Inside a dense, lush forest.

Chirp-chirp—birds sang. A cool breeze rustled through the fallen leaves with a soft whoosh.

The forest where the trial was being held felt peaceful.

“Master! It’s an item!”

Mimic handed Ha Gangwoo a blue mushroom. It looked similar to an enoki mushroom but glowed a vivid blue.

[Blue Bell Mushroom]

Grade: F

Description: A mushroom that inhabits moist streambeds. An organism with exceptional reproductive capabilities.

“Good work. Keep gathering.”

“Yes, sir!”

Ha Gangwoo answered while stroking the top of the mimic’s head. At that, the mimic broke into a wide grin and shot her hand up.

That item’s just one of the common creatures scattered through the forest.

Normally I’d tell you to toss it — it’s useless on its own. But right now, even the smallest piece of junk is a tool for survival.

As Ha Gangwoo and the mimic talked, Han Seongdae’s brow furrowed with suspicion.

“What’s with the little kid?”

“We’re leaving soon. Gather the team.”

“Uh… right.”

Ha Gangwoo brushed off the question with casual dismissal and gave the order. For a moment, Seongdae’s expression soured—

“Everyone’s here.”

At least the bastard was good at following orders.

“We’re moving out now. Heena, I’ll leave the rest to you, alright?”

Ha Gangwoo steered a woman to the front and started walking.

It had been about an hour since they entered the Tower of Job Change. A lot had already happened.

Ha Gangwoo had been chosen as leader, and the very first priority he’d picked was a Daily Quest.

[Establish a Base Camp!][Job Change]

Description: Select the location for Blue Team’s base camp!

Reward: 20 servings of food.

(Caution! Bonus points are determined by the chosen location.)

Clear this, and you get everything from the food you urgently need to a shelter to call home for the next seven days.

If you can clear the Daily Quest, the two most critical elements for survival get resolved in one go.

‘That spot over there will do.’

He already had a location in mind for the base camp.

It looked like a medieval castle—high ground, complete with stone walls.

If they could seize it, the place was optimized for defense.

“A survival game? I’ve never heard of a quest like this before! My heart’s already racing!”

Jo Seunghyun clenched his fist and spoke up.

“Yeah, well, it’s giving me a headache.”

[Find the Spy!][Sub]

Description: Black operatives are mixed in within Blue Team. Expose them and pray for Blue Team’s prosperity!

Reward: Gain additional points.

Ha Gangwoo stared at the quest window that materialized before his eyes.

‘Spies, huh…’

The Quest materialized, and Ha Gangwoo snapped into a combat-ready stance.

But from the look of things, the other Players seemed oblivious to the Quest’s existence.

If they had known,

“Oh, really? Aya Guild, huh. After the Job Change, let’s grab a meal together!”

“Whoa~! A Blacksmith? That’s awesome. If I get the chance, could I ask you to take a look at my weapon sometime?”

That kind of warm, friendly atmosphere would’ve been impossible.

“Team Leader Two!!!”

From a distance, a man called out to Jo Seunghyun.

“I’ll be back shortly.”

Jo Seunghyun gave a brief nod and left.

‘He’ll be fine…’

Ha Gangwoo watched Jo Seunghyun’s retreating figure, then glanced at the Blue Team beside him, his expression darkening.

The Blue Team here totaled fifty members. Even ignoring the sheer numbers and the hidden spies, there were still problems.

‘Why does it have to be this way.’

After looking into it,

“I’m hoping to become an Enchanter. I don’t have much combat experience.”

“I’m in production myself, but…”

Most of them were Low-Grade assets, far removed from combat.

The only players worth a damn in a fight were Han Seongdae’s twenty party members.

No matter how he looked at it, something was off.

Given the nature of Players, it wouldn’t have been strange if forty out of fifty wanted combat roles.

But over half the group wanted supporting jobs.

‘Is it because of me…?’

Ha Gangwoo realized the reason at once.

A balance patch by the System.

‘This got complicated.’

The Quest’s ultimate goal was ‘to build a strong force.’

[Build a Force!][Main]

Description: The trial in the Tower of Job Change has begun. A survival game lasting seven days! Build a force with allies of your color and form a powerful group.

Reward: Distributed individually based on performance.

The rewards were individual, but the framework was built on group living.

Yet his party members were below average. He needed a plan.

Ha Gangwoo couldn’t protect or control all fifty players by himself.

-We’ll form teams of four. Players confident in hunting, please step forward.

So he organized into small units.

After twists and turns, the final split was twenty-four in the hunting team and twenty-five in the supporting team.

Twelve teams were formed. Jo Seunghyun ended up as the leader of Team 2.

‘Is this area monster-free?’

Ha Gangwoo walked on, puzzled.

Since arriving, he’d found nothing but dense forest and plants. Supposed to be a survival game, yet there was nothing threatening.

Were they planning to have teams war with each other later?

Maybe it was the easy early difficulty, but unease crept in.

Ha Gangwoo kept his senses sharp as he moved forward.

Bae Heena saw this, frowned, and simmered with annoyance.

‘What the hell?! I’m supposed to be the lead—why’s he charging ahead!’

Bae Heena was one of Han Seongdae’s twenty party members, leader of Team 4, and currently the Blue Team’s lead.

The lead’s role was to detect monster positions and traps when entering the dungeon—a critical job for the team.

-I’ll take the lead. I’m confident in Detection.

So Bae Heena stepped up. When it came to Detection, she prided herself on being the best at her level.

Sure enough.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Ha Gangwoo made her the lead.

They moved for about an hour under Bae Heena’s guidance.

“Player Ha Gangwoo. It’s dangerous to go alone.”

Bae Heena finally stopped him, unable to contain herself. But Gangwoo didn’t halt; he kept advancing.

‘What’s he playing at?’

Annoyance flared up, but she sensed no monsters or traps nearby.

‘Just ignore him.’

Bae Heena, half resigned, kept walking.

After about ten more minutes of walking, Bae Heena stopped in her tracks.

“Let’s take a short rest here. No monsters nearby, and the bio-resources look plentiful.”

“Agreed. Ten-minute break.”

Bae Heena’s report landed, and Ha Gangwoo’s order followed like a hammer.

The support-position players fanned out, scrounging through the underbrush.

‘Useful.’

Ha Gangwoo eyed Bae Heena, who was pouting with clear dissatisfaction.

She’d volunteered to take point.

Apparently, her Detection skill caught not just monsters but the terrain’s quirks too.

The spot she’d recommended was safe—swarming with life.

Right as Gangwoo started taking interest in her…

“These fruits are edible! I know my otherworld plants. Bring whatever you find to me, please.”

Kim Jisoo pointed at the fleshy fruits dangling from a tree.

She’d said she wanted to be a Player chef—guess the knowledge of alien crops backed that up.

At Jisoo’s cue, people started hauling all sorts of things, piling their foraged goods in front of her.

Weeds that looked like grass, mushrooms they’d never seen before, even bugs.

The reason for this tedious chore was simple.

[Cannot open Inventory!!!]

The System had locked their Inventories, forcing them to scrounge for food the hard way.

“Can we eat this one?”

“That’s toxic. But cooking it neutralizes the poison, so hold onto it.”

“Got it!”

Smiles crept onto the party members’ faces.

The food supply—critical for survival—was being secured. Their anxiety was starting to melt.

About fifteen minutes later…

Edible grasses, mushrooms, tree bark—the pile grew too heavy to carry.

“Let’s move out. Check your teammates; report anyone missing immediately. We’re pushing on.”

“Yes, sir!”

Ha Gangwoo started walking without another word.

This Quest was a survival game. No need to overdo it on day one, but he couldn’t afford to lag behind.

And so, Blue Team plunged back into the forest.

No monsters. The food supply kept growing.

*Shrrrr-* The drone of crickets. The dense woods where you couldn’t see a hand in front of your face.

Blue Team kept their eyes on the towering castle as they pressed forward.

Roughly thirty minutes later…

‘That guy’s L-Grade?’

Bae Heena scowled at the back of Ha Gangwoo’s head.

Maybe it was the way he kept charging ahead that grated on her,

‘I don’t like him.’

She just plain didn’t like Ha Gangwoo.

‘So what if he’s L-Grade? Splitting us into teams was smart, but why head straight for the castle?’

A castle smack-dab in the middle of this forest? Didn’t that scream trouble? And yet they were making a beeline for it.

It was a reckless plan. She figured a cave or a cliff face would’ve been way better for survival.

‘Mr. Han’s way more suited to be leader.’

No matter how she looked at it, Ha Gangwoo was just L-Grade in name. Player Han Seongdae seemed far superior.

Clean judgment. Charisma that could sway a crowd. And a face to match — the complete package of an ideal person.

Bae Heena felt her cheeks flush as she looked at Han Seongdae.

‘There has to be a reason.’

The brilliant Mr. Han had recommended this person. There had to be a method behind it.

Bae Heena recalled Han Seongdae’s face and forced herself to swallow her anger.

Had they walked ten paces? Ha Gangwoo stopped in place and slowly raised his right hand.

It was the Hunter hand signal for spotting an anomaly.

“What’s going on?”

Bae Heena snapped the question at the sudden halt of their leader.

No Monster presence within 150 meters. No sign of traps being set, either.

“There are Monsters ahead. Tell everyone to gather.”

And then he started spouting nonsense — claiming there were Monsters up ahead.

“What?”

Monsters ahead? It was an absurd claim.

Bae Heena’s Detection skill was good enough to rival a level 80 Player.

She was sure of it.

Right now, there were no Monsters within a 150-meter radius.

Sure, if it were an A-rank Stealth skill, the story would be different — but she couldn’t detect them, yet *he* could? Unbelievable.

And now he wanted her to rally the party because of Monsters.

‘What’s he playing at?’

He was clearly up to some kind of trick.

That was the exact moment suspicion crossed Bae Heena’s mind.

“Monsters! Everyone, gather up!”

Beside her, Han Seongdae was already calling the team together.

“C-Commander.”

Bae Heena hated how things were playing out, but she bit her tongue.

Thus, the fifty members of Blue Team assembled in one spot.

In an instant, forty-nine pairs of eyes locked onto Ha Gangwoo.

Ha Gangwoo met their gazes and spoke.

“Based on the position of the castle we can see now, I’d say we have about 1 km left. And five Monsters have appeared straight ahead. Since they’re clustered together and carrying weapons, I’m guessing they’re castle-dwelling Monsters.”

Ha Gangwoo relayed the information his Sense stat had picked up. The Blue Team Players swallowed dryly, their eyes wide with awe.

“Whoa… He can’t even see them, yet he knows the number of Monsters and that they’re armed. That’s no ordinary Detection ability.”

“This is great, having a Detection-based Player. I was worried we were all Support types, but Ms. Bae is a real elite too!”

Everyone showered Bae Heena with praise.

Up until now, Bae Heena had been the one leading Blue Team. So naturally, they assumed she was the one who’d made the call.

But Bae Heena’s brow furrowed at the compliments.

‘There’s nothing! I’m telling you, there’s nothing!’

Monsters ahead? No matter how many times she used her skill, she felt nothing. She was certain of it.

The Monsters their leader had mentioned did not exist.

“I have something to say. My Detection skill hasn’t found any Monsters. I don’t know why the leader is saying this.”

Bae Heena couldn’t hold it in any longer. She finally spoke her mind.

She knew the remark might put the leader in an awkward position. But she couldn’t stay silent. In a Dungeon, wrong intel spelled doom for the Party.

“Huh? None?”

“What do you mean? What’s going on, Mr. Ha?”

For a moment, the Party members were thrown into confusion. A matter as critical as the presence of Monsters—their lives depended on it.

That was when every Player turned their gaze on Ha Gangwoo, eyes sharp with suspicion.

-Kuaaaaaah!!!!!

A colossal roar echoed from beyond the forest. A voice like metal scraping metal.

It was unmistakably a Monster’s cry.

“Hey?! That’s a Monster!”

“What the—don’t confuse us for nothing.”

In an instant, the accusing stares swung toward Bae Heena. It was she who’d nearly led the Party to ruin with bad information.

“I— I— That’s…”

Bae Heena stumbled, flustered and stammering.

“Teams 1, 2, and 3, follow me out to hunt. Teams 4, 5, and 6, stay here and guard the remaining party members.”

Ha Gangwoo’s crisp orders rang out,

“Yes sir!”

Teams 1, 2, and 3 broke through the forest and pushed ahead.

‘What the hell…’

Bae Heena watched Gangwoo recede into the distance and swallowed dryly.

Who the hell was he, to act like he had the whole situation nailed down? Was this move toward the castle him catching something she’d missed?

Bae Heena was starting to sense something extraordinary about the Player named Ha Gangwoo.

Five minutes passed.

“This is gonna work, right?”

“He’s L-Grade. I saw him at the Divine Archer trial hall — he’s a monster. Don’t worry.”

The remaining party members fidgeted with anxiety. Then, not even ten minutes later —

Ding-

[Sharp Goblin Brood Mother located!!!]

[Sub-quest received.]

[Recapture the Sharp Goblin Brood Mother!][Sub]

Grade: C

Description: Sharp Goblin guards eliminated. A Sharp Goblin nest exists within a 1km radius. Seize the nest and establish the ultimate base!!!

Reward: The Sharp Goblin’s treasure.

Cheers erupted like fireworks as the hunting team declared the hunt complete.

“Damn, that’s the L-Grade for you! Fucking fast.”

“Whoa! That’s insane. First place’s a joke, right? Let’s go for a Hidden class!!!”

Everyone’s faces lit up with joy as they clenched their fists.

And so, everything flowed perfectly for the Blue Team.

***

Crunch—Thud!!!

A body about 1.5 times the size of a human, red skin, and a sharp, hooked nose.

A Sharp Goblin’s head, held in the grip of a man’s hand, let out a ghastly shriek.

“N-No way…”

Han Seongdae, the leader of Team 1, stared straight ahead, unable to hide his shock.

In the heart of the dense forest, five Sharp Goblins lay dead, their death cries still echoing in the air.

That fight was over in thirty seconds flat. No—I couldn’t even tell how many seconds it took.

“Follow me, then.”

At Ha Gangwoo’s word, the twelve Players fell in behind him.

They pushed through the underbrush, advancing forward—

“Huh?! Where’d he go?”

“Too fast!”

Ha Gangwoo’s overwhelming speed left them behind. By the time they arrived, everything was already finished.

“Even better than I imagined.”

Han Seongdae grinned at Ha Gangwoo, a sly smile curling his lips.

And just like that, the Blue Team’s first Monster hunt came to an end.

Ding-

[A Sub Quest has been updated.]

A new Quest appeared, and Ha Gangwoo turned back toward the Blue Team.

***

Kieeek! Thwack-

The hunting went smoothly.

*Not bad,* he thought.

Team 1, led by Han Seongdae, showed a very stable clearing method.

With Han Seongdae as the Tank at the fore, plus two DPS—most Monsters fell without trouble.

And Team 2, led by Jo Seunghyun.

His leadership left much to be desired, but Jo Seunghyun’s Glacial Trait and superb swordsmanship carved through the monsters like butter. Crack—they split apart under his blade.

And so they arrived before the fortress.

Blue Team gazed at it from amid the underbrush.

Its walls were impressively high. Below them, he counted about thirty Sharp Goblins milling about.

“It’s right in front of us now. What do we do, Boss?!”

Jo Seunghyun’s eyes sparkled, burning with zeal. Somewhere along the way, his address had shifted from ‘hyung-nim’ to ‘Boss.’

The blood caked all over his body told the story of the fierce battles they’d fought to reach this point.

At Seunghyun’s words, Ha Gangwoo quietly took stock of the other Players’ reactions.

“What the hell? This is way too easy.”

“No way, are we actually gonna win?! A Hidden class—once we job change, we gotta break our contract and jump on it.”

All of them, as if they’d forgotten the chaos at the start, wore relaxed faces bright with grins.

They’d stockpiled enough food along the way.

And with the fortress—their presumed foothold—right in sight, the tension in their hearts had finally loosened.

‘Hmm…’

Ha Gangwoo narrowed his eyes as he watched Blue Team.

[FORGE A FACTION!][MAIN]

Description: The trial within the Tower of Job Change has begun. A survival game lasting seven days! Join forces with allies bearing the same color as you to build a powerful faction.

Reward: Distributed individually based on performance.

The core of the main quest was to increase Blue Team’s overall combat power.

Their current growth rate wasn’t bad. Some players had leveled up by hunting Goblins, and others had bolstered their gear with lucky drops.

Still, given how low their average power had been from the start, they needed to grow even more.

‘Perfect timing.’

Ha Gangwoo looked at the adult specimen and cracked a cold smile.

A way to snap the party out of its slack tension and amplify their growth.

Ha Gangwoo tweaked his plan slightly.

“I’ll explain the clearing method right now. There are more monsters than expected around the adult specimen. In this clearing, I’ll need the support members to lend a hand as well.”

So Ha Gangwoo laid out the strategy he’d worked out for his party members,

“Yes!”

The party members agreed easily.

The gist of the clearing plan went like this.

1. The support party draws the Monster’s Aggro and lures it in.

2. The hunting party takes down the Monster whose Aggro has been drawn.

It was a textbook clearing method—low risk, no real danger, almost standard.

“Then let’s start right away.”

“Yes!”

With Gangwoo’s words as the signal, the clearing of the Adult to build the ultimate base began.