My daily life in the real world is pretty unremarkable.
I wake up in the morning, quickly wash up, and grab something to eat. Lately, I haven't been cooking for myself; instead, I enter the Plum Blossom Sword Saint world, retrieve Yuria's food, and bring it back to the real world to eat.
Since the food doesn't have any special powers, its taste never deteriorates.
After that, I head to school. On days I really don't feel like going, or if I get bored or annoyed during class, I just ditch.
After lectures, I go to the Spirit Sword Pavilion and train vigorously with Jin Seyoung.
I've been consistently training my body, but the problem is that it's not yielding the results I expect.
In the early days, intense workouts would noticeably increase my strength, stamina, and agility stats. Now, even if I train to exhaustion all day, my stats barely budge.
Perhaps that's why I've lost some motivation for physical training. These days, I only dedicate about two hours to the Spirit Sword Pavilion.
The rest of my time is spent hunting monsters in dungeons. Despite appearances, I'm an E-Rank Hunter, and I have a strong desire to climb the ranks.
To become a higher-ranked Hunter, skill is paramount, followed by performance. That's why I consistently "clock in" to dungeons.
There are no days off.
Whenever I need a break, I can simply visit the worlds of "Vampire Detective" or "Plum Blossom Sword Saint" and rest there.
Physical fatigue in the real world? A single use of "Complete Recovery" erases it instantly.
Since I can use it once every twelve hours anyway, I actively utilize it this way.
Still no word from Na A-yeon...
Na A-yeon, the actress I ended up sleeping with after talking and flirting with her, hadn't contacted me in over a month.
I'd been expecting her to reach out, unable to forget the taste of my cock, but she seemed to possess far more self-control than I'd anticipated.
Well, it doesn't matter.
I'd never contact Na A-yeon first. While she's an actress, she's not stunningly beautiful enough to make me chase a relationship.
To be honest, her looks are a bit below Jin Seyoung's.
And more importantly, I can fuck Na A-yeon in the world of 'Vampire Detective'.
Reika from 'Vampire Detective' and Na A-yeon are the same person. Their pussies taste identical. If I want to hold Na A-yeon, I can just hold Reika. Sure, the real-world version is a bit more thrilling, but there's no significant difference.
The lecture was in full swing.
Oh Junhyeok and I, seated in a corner of the classroom, were completely engrossed in our own distractions. I sat blankly, lost in thought, while Oh Junhyeok was glued to his smartphone.
The professor didn't bother scolding us. He knew that as active Hunters, we wouldn't care even if we were expelled. Besides, we weren't the only ones not paying attention; it was a common sight in the Hunter Department.
"Hey, hey, check this out. This is the girl I'm seeing right now. She's a year younger than me, but her looks are insane, right?"
"Let me see."
I craned my neck to peer at the photo Oh Junhyeok was showing me. It was a selfie of him with a short-haired girl, likely taken at a restaurant. Her face was ordinary.
"She's pretty average."
"Huh? Hey! What's average about her? She's definitely above average!"
Oh Junhyeok was right. Objectively speaking, the woman's looks were above average. But she was definitely not my type.
"Ah, you're right. I guess I've been watching too much TV lately. Staring at celebrities all day has raised my standards."
Thanks to the Yuhee lifestyle app, my standards for women had skyrocketed. Now, even women with above-average looks barely registered as "pretty" to me.
"You little shut-in. Staying home all the time is making you lose touch with reality. That's why you should come clubbing with me tonight."
I chuckled dryly.
"You need to lay off the clubs. I heard you're even seeing someone now? Does she know you're a club rat?"
"I met her at the club too. We're still just flirting, you know. Once we start dating seriously, I'll quit the club."
"Yeah, right."
I could guarantee Oh Junhyeok wouldn't quit the club. He'd broken up with his last girlfriend because of it.
I glanced at Oh Junhyeok's smartphone and said, "Still, her chest looks pretty big. At least a C-cup."
"Right? She's petite, but her chest is huge. And her face is above average too. Lately, I've been thinking about what it would be like to marry her."
"You're insane."
Marriage? What a joke.
We're still in our early twenties. It's way too early to be thinking about marriage. Besides, Hunters are treated better the higher their rank. Even a C-Class Hunter could marry a more beautiful woman.
They say Hunters should get married when they retire.
Being a Hunter is a high-paying job, but it's also incredibly dangerous. The mortality rate is far higher than other high-income professions. Even veteran Hunters can die if they let their guard down.
Two of my classmates have already died.
They were killed by monsters inside Dungeons. We managed to recover one body, but the other was devoured alive by monsters, leaving nothing behind.
We weren't particularly close, so I didn't feel any real sadness. All I knew about them was their names.
I can't afford to die. I have the Yuhee lifestyle app dying now would be such a waste.
I'm being extra cautious in the Dungeons, never pushing myself too hard.
I could earn as much money as I wanted, so there was no need to push myself.
"Sung Yujin, come see me for a moment."
Someone called out to me.
When I looked away from the window, Professor Park was standing beside me.
Park Cheonwoo, the youngest professor in the Hunter Department, was commonly known as Professor Park. Perhaps because of his youth, he showed more interest in his students than the other professors. Despite his gruff demeanor and expression, he was a man who meddled in everything.
"Me?"
"Yes. Come to my research lab."
"Now?"
"Do you need to use the restroom? Be there in ten minutes."
Professor Park left after delivering his instructions.
Tap, tap. Oh Junhyeok nudged my shoulder, grinning smugly.
"Our Yujin's in deep trouble, huh? What kind of mess did you get into this time? Hmm?"
He seemed to be enjoying my predicament rather than worrying about me. I clicked my tongue briefly.
"Fuck up? I didn't cause any trouble."
My grades were a disaster, but I wasn't alone. Oh Junhyeok, sitting right next to me, had grades just as bad. Plenty of other students were doing even worse.
"No idea at all? Seriously? Professor Park wouldn't call you in for no reason, right?"
That was true. Even if I was late or skipped class, he'd nag me, but he'd never call me in separately to scold me.
"I don't know. I'll find out when I go. I'll be back."
I said casually and stood up.
I entered Professor Park's research lab for the first time. The lab was meticulously organized, with bookshelves lined with specialized books about monsters.
The history of Hunters is quite long.
Hunters only recently came into the public eye. The surge in superhumans and Monsters during the modern era made their existence unavoidable.
Before the Hunter Association was established and the existence of superhumans, wizards, martial artists, and others became known, ordinary people had no idea they existed.
The existence of Monsters was often disguised as mythical creatures or yokai. It was the familiar story of monsters from folklore actually being real.
Monster byproducts, too.
I didn't know what kind of Monster they came from, nor did I care what kind Professor Park was studying.
"Sung Yujin, over here."
A voice called me from the room on the right. I headed in that direction.
Inside, Professor Park wasn't the only one present. Han Harin sat on the sofa, her legs crossed. She always carried herself with an air of aloofness.
Why is Han Harin here...? Could she be with Professor Park?!
That didn't seem to be the case. Han Harin's cold expression and demeanor remained unchanged, even when facing the professor.
I sat down next to Han Harin, since Professor Park was sitting across from us.
"I called you here today because I wanted to recommend this."
Professor Park placed several documents on the table. Han Harin and I glanced at the papers, noticing a flashy flyer tucked among them.
"Dungeon Survival Reforged?"
"Exactly, Sung Yujin. Are you familiar with Dungeon Survival?"
"It was a program from a few years ago, right? I remember it being a big deal back then, but I also remember it flopping spectacularly."
Dungeon Survival.
About five years ago, the terrestrial broadcasting station SOX ambitiously prepared a program.
The premise was simple: Hunters would live in a dungeon for several days, competing against each other. True to the "survival" theme, they had to survive the dungeon itself.
"They're doing this again?"
"Yeah. Looks like they've put a lot of effort into it this time. The Hunter Association is actively involved, and this invitation even came to us."
The Hunter Association's involvement was understandable. Many ordinary people feared Hunters. The association actively cooperated with broadcasters and other media to improve the public image of Hunters.
"...Don't you think this will flop again, just like last time?"
"Read the details carefully. The broadcasting station has clearly learned from its mistakes. Something like last time won't happen again."
The previous season of Dungeon Survival ended after just one episode. The reason was simple: a massive influx of A-Rank Hunters had participated.
The broadcasting station had grossly underestimated the power of A-Rank Hunters. They swept through the dungeon in a single day, then turned on each other. In the process, any semblance of a storyline vanished, leaving only flashy combat scenes.
Even those scenes weren't properly captured on video. Ordinary viewers couldn't understand the battles, as they couldn't follow the A-Rank Hunters' movements from a normal person's perspective.
In the end, Dungeon Survival was a spectacular failure, one of the most disastrous program collapses in broadcasting history.
"Young Hunters under 24 will participate?"
"The biggest reason Dungeon Survival failed was the imbalance between Hunters and the Dungeon. This time, we've completely excluded strong and experienced Hunters, so we won't repeat that mistake."
The requirements are that participants must be under 24 years old and form teams of three.
Early twenties. Most are F to D-Rank Hunters. Given the age restriction, there will be very few C-Rank or higher Hunters. They're unlikely to participate in Dungeon Survival.
The prize money is only 1 billion won. Not a significant sum for Hunters.
"Only 1 billion won for the winning prize? We have to survive in the Dungeon for a week, and that's all we get?"
"The prize money is a bit low, I agree."
"I won't participate. It's not mandatory, right?"
Professor Park nodded in response to my question.
"If that's your opinion, there's nothing I can do. I can't force you."
"But why is the university recommending this? Why aren't they recruiting officially?"
"Would Hunters even participate if it were an official recruitment?"
Unless they're attention-seekers, probably not.
"And the Hunter Association requested our cooperation. Not just our university, but all universities nationwide with Hunter Departments. Since it's a nationally broadcast program, we can't just let anyone participate. That's why they approached our school first because we can vouch for our students' identities."
"The Hunter Association must be working hard," I said dryly.
"Han Harin, what will you do?"
"...I'll participate."
"Really? That's fortunate. With you and one other person, we still need to find one more..."
"Wait, hold on, Senior. Why are you participating?"
I was genuinely curious.
Han Harin was a D-Rank Hunter and a silver-spooner. A billion-won prize? It meant nothing to her. I fully expected her to decline, knowing she wasn't the type to crave attention.
She glanced at me before answering casually, "Since the Hunter Association is actively involved, it should be safe. Besides, opportunities to fight other Hunters at full power are rare outside of this."
"...Ah."
In other words, she was after combat experience.
While I could experience countless life-or-death battles in other worlds through Yuhee's gaming apps, others didn't have that option.
"You're right, now that I think about it. I'll join too."
I changed my mind and declared my participation. Not for the combat experience, though. My real goal was Han Harin. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to get closer to her.
"I'll show you. The new me!"
I'm no longer just Sung Yujin, a mere Hunter aspirant. I'm determined to show Han Harin, my first love, exactly how much I've changed.
"You suddenly want to participate?"
"Professor, please. After hearing Senior Han Harin's explanation, it seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Where else would I get such experience?"
"...It's fortunate you're joining. Here's the application form. Fill it out. The program starts in two weeks at a Dungeon prepared by the Hunter Association."
Professor Park likely recommended Han Harin and me because we're among the strongest in the Hunter Department.
Though my rank is low, I can use mana, while Han Harin, despite lacking mana, possesses top-tier combat skills within the department.