The air was heavy, suffocating under the dragon's presence. Everyone's legs trembled, and even the B-rank leader Min-ji's hands shook despite her fiery aura. The party had just lost their healer, Sung-min, and with him… their only chance of survival had crumbled.
The Red Dragon's burning eyes scanned them, every heartbeat echoing like a death knell. Nobody dared move, nobody dared speak. The smell of scorched stone and blood clung to the air.
Min-ho stood frozen, unable to even process what had happened. Sung-min, the boy who once tormented him, had changed had saved him and now was gone in an instant. His scream stuck in his throat, his chest tight. For the first time, he truly understood what "powerlessness" meant.
The dragon didn't wait. With a roar that shook the ground itself, it lunged straight at Min-ho. His eyes widened, but his body refused to obey. His legs felt nailed to the floor, his lungs locked tight, as if the very weight of the monster's presence had crushed him.
I… I can't move…
The dragon's claw, dripping with molten heat, descended toward him.
But just before it reached, a blinding surge of flames erupted.
"Not on my watch!" Min-ji's voice roared as she unleashed her full fire power. A blazing wall shot up, colliding with the dragon's claw in a violent explosion. The shockwave sent cracks racing across the ground.
"Everyone! Attack with everything you've got!" Min-ji commanded, her fiery aura burning brighter than ever.
The others obeyed instantly. Blades of water, arrows of ice, and bursts of lightning rained down upon the dragon's massive body. Explosions echoed in the scorching cavern as every hunter fought with desperate strength.
And Min-ho… simply stood there.
His fists clenched, his teeth grinding, but his body wouldn't budge. His mind screamed at him to move, to fight, to do something. Yet his body trembled in betrayal, frozen in the face of overwhelming death.
This was Min-ho's first time stepping into a dungeon. He had imagined fear, yes, but not this. Not a monster so overwhelming that even breathing felt like a crime. His heart hammered, his body screamed to run, but his legs… they didn't move.
Is this… what a dungeon really is? This hell… this nightmare…?
The dragon, unbothered by the countless attacks crashing against its scales, raised its head high. Its chest glowed with an unbearable crimson light, heat distorting the air around it.
"No… it's charging!" one of the hunters screamed in horror.
And then
"Flamethrower!"
A torrent of fire, brighter than the sun, erupted from the dragon's jaws. The flames swallowed the battlefield whole. Hunters scrambled, dodging desperately, their shields shattering like glass against the inferno.
Min-ji stood at the front, refusing to back down. Her aura flared, her shield of flame rising to protect the others. But the moment the dragon's breath struck her, the ground split apart with a deafening boom.
"Ahhh!"
Her scream echoed through the dungeon as her body was hurled back, crashing into the stone floor. Blood sprayed from her lips. Her once-bright flames flickered weakly, nearly extinguished. She was brutally burned, her armor melting against her skin.
"Min-ji!!" the hunters cried out in despair, but the dragon wasn't done. Its molten eyes glared, daring anyone to come closer.
And Min-ho… could only watch. His first dungeon experience had already turned into a living nightmare, and he couldn't believe what his eyes were showing him.
Min-ho's breath trembled as his eyes locked on Min-ji's battered form. Her skin scorched, her armor melted, her blood soaking into the stone floor. She was still trying to rise, still trying to protect everyone despite being moments from death.
Something inside Min-ho snapped.
If I stay frozen… we all die here. If I want to live, if I want to make it out… then I have to fight.
Gritting his teeth, Min-ho forced his shaking voice to rise above the chaos.
"Everyone Formation We hit it together don't waste a single strike!"
The other hunters looked at him, shocked, but desperation left them no choice. The B-rank assassin sprinted forward, his twin blades glinting in the dragon's fiery glow. The B-rank water mage raised his staff, torrents of water swirling, preparing to suppress the dragon's flames.
Even Min-ji, barely able to stand, bit down on something a small crystal vial. The liquid inside burned like fire as she swallowed it. Her veins glowed crimson, her aura exploding outward. Her power skyrocketed, but her shaking hands revealed the truth.
A power boosting drug. Three minutes of strength… at the cost of her body.
"Move!" she roared, forcing her broken frame into the front line once more.
And then—everyone attacked at once. Blades clashed against scales, water crashed against fire, magic burned through the air. The dungeon shook as the hunters unleashed everything they had.
The Red Dragon… roared back, its flames tearing through the dungeon like a storm from hell.
And Min-ho, standing at the rear, clenched his fists so hard they bled. This was no longer just survival. This was a battle against despair itself.
Their combined strike landed.
The assassin's blades slashed deep into the dragon's flank, tearing through its burning scales. The water mage's torrent smothered the flames for just a moment, leaving a faint hiss of steam. Min-ji, with her drug-fueled strength, struck with everything she had, her blade glowing with burning light as it pierced into the monster's hide.
For the first time… the Red Dragon bled.
A deafening roar shook the cavern. The hunters gasped, their chests swelling with the faintest shred of hope.
But hope… lasted only seconds.
The dragon's eyes locked on Min-ji, glowing like twin suns. In a blur of impossible speed, its claws lashed out.
SLASH.
Her scream tore through the battlefield, but it ended too quickly. Min-ji's body was ripped apart in mid-air, blood raining down like scarlet flames.
The boost drug hadn't saved her—it had only let her burn out faster.
Everyone froze. The assassin dropped his blades. The mage's staff clattered to the ground. Even the air felt silent, as if the dungeon itself mourned.
Min-ji—their leader, their shield—was gone.
And in that silence, the truth hit them all at once.
If Min-ji couldn't survive… none of them could.
The silence was unbearable. The dragon's breathing shook the cavern like thunder, its molten eyes scanning the helpless hunters.
The silence was crushing.
Then, without warning, the sky above the battlefield split apart a gate tearing open in midair. Moments later, a man stepped out.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a red tracksuit jacket and dark blue track pants. Hands stuffed in his pockets, he walked into the dungeon as if nothing around him mattered.
The Red Dragon roared.
In a blur, the man kicked its head
a thunderous crack echoing through the cavern. Before the monster could recover, he struck again, faster this time, his relentless kicks forcing the dragon back. The other hunters could only watch, stunned.
The dragon's chest swelled with fire before it unleashed Flamethrower. The man didn't even move his hands he drove another crushing kick into its face, shifting the attack's path.
The redirected flames hurtled toward Min-ho.
He tried to dodge, barely managing to avoid the center of the blast, but the heat still scorched him. Pain ripped through his arm and shoulder if he had taken it head-on, he would've been ash.
The man didn't stop. He pressed forward, his kicks raining down like hammers. With one final strike, he overpowered the dragon and sent it crashing lifeless to the ground.
And then… silence again.
The hunters stared in disbelief. None of them had ever seen anyone fight like that.
The dungeon was silent, every hunter frozen in shock. The dragon's corpse still smoked on the ground, its massive body twitching in death.
The man dusted off his hands casually, as if he hadn't just slain one of the deadliest monsters alive.
Then, breaking the silence, a trembling voice shouted from the crowd of hunters:
"T-That's… Do-Hyun Park! The S-rank hunter!"
Gasps rippled through the battlefield.
Even Min-ho, who had nearly died moments ago, widened his eyes in disbelief. He had heard the name before a man whispered about in the hunter world like a legend. But to see him here, stepping out of a gate as if the dungeon was his own backyard, felt unreal.
Do-Hyun Park didn't even acknowledge the terrified voices. His sharp gaze swept the battlefield once, then lingered for a moment on Min-ho before he turned away, hands still buried in his pockets.
The dragon's colossal body dissolved into ash, leaving behind a single glowing artifact: a crimson emblem burning faintly with fire. The hunters held their breath as Do-Hyun Park bent down, picked it up casually, and tucked it into his pocket.
"I was just passing by," he said, his voice calm, almost bored. "Saw the trap gate, asked management who was inside. They told me some random group got caught… and from the looks of it, you weren't strong enough to clear this on your own." His eyes swept across the survivors. "I came in to help, but… looks like three of you still didn't make it."
The words cut like a blade, heavy with truth.
The B-rank assassin hunter stepped forward, bowing deeply.
"Thank you, Do-Hyun Park sir! Without you… we would all be dead."
The other hunters nodded, murmuring gratitude.
But Min-ho didn't say a word. He stood silently, fists trembling, his gaze drifting to the blood-stained battlefield. The images seared into his mind the nameless hunter crushed first, Sung-min's desperate screams before being devoured, and Min-ji's broken body as flames consumed her.
They walked out of the dungeon, alive… but Min-ho felt no relief. His wounds throbbed, his chest tightened. He couldn't stop thinking—Why did they have to die while he was still standing?
As the dungeon dissolved around them and the survivors stepped into the light of the outside world, relief washed over the hunters everyone except Min-ho.
His body ached, his wounds burned, but none of that compared to the storm inside his head. He clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into his palms.
I didn't land a single good attack.
Not one.
When the dragon roared, he froze. When Min-ji fought, he stood still. Even when others bled and died, all he could do was watch. He was useless.
The words hammered into his skull.
If this had been a normal dungeon without Do-Hyun Park… he would already be dead.
His heart pounded as the truth carved itself into his mind:
If I want to survive… if I want to stand in a real dungeon…
"…I need to become stronger."
End Note
Name: Do-Hyun Park
Rank/Class: S-Rank – Tank
Age: 33
Special Skills: Gigantification, Enhanced Durability, Enhanced Strength
Additional Note:
Normally, hunters entering a trap gate after a party was already inside would be scattered randomly throughout the dungeon. Do-Hyun Park, however, appeared directly in the middle of the
battlefield—whether by chance or destiny
The air was heavy, suffocating under the dragon's presence. Everyone's legs trembled, and even the B-rank leader Min-ji's hands shook despite her fiery aura. The party had just lost their healer, Sung-min, and with him… their only chance of survival had crumbled.
The Red Dragon's burning eyes scanned them, every heartbeat echoing like a death knell. Nobody dared move, nobody dared speak. The smell of scorched stone and blood clung to the air.
Min-ho stood frozen, unable to even process what had happened. Sung-min, the boy who once tormented him, had changed had saved him and now was gone in an instant. His scream stuck in his throat, his chest tight. For the first time, he truly understood what "powerlessness" meant.
The dragon didn't wait. With a roar that shook the ground itself, it lunged straight at Min-ho. His eyes widened, but his body refused to obey. His legs felt nailed to the floor, his lungs locked tight, as if the very weight of the monster's presence had crushed him.
I… I can't move…
The dragon's claw, dripping with molten heat, descended toward him.
But just before it reached, a blinding surge of flames erupted.
"Not on my watch!" Min-ji's voice roared as she unleashed her full fire power. A blazing wall shot up, colliding with the dragon's claw in a violent explosion. The shockwave sent cracks racing across the ground.
"Everyone! Attack with everything you've got!" Min-ji commanded, her fiery aura burning brighter than ever.
The others obeyed instantly. Blades of water, arrows of ice, and bursts of lightning rained down upon the dragon's massive body. Explosions echoed in the scorching cavern as every hunter fought with desperate strength.
And Min-ho… simply stood there.
His fists clenched, his teeth grinding, but his body wouldn't budge. His mind screamed at him to move, to fight, to do something. Yet his body trembled in betrayal, frozen in the face of overwhelming death.
This was Min-ho's first time stepping into a dungeon. He had imagined fear, yes, but not this. Not a monster so overwhelming that even breathing felt like a crime. His heart hammered, his body screamed to run, but his legs… they didn't move.
Is this… what a dungeon really is? This hell… this nightmare…?
The dragon, unbothered by the countless attacks crashing against its scales, raised its head high. Its chest glowed with an unbearable crimson light, heat distorting the air around it.
"No… it's charging!" one of the hunters screamed in horror.
And then
"Flamethrower!"
A torrent of fire, brighter than the sun, erupted from the dragon's jaws. The flames swallowed the battlefield whole. Hunters scrambled, dodging desperately, their shields shattering like glass against the inferno.
Min-ji stood at the front, refusing to back down. Her aura flared, her shield of flame rising to protect the others. But the moment the dragon's breath struck her, the ground split apart with a deafening boom.
"Ahhh!"
Her scream echoed through the dungeon as her body was hurled back, crashing into the stone floor. Blood sprayed from her lips. Her once-bright flames flickered weakly, nearly extinguished. She was brutally burned, her armor melting against her skin.
"Min-ji!!" the hunters cried out in despair, but the dragon wasn't done. Its molten eyes glared, daring anyone to come closer.
And Min-ho… could only watch. His first dungeon experience had already turned into a living nightmare, and he couldn't believe what his eyes were showing him.
Min-ho's breath trembled as his eyes locked on Min-ji's battered form. Her skin scorched, her armor melted, her blood soaking into the stone floor. She was still trying to rise, still trying to protect everyone despite being moments from death.
Something inside Min-ho snapped.
If I stay frozen… we all die here. If I want to live, if I want to make it out… then I have to fight.
Gritting his teeth, Min-ho forced his shaking voice to rise above the chaos.
"Everyone Formation We hit it together don't waste a single strike!"
The other hunters looked at him, shocked, but desperation left them no choice. The B-rank assassin sprinted forward, his twin blades glinting in the dragon's fiery glow. The B-rank water mage raised his staff, torrents of water swirling, preparing to suppress the dragon's flames.
Even Min-ji, barely able to stand, bit down on something a small crystal vial. The liquid inside burned like fire as she swallowed it. Her veins glowed crimson, her aura exploding outward. Her power skyrocketed, but her shaking hands revealed the truth.
A power boosting drug. Three minutes of strength… at the cost of her body.
"Move!" she roared, forcing her broken frame into the front line once more.
And then—everyone attacked at once. Blades clashed against scales, water crashed against fire, magic burned through the air. The dungeon shook as the hunters unleashed everything they had.
The Red Dragon… roared back, its flames tearing through the dungeon like a storm from hell.
And Min-ho, standing at the rear, clenched his fists so hard they bled. This was no longer just survival. This was a battle against despair itself.
Their combined strike landed.
The assassin's blades slashed deep into the dragon's flank, tearing through its burning scales. The water mage's torrent smothered the flames for just a moment, leaving a faint hiss of steam. Min-ji, with her drug-fueled strength, struck with everything she had, her blade glowing with burning light as it pierced into the monster's hide.
For the first time… the Red Dragon bled.
A deafening roar shook the cavern. The hunters gasped, their chests swelling with the faintest shred of hope.
But hope… lasted only seconds.
The dragon's eyes locked on Min-ji, glowing like twin suns. In a blur of impossible speed, its claws lashed out.
SLASH.
Her scream tore through the battlefield, but it ended too quickly. Min-ji's body was ripped apart in mid-air, blood raining down like scarlet flames.
The boost drug hadn't saved her—it had only let her burn out faster.
Everyone froze. The assassin dropped his blades. The mage's staff clattered to the ground. Even the air felt silent, as if the dungeon itself mourned.
Min-ji—their leader, their shield—was gone.
And in that silence, the truth hit them all at once.
If Min-ji couldn't survive… none of them could.
The silence was unbearable. The dragon's breathing shook the cavern like thunder, its molten eyes scanning the helpless hunters.
The silence was crushing.
Then, without warning, the sky above the battlefield split apart a gate tearing open in midair. Moments later, a man stepped out.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a red tracksuit jacket and dark blue track pants. Hands stuffed in his pockets, he walked into the dungeon as if nothing around him mattered.
The Red Dragon roared.
In a blur, the man kicked its head
a thunderous crack echoing through the cavern. Before the monster could recover, he struck again, faster this time, his relentless kicks forcing the dragon back. The other hunters could only watch, stunned.
The dragon's chest swelled with fire before it unleashed Flamethrower. The man didn't even move his hands he drove another crushing kick into its face, shifting the attack's path.
The redirected flames hurtled toward Min-ho.
He tried to dodge, barely managing to avoid the center of the blast, but the heat still scorched him. Pain ripped through his arm and shoulder if he had taken it head-on, he would've been ash.
The man didn't stop. He pressed forward, his kicks raining down like hammers. With one final strike, he overpowered the dragon and sent it crashing lifeless to the ground.
And then… silence again.
The hunters stared in disbelief. None of them had ever seen anyone fight like that.
The dungeon was silent, every hunter frozen in shock. The dragon's corpse still smoked on the ground, its massive body twitching in death.
The man dusted off his hands casually, as if he hadn't just slain one of the deadliest monsters alive.
Then, breaking the silence, a trembling voice shouted from the crowd of hunters:
"T-That's… Do-Hyun Park! The S-rank hunter!"
Gasps rippled through the battlefield.
Even Min-ho, who had nearly died moments ago, widened his eyes in disbelief. He had heard the name before a man whispered about in the hunter world like a legend. But to see him here, stepping out of a gate as if the dungeon was his own backyard, felt unreal.
Do-Hyun Park didn't even acknowledge the terrified voices. His sharp gaze swept the battlefield once, then lingered for a moment on Min-ho before he turned away, hands still buried in his pockets.
The dragon's colossal body dissolved into ash, leaving behind a single glowing artifact: a crimson emblem burning faintly with fire. The hunters held their breath as Do-Hyun Park bent down, picked it up casually, and tucked it into his pocket.
"I was just passing by," he said, his voice calm, almost bored. "Saw the trap gate, asked management who was inside. They told me some random group got caught… and from the looks of it, you weren't strong enough to clear this on your own." His eyes swept across the survivors. "I came in to help, but… looks like three of you still didn't make it."
The words cut like a blade, heavy with truth.
The B-rank assassin hunter stepped forward, bowing deeply.
"Thank you, Do-Hyun Park sir! Without you… we would all be dead."
The other hunters nodded, murmuring gratitude.
But Min-ho didn't say a word. He stood silently, fists trembling, his gaze drifting to the blood-stained battlefield. The images seared into his mind the nameless hunter crushed first, Sung-min's desperate screams before being devoured, and Min-ji's broken body as flames consumed her.
They walked out of the dungeon, alive… but Min-ho felt no relief. His wounds throbbed, his chest tightened. He couldn't stop thinking—Why did they have to die while he was still standing?
As the dungeon dissolved around them and the survivors stepped into the light of the outside world, relief washed over the hunters everyone except Min-ho.
His body ached, his wounds burned, but none of that compared to the storm inside his head. He clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into his palms.
I didn't land a single good attack.
Not one.
When the dragon roared, he froze. When Min-ji fought, he stood still. Even when others bled and died, all he could do was watch. He was useless.
The words hammered into his skull.
If this had been a normal dungeon without Do-Hyun Park… he would already be dead.
His heart pounded as the truth carved itself into his mind:
If I want to survive… if I want to stand in a real dungeon…
"…I need to become stronger."
End Note
Name: Do-Hyun Park
Rank/Class: S-Rank – Tank
Age: 33
Special Skills: Gigantification, Enhanced Durability, Enhanced Strength
Additional Note:
Normally, hunters entering a trap gate after a party was already inside would be scattered randomly throughout the dungeon. Do-Hyun Park, however, appeared directly in the middle of the
battlefield—whether by chance or destiny