The morning light slipped weakly through the cracked blinds of Min-ho's room.
His phone buzzed on the desk, dragging him out of restless half-sleep.
He reached over, eyes still heavy, and unlocked the screen.
(Recruitment Post – Dungeon Raid)
Looking for one more Hunter to join our raid party. Dungeon Rank: D. Payment: 100,000 won. Any class welcome. Minimum requirement: D-rank.
Min-ho's thumb hovered over the message.
Nine members already. They only needed one more. Someone expendable. Someone who wouldn't be missed if things went wrong.
Still… his chest tightened.
Money. Experience. A chance to step into a dungeon—not as baggage, but as a Hunter.
He stared at the cracked ceiling again his mother's words from last night echoing faintly in his ears.
"Rank doesn't matter. What matters is that you keep trying."
For the first time since yesterday, he forced himself to sit up. His hand trembled slightly as he typed a reply.
Min-ho slipped the phone back onto the desk and dragged himself out of bed.
The smell of miso soup and fried eggs drifted in from the kitchen.
"Morning, sleepyhead," his mom greeted warmly, her hair tied back, apron stained faintly with flour. She set down a steaming bowl on the table. "Eat before it gets cold. You'll need your strength."
Min-ho sat across from her, picking up his chopsticks. For a while, neither of them spoke—just the quiet clatter of bowls, the hum of the old fridge, the soft rhythm of a life too ordinary for the world outside.
Finally, his mom looked up. "So… plans today?"
He hesitated for a second. "…A dungeon raid. Just D-rank. I'll be fine."
Her chopsticks froze midair. Worry flickered in her eyes, but she forced a smile. "My boy, already going on raids, huh? You've grown so much."
Min-ho managed a small smile back. She reached over, ruffling his messy black hair the way she always did, the gesture warm and gentle.
"Be careful, alright? Come home safe. That's all I ask."
"…I will."
When breakfast was done, she packed a small lunch for him, slipping it into his bag without a word. Before he left, she stood at the door, watching him tie his worn shoes.
"Remember," she said softly, "you're not alone. No matter what anyone says, you have me."
Min-ho nodded, his throat tight. "I know, Mom."
Then, with one last look at the only place in the world that felt like safety, he stepped outside.
The dungeon gates loomed ahead—an eerie crack in reality, its swirling surface glowing faintly with purple light. Hunters stood gathered before it, adjusting gear, checking weapons, and bantering with confidence.
Min-ho approached quietly, clutching the strap of his worn bag. He instantly felt the shift—everyone already knew each other, already belonged. He was the outsider.
Then a familiar voice cut through the chatter.
"Well, well… look who crawled his way here."
Min-ho froze. His chest tightened before he even turned.
Sung-min.
The same Sung-min who used to shove his head into lockers, who made every school day hell. Only now, Sung-min stood tall in polished gear, a confident grin on his face, a guild emblem shining proudly on his chest.
A C-rank Healer.
"You?" Sung-min scoffed, looking him up and down. "Don't tell me you're joining this raid too." His laughter earned a few chuckles from nearby hunters. "What are you gonna do, Min-ho? Collect trash? Hide behind us like old times?"
Min-ho fists tightened, but he said nothing.
Before the tension could rise further, another voice spoke—firm, sharp.
"That's enough."
The crowd shifted as their leader stepped forward. She was impossible to ignore: tall, confident, flames dancing faintly along her fingertips even when idle. A B-rank Fire Mage.
Her name was Min-ji.
In this city's dungeon community, her name carried weight—strong enough to command respect, but not so high that she was out of reach for the ambitious. Hunters listened when she spoke, and even Sung-min's smug grin faltered under her sharp gaze.
"We need ten bodies to clear this raid, and he's here. That's all that matters," Min-ji said firmly, her voice steady as steel. Her fiery eyes flicked to Min-ho for the briefest moment—not kind, not cruel, just measuring. "If you've got a problem with that, Sung-min, you can leave."
The authority in her tone silenced the whispers immediately.
Sung-min clicked his tongue, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Fine, fine. Don't blame me if he slows us down."
The blue shimmer of the gate rippled as Min-ji raised her hand.
"Alright. Enough waiting. It's time. Let's go."
Her voice carried authority, and the group moved almost in unison. One by one, the Hunters stepped through the dungeon gate, vanishing into its light. Min-ho followed quietly at the back, his chest tight but his footsteps steady.
The moment his body crossed the threshold—he felt it.
Heat.
Not just warmth, but scorching fire, clawing at his skin, crawling down his throat. The dungeon around them wasn't the cool, mossy cave of a standard D-rank. No—this was a vast, burning world. Rivers of magma cut across jagged stone. Flames licked the air, glowing cracks spread across the blackened ground, and the ceiling above glowed red like the mouth of a furnace.
"This… this isn't right," one of the D-rank mages whispered, sweat already dripping from his forehead.
Even the strongest of the group stiffened. Their hearts pounded, the oppressive heat sinking into their bones, suffocating them with dread.
Min-ho, however, blinked in confusion. He felt the heat, yes, but his chest didn't tighten the same way. His legs weren't trembling like the others.
Before he could dwell on it, Min-ji's voice cut through the silence.
Her tone was sharp, urgent.
"This isn't a D-rank. It's a trap gate… at least A-rank, maybe higher."
The words froze the group in place.
"What?!"
"Impossible—there's no way—"
"We can't clear this!"
Panic rippled through the Hunters, but Min-ji's face was grim, steady.
"There's no going back," she continued, her fists clenched. "You all know the rules. Trap gates don't let you out until the boss is dead."
The air thickened. A C-rank Hunter swore under his breath.
"So what, we just wait around and starve?!"
"Waiting isn't an option," another said, his voice shaking. "Time flows differently here. An hour outside is a whole week in here. If no one notices in time, we'll die of hunger before anyone even finds us."
The group's murmurs grew louder—fear, anger, despair.
Min-ji's fiery gaze swept across her party, silencing them again.
"Then we have no choice. If we want to live, we clear this dungeon."
The heat pressed down heavier the deeper they went. Magma rivers bubbled around them, filling the air with a suffocating stench. Everyone's nerves were already fraying when the ground suddenly shook.
From the haze of smoke, glowing eyes emerged—larger than wolves, moving with terrifying grace. Their striped fur flickered like fire itself, and every breath they exhaled came out as burning embers.
"Wait… no way…" one of the C-rank Hunters muttered, his voice trembling.
Min-ji's eyes widened in alarm. "Red Tigers. B-rank monsters."
The entire group froze.
"This is bad," Sung-min whispered, clutching his staff tighter. "Even one of them could wipe us out…"
But there was no time to retreat. The tigers lunged, flames bursting from their claws and jaws, shaking the dungeon walls.
"Formation!" Min-Ji shouted, her arms bursting into fire as she launched a counterattack.
A C-rank water mage immediately raised his staff, summoning a crashing wave that slammed into the first tiger. Steam exploded, blinding the front line for an instant.
The battle was chaos. Arrows flew, swords clashed against burning claws, lightning cracked through the haze. Every strike they landed barely slowed the beasts down.
Min-ho gripped his daggers, staying near the edges, his heart thundering in his chest. His body screamed at him to move, but the heat and killing intent pressing from those beasts locked his legs stiff.
One tiger broke past the front line, its flaming jaws snapping toward a Hunter. In that moment, Min-ho's body moved on its own. He darted forward, slashing across its eye, forcing the beast to stumble back just long enough for Min-ji's fire blast to finish it off.
The fight dragged on, blood spraying, roars shaking their bones, until finally—finally—the last Red Tiger collapsed, its body vanishing into ash.
Silence.
The group stood, trembling, their weapons lowered. Blood dripped from wounds, mana reserves nearly drained, and burns scorched their armor.
They had survived B-rank monsters. But the cost showed on their faces.
No one cheered. No one spoke.
Because if this was the first trial in the dungeon…
…then what awaited deeper inside would surely kill them all.
The smell of blood and burnt flesh still lingered as the group collapsed against the jagged rocks, gasping for breath. Their wounds were deep, their mana nearly spent.
Sung-min the once-smirking bully of Min-ho's past was now moving among them with steady hands. He pulled potions from his satchel, pouring glowing liquid over cuts, pressing them against scorched skin, and chanting quiet healing spells.
One by one, the Hunters' ragged breathing eased. Burns faded, gashes closed, strength slowly returned.
When Sung-min finally reached Min-ho, their eyes met. For a heartbeat, the old memories flickered—bloodied school halls, fists, and laughter that wasn't his own.
Sung-min smirked faintly, pressing the potion to Min-ho's arm wound.
"Surprised?" he said quietly, almost casually. "Your old bully's the one patching you up?"
Min-ho stayed silent, staring.
Sung-min's smile turned bitter. "Don't get me wrong. I didn't just wake up one day and grow a halo. I changed because I had to. This world doesn't care about who you were before."
He pressed the potion harder, sealing the cut, then continued:
"When I awakened as a healer, I realized fists don't mean shit in the dungeon. Beating people down won't save anyone here. Healing will. Supporting will. That's the only reason I'm standing with you instead of against you now."
For a second, his eyes softened—then he stood up, looking away.
"Don't mistake this for friendship, Min-ho. It's just the job."
But as he walked on to heal the next Hunter, Min-ho couldn't shake the weight of his words.
Even Sung-min… had been forced to change.
Min-ho watched Sung-min move on, his words still echoing in his head. If even someone like him could change… then why couldn't I? The thought flickered like a spark inside him, faint but stubborn—maybe he didn't have to stay weak forever.
The air grew heavier. Hotter. Even breathing felt like swallowing fire.
Min-ho's chest tightened, his knees shaking as if the ground itself rejected him. Around him, the others froze—eyes wide, faces pale, weapons trembling in their hands.
It wasn't just fear.
It was instinct. The body's primal reaction when standing before something that should not be faced.
The air rippled, and from the depths of magma, it emerged.
A massive shadow. Wings that stretched wider than buildings. Scales burning like molten steel. Eyes glowing crimson with hunger and cruelty.
A Red Dragon.
An A-rank monster.
A predator beyond anything they were meant to encounter.
The hunters' breaths quickened. Someone—one of the C-ranks—snapped.
"NO! NO, THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" he screamed, stumbling backward.
The dragon moved once. Just once.
Its claw swept through the air, faster than the eye could follow.
Blood. Silence. The hunter's body hit the ground in pieces before his scream even faded.
The others froze. No one dared move.
And then, the dragon's eyes fell on them. On him.
"Run—!" someone shouted.
But the beast was faster. Its head lunged forward, jaws snapping like thunder.
Min-ho's vision blurred, his ears ringing as the sound of bones crunching echoed through the cavern. He turned—just in time to see Sung-min, the C-rank healer, caught between those fangs.
The boy who had once bullied him.
The boy who had just saved his life.
Gone. Devoured in a single bite.
The dungeon fell silent, save for the dragon's slow, rumbling growl.
And in that silence, one truth settled in Min-ho's heart—
This dungeon wasn't survival.
It was slaughter.
End Note:
Red Dragons reign over molten lands and rivers of fire. Even a single one is A-rank, with claws that crush stone and senses that miss nothing. To face one is to court death itself.
Chapter-2
Where Hope Dies
The morning light slipped weakly through the cracked blinds of Min-ho's room.
His phone buzzed on the desk, dragging him out of restless half-sleep.
He reached over, eyes still heavy, and unlocked the screen.
(Recruitment Post – Dungeon Raid)
Looking for one more Hunter to join our raid party. Dungeon Rank: D. Payment: 100,000 won. Any class welcome. Minimum requirement: D-rank.
Min-ho's thumb hovered over the message.
Nine members already. They only needed one more. Someone expendable. Someone who wouldn't be missed if things went wrong.
Still… his chest tightened.
Money. Experience. A chance to step into a dungeon—not as baggage, but as a Hunter.
He stared at the cracked ceiling again, his mother's words from last night echoing faintly in his ears.
"Rank doesn't matter. What matters is that you keep trying."
For the first time since yesterday, he forced himself to sit up. His hand trembled slightly as he typed a reply.
Min-ho slipped the phone back onto the desk and dragged himself out of bed.
The smell of miso soup and fried eggs drifted in from the kitchen.
"Morning, sleepyhead," his mom greeted warmly, her hair tied back, apron stained faintly with flour. She set down a steaming bowl on the table. "Eat before it gets cold. You'll need your strength."
Min-ho sat across from her, picking up his chopsticks. For a while, neither of them spoke—just the quiet clatter of bowls, the hum of the old fridge, the soft rhythm of a life too ordinary for the world outside.
Finally, his mom looked up. "So… plans today?"
He hesitated for a second. "…A dungeon raid. Just D-rank. I'll be fine."
Her chopsticks froze midair. Worry flickered in her eyes, but she forced a smile. "My boy, already going on raids, huh? You've grown so much."
Min-ho managed a small smile back. She reached over, ruffling his messy black hair the way she always did, the gesture warm and gentle.
"Be careful, alright? Come home safe. That's all I ask."
"…I will."
When breakfast was done, she packed a small lunch for him, slipping it into his bag without a word. Before he left, she stood at the door, watching him tie his worn shoes.
"Remember," she said softly, "you're not alone. No matter what anyone says, you have me."
Min-ho nodded, his throat tight. "I know, Mom."
Then, with one last look at the only place in the world that felt like safety, he stepped outside.
The dungeon gates loomed ahead—an eerie crack in reality, its swirling surface glowing faintly with purple light. Hunters stood gathered before it, adjusting gear, checking weapons, and bantering with confidence.
Min-ho approached quietly, clutching the strap of his worn bag. He instantly felt the shift—everyone already knew each other, already belonged. He was the outsider.
Then a familiar voice cut through the chatter.
"Well, well… look who crawled his way here."
Min-ho froze. His chest tightened before he even turned.
Sung-min.
The same Sung-min who used to shove his head into lockers, who made every school day hell. Only now, Sung-min stood tall in polished gear, a confident grin on his face, a guild emblem shining proudly on his chest.
A C-rank Healer.
"You?" Sung-min scoffed, looking him up and down. "Don't tell me you're joining this raid too." His laughter earned a few chuckles from nearby hunters. "What are you gonna do, Min-ho? Collect trash? Hide behind us like old times?"
Min-ho fists tightened, but he said nothing.
Before the tension could rise further, another voice spoke—firm, sharp.
"That's enough."
The crowd shifted as their leader stepped forward. She was impossible to ignore: tall, confident, flames dancing faintly along her fingertips even when idle. A B-rank Fire Mage.
Her name was Min-ji.
In this city's dungeon community, her name carried weight—strong enough to command respect, but not so high that she was out of reach for the ambitious. Hunters listened when she spoke, and even Sung-min's smug grin faltered under her sharp gaze.
"We need ten bodies to clear this raid, and he's here. That's all that matters," Min-ji said firmly, her voice steady as steel. Her fiery eyes flicked to Min-ho for the briefest moment—not kind, not cruel, just measuring. "If you've got a problem with that, Sung-min, you can leave."
The authority in her tone silenced the whispers immediately.
Sung-min clicked his tongue, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Fine, fine. Don't blame me if he slows us down."
The blue shimmer of the gate rippled as Min-ji raised her hand.
"Alright. Enough waiting. It's time. Let's go."
Her voice carried authority, and the group moved almost in unison. One by one, the Hunters stepped through the dungeon gate, vanishing into its light. Min-ho followed quietly at the back, his chest tight but his footsteps steady.
The moment his body crossed the threshold—he felt it.
Heat.
Not just warmth, but scorching fire, clawing at his skin, crawling down his throat. The dungeon around them wasn't the cool, mossy cave of a standard D-rank. No—this was a vast, burning world. Rivers of magma cut across jagged stone. Flames licked the air, glowing cracks spread across the blackened ground, and the ceiling above glowed red like the mouth of a furnace.
"This… this isn't right," one of the D-rank mages whispered, sweat already dripping from his forehead.
Even the strongest of the group stiffened. Their hearts pounded, the oppressive heat sinking into their bones, suffocating them with dread.
Min-ho, however, blinked in confusion. He felt the heat, yes, but his chest didn't tighten the same way. His legs weren't trembling like the others.
Before he could dwell on it, Min-ji's voice cut through the silence.
Her tone was sharp, urgent.
"This isn't a D-rank. It's a trap gate… at least A-rank, maybe higher."
The words froze the group in place.
"What?!"
"Impossible—there's no way—"
"We can't clear this!"
Panic rippled through the Hunters, but Min-ji's face was grim, steady.
"There's no going back," she continued, her fists clenched. "You all know the rules. Trap gates don't let you out until the boss is dead."
The air thickened. A C-rank Hunter swore under his breath.
"So what, we just wait around and starve?!"
"Waiting isn't an option," another said, his voice shaking. "Time flows differently here. An hour outside is a whole week in here. If no one notices in time, we'll die of hunger before anyone even finds us."
The group's murmurs grew louder—fear, anger, despair.
Min-ji's fiery gaze swept across her party, silencing them again.
"Then we have no choice. If we want to live, we clear this dungeon."
The heat pressed down heavier the deeper they went. Magma rivers bubbled around them, filling the air with a suffocating stench. Everyone's nerves were already fraying when the ground suddenly shook.
From the haze of smoke, glowing eyes emerged—larger than wolves, moving with terrifying grace. Their striped fur flickered like fire itself, and every breath they exhaled came out as burning embers.
"Wait… no way…" one of the C-rank Hunters muttered, his voice trembling.
Min-ji's eyes widened in alarm. "Red Tigers. B-rank monsters."
The entire group froze.
"This is bad," Sung-min whispered, clutching his staff tighter. "Even one of them could wipe us out…"
But there was no time to retreat. The tigers lunged, flames bursting from their claws and jaws, shaking the dungeon walls.
"Formation!" Min-Ji shouted, her arms bursting into fire as she launched a counterattack.
A C-rank water mage immediately raised his staff, summoning a crashing wave that slammed into the first tiger. Steam exploded, blinding the front line for an instant.
The battle was chaos. Arrows flew, swords clashed against burning claws, lightning cracked through the haze. Every strike they landed barely slowed the beasts down.
Min-ho gripped his daggers, staying near the edges, his heart thundering in his chest. His body screamed at him to move, but the heat and killing intent pressing from those beasts locked his legs stiff.
One tiger broke past the front line, its flaming jaws snapping toward a Hunter. In that moment, Min-ho's body moved on its own. He darted forward, slashing across its eye, forcing the beast to stumble back just long enough for Min-ji's fire blast to finish it off.
The fight dragged on, blood spraying, roars shaking their bones, until finally—finally—the last Red Tiger collapsed, its body vanishing into ash.
Silence.
The group stood, trembling, their weapons lowered. Blood dripped from wounds, mana reserves nearly drained, and burns scorched their armor.
They had survived B-rank monsters. But the cost showed on their faces.
No one cheered. No one spoke.
Because if this was the first trial in the dungeon…
…then what awaited deeper inside would surely kill them all.
The smell of blood and burnt flesh still lingered as the group collapsed against the jagged rocks, gasping for breath. Their wounds were deep, their mana nearly spent.
Sung-min the once-smirking bully of Min-ho's past was now moving among them with steady hands. He pulled potions from his satchel, pouring glowing liquid over cuts, pressing them against scorched skin, and chanting quiet healing spells.
One by one, the Hunters' ragged breathing eased. Burns faded, gashes closed, strength slowly returned.
When Sung-min finally reached Min-ho, their eyes met. For a heartbeat, the old memories flickered—bloodied school halls, fists, and laughter that wasn't his own.
Sung-min smirked faintly, pressing the potion to Min-ho's arm wound.
"Surprised?" he said quietly, almost casually. "Your old bully's the one patching you up?"
Min-ho stayed silent, staring.
Sung-min's smile turned bitter. "Don't get me wrong. I didn't just wake up one day and grow a halo. I changed because I had to. This world doesn't care about who you were before."
He pressed the potion harder, sealing the cut, then continued:
"When I awakened as a healer, I realized fists don't mean shit in the dungeon. Beating people down won't save anyone here. Healing will. Supporting will. That's the only reason I'm standing with you instead of against you now."
For a second, his eyes softened—then he stood up, looking away.
"Don't mistake this for friendship, Min-ho. It's just the job."
But as he walked on to heal the next Hunter, Min-ho couldn't shake the weight of his words.
Even Sung-min… had been forced to change.
Min-ho watched Sung-min move on, his words still echoing in his head. If even someone like him could change… then why couldn't I? The thought flickered like a spark inside him, faint but stubborn—maybe he didn't have to stay weak forever.
The air grew heavier. Hotter. Even breathing felt like swallowing fire.
Min-ho's chest tightened, his knees shaking as if the ground itself rejected him. Around him, the others froze—eyes wide, faces pale, weapons trembling in their hands.
It wasn't just fear.
It was instinct. The body's primal reaction when standing before something that should not be faced.
The air rippled, and from the depths of magma, it emerged.
A massive shadow. Wings that stretched wider than buildings. Scales burning like molten steel. Eyes glowing crimson with hunger and cruelty.
A Red Dragon.
An A-rank monster.
A predator beyond anything they were meant to encounter.
The hunters' breaths quickened. Someone—one of the C-ranks—snapped.
"NO! NO, THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" he screamed, stumbling backward.
The dragon moved once. Just once.
Its claw swept through the air, faster than the eye could follow.
Blood. Silence. The hunter's body hit the ground in pieces before his scream even faded.
The others froze. No one dared move.
And then, the dragon's eyes fell on them. On him.
"Run—!" someone shouted.
But the beast was faster. Its head lunged forward, jaws snapping like thunder.
Min-ho's vision blurred, his ears ringing as the sound of bones crunching echoed through the cavern. He turned—just in time to see Sung-min, the C-rank healer, caught between those fangs.
The boy who had once bullied him.
The boy who had just saved his life.
Gone. Devoured in a single bite.
The dungeon fell silent, save for the dragon's slow, rumbling growl.
And in that silence, one truth settled in Min-ho's heart—
This dungeon wasn't survival.
It was slaughter.
End Note:
Red Dragons reign over molten lands and rivers of fire. Even a single one is A-rank, with claws that crush stone and senses that miss nothing. To face one is to court death itself.