multiple times, still not believing it.
Okay there's definitely something down there.
So, I looked around to see if there was any way to open this, and surely after a while of searching, I heard a sound.
Click.
A square panel popped up, just enough for my fingers to catch the edge.
"...You've got to be kidding me."
Was this normal? Did cheap buildings come with secret, creepy doors? Or is there maybe a darker reason why this building was cheap...
I glanced around the cafe, then at the now-open hatch.
"Nope. Nope. What if there's something creepy down there?" They say curiosity kills a cat.
But of course, I didn't listen to myself. Curiosity is an incurable disease, and I've never been particularly healthy.
I grabbed my phone for a light and opened the hatch all the way, revealing a short, steep staircase leading into darkness.
I hesitated.
What if I find something down there? What if money was hidden away or something? It's not like there's a dungeon, or sleeping monsters at the basement of an abandon building, so let's just stop being a scaredy-cat and go.
And down I went.
·•—–٠✤٠—–•·
It was freezing down there. The kind of freezing that has you rubbing your arms like a maniac.
The walls were concrete, rough and cracked, with spiderwebs stretched across the corners. It looked like one of those hidden escape tunnels you read about in novels—where royalty runs away while their castle burns above.
"You must go, my child! We have a secret passage that leads you outside of the castle grounds. Escape now before they find you!"
The child, a prince or a princess, usually cries at the sight of their parents getting burnt or sacrificing themselves while throwing the child in the hidden vault.
Anyway, how long had it been since anyone came down here?
Judging by the dust, grime, and general lack of human presence, definitely not recently. Possibly not in this decade.
I kept walking, only hearing the sound of my footstep echo against the straight passageway, until I suddenly stopped.
There, far ahead, was a light.
Faint, but there's a light there. I squinted. My eyes weren't exactly great at distance, and the contrast between pitch-black and glowing-white didn't help, but... something was down there.
Wait.
Was that a... sword? Did I just hit a jackpot?
No, that couldn't be right.
I moved closer, and the space opened up like some kind of hidden cavern. A pond shimmered off to the side, its water unnaturally blue, glowing as if moonlight lived inside it. The light danced on the cave walls, casting shadows that didn't match their shapes.
It was surreal. Ethereal, even.
But all my attention was drawn to the object in the center of the space.
A pedestal. On it, something familiar rested.
"...Is that a coffee grinder..?" I stared.
Yes. A coffee grinder. Ancient-looking, with brass gears and ornate carvings. It shimmered faintly in the glow of the pond, like it had been waiting for someone.
I took a step forward.
The moment my foot touched the stone floor, something clicked. A low hum filled the cave, vibrating through my shoes and into my bones. The grinder started glowing, softly at first, then brighter and brighter...!
I instinctively stepped back, but it was too late.
Symbols lit up along the pedestal, lines of strange runes glowing gold.
And then out of nowhere, a blue light appeared in front of me.
『Rebooting dungeon █▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒10%』
『 ⋘ 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡... ⋙ 』
...Huh?