Ha Gangwoo aimed the pistol at Kang Seongbin.

Kang Seongbin’s eyes sharpened as he watched.

‘A gun… Amateur.’

Guns might pack decent destructive power early on, but they had clear limits as weapons.

If a player had real confidence in their skills? They wouldn’t pick a gun. Too many drawbacks.

Just as Kang Seongbin was running through the limits of firearms—

*Bang!!*

The bullet fired.

Kang Seongbin raised his greatsword and hid his body behind it.

‘How’s he going to play this…’

Peeking over the blade, Seongbin fixed his gaze on Ha Gangwoo. A gun’s biggest weakness was its monotony. The moment you ducked behind a greatsword like this, the weapon became as good as useless.

And on top of that, ammo was a consumable — too many flaws stacked against it.

Which meant Gangwoo’s next move would reveal exactly what level he was on.

‘Hope he’s not a complete idiot…’

Seongbin clicked his tongue as he watched Gangwoo.

The Artifacts were split between east and west, and the clock was already ticking.

Splitting into two teams to secure the items would be the efficient play.

But without knowing Gangwoo’s real combat power, he couldn’t execute that plan.

‘Better make this interesting.’

He’d called it a test, but a fight was a fight.

Seongbin had no intention of half-assing it. If he was going to throw down, he’d show his real skill.

Besides, he hadn’t liked the look in Gangwoo’s eyes back at the entrance — and showing him the gap in their power would keep him docile.

‘I’m taking at least one arm.’

With Chae Seohyun here to back it up, he’d planned to claim an arm as payment. He was keeping his eyes locked on Gangwoo when—

Boom!!

A massive shock slammed over the top of the greatsword.

‘What—the hell?!’

Seongbin’s caught-off-guard body was shoved backward. A single bullet, and it hit like a cannon shot!! Panic flickered through him.

‘A Trait…? No, an Artifact?’

It had to be one or the other. But Seongbin had no way of knowing which.

All he could do was shake off the daze and whip his gaze around, searching for Gangwoo.

The spot where he’d stood was already empty.

‘Where is he?!’

Flustered by the sudden explosion, he’d lost track of Gangwoo.

Swish—

That was when he felt a presence right next to him.

‘Huh?!’

Gangwoo had already closed the distance to his flank.

‘Fast… too fast.’

Seongbin watched Gangwoo drive himself into his guard.

‘Was I too careless? Letting a gap like that slip open.’

He gritted his teeth as he stared at Gangwoo. A fist split the air, aimed straight for his abdomen. Too late to dodge!

‘I’ll tank it!’

Seongbin clenched his jaw tight. He was confident he could take a punch from some low-tier trash with nothing but his bare body.

Thud!!!!

But a heavy crack rang out, and Seongbin’s torso folded.

“Guhk…”

He let out an involuntary sound, his face twisting in pain.

‘What the hell is this bastard?!’

The impact was beyond anything he’d imagined. A dizzying shock surged through him, blurring his vision for a moment.

Seongbin scowled as he locked eyes with Gangwoo.

Whoosh—

Gangwoo was already pulling his arm back for a second strike — and this time, a faint layer of Mana clung to the fist.

‘Straight Punch!’

Judging by the force that had caved in his gut, taking a Mana-wreathed Straight Punch to the face would be hard to endure.

Kang Seongbin made his choice, raising his strongest weapon — the demon’s arm, the Demon Hand — to shield his face.

In that instant.

Click—

The muzzle pressed against the underside of his chin.

A chill shot down Seongbin’s spine. That blast that had just slammed the greatsword — what if it detonated right against his face?

‘I’m going to die…’

Seongbin felt death itself brush past him.

And just as a single bead of sweat traced down between his brows—

“Is this enough to pass?”

Ha Gangwoo lowered the gun and spoke.

Three seconds. In just three seconds, Seongbin had lost.

A drop of sweat fell from Seongbin’s chin, splashing onto the ground.

‘I… I lost…’

No matter how off guard he’d been caught — he’d been utterly defeated in three seconds flat. And for a moment, he’d tasted the fear of death itself.

Gnashing his teeth, Seongbin glared at Gangwoo.

“One more round…”

Seongbin started to shout at Gangwoo, then stopped mid-sentence.

‘I want to fight again. This time, if I fully unleash the Demon Hand…!’

Kang Seongbin, still making excuses to himself, gritted his teeth hard.

He spun around and spoke in a low voice.

“Ha Gangwoo and Lee Ayeon are a team. I’ll leave the item in the west to you.”

Trickling—

A thin stream of blood ran from the corner of Seongbin’s mouth.

‘A loss is a loss. I let my guard down too much. For now, I focus on this Quest.’

Rage and humiliation burned in his chest, but he was the leader of this team. He couldn’t let emotion drive the Party to ruin.

“Chae Seohyun—you’re coming with me.”

Kang Seongbin left those words behind and headed east, toward the pillar of blazing light.

A gleam of radiance settled in Kang Seongbin’s eyes.

‘See you on the next floor.’

And so Ha Gangwoo’s first Party Quest began.

***

Thud—

Chae Seohyun bowed to Ha Gangwoo, then followed after Kang Seongbin.

‘Is this… the long one?’

Ha Gangwoo watched Kang Seongbin as he walked away.

Gangwoo’s fists clenched tight.

‘I won.’

He’d beaten a full S-Rank Trait holder — a super rookie from a major guild!! A swell of exhilaration rose in Ha Gangwoo’s chest.

Sure, luck had triggered the Artifact and the ambush had landed, but it was still all his own doing, wasn’t it?! Had he ever felt this kind of achievement in his life?

A quiet smile tugged at the corner of Ha Gangwoo’s mouth.

‘I can do this.’

A surge of confidence flooded him — the feeling that he could accomplish anything. Even saving his sister, which had once seemed utterly impossible.

‘If I’m going to aim, I’ll aim for S-Rank!’

The Dungeon he’d just entered was a full-fledged S-Rank. If he cleared this one well, by the time he came out of the Tower he’d register at least as an A-Rank Player. On a good day, he could even shoot for S-Rank!

If he got that S-Rank, love calls from the big guilds would come pouring in.

‘Then I won’t have to worry about money anymore.’

An S-Rank Player… what kind of signing bonus did he land? She’d never even imagined such a thing — couldn’t even begin to guess.

‘That’s unexpected, though.’

That hot-tempered bastard had admitted defeat and walked off without a fuss. Quite the surprise. She’d fully expected him to charge right back in for round two.

“Surprising, isn’t it?”

Just then, Lee Ayeon sidled up beside Ha Gangwoo and spoke.

“For all his brute stubbornness, our captain’s clever enough. Otherwise, he’d never have made S-Rank, right~?”

Lee Ayeon’s eyes crinkled in a sly smile. Did she read minds? The more they talked, the more curious he grew about what went on inside that head of hers.

“What are you plotting?”

Ha Gangwoo stared at her grinning face as he asked.

“Huh? Plotting? I just want a high rating, that’s all~”

High rating — wasn’t she trying to land an S-Rank Player? A good contract with a major guild, someone to clear the Tower — it’s what anyone climbing that path wanted.

But then why did this feel so off?

“What’s wrong? Let’s go. We’re running out of time.”

As Ha Gangwoo sank into thought, Lee Ayeon moved toward the pillar of light in the west.

‘Troubling.’

Wary, Ha Gangwoo followed behind her.

The western pillar of light soared high into the sky. Ha Gangwoo and Lee Ayeon walked through the black forest with the pillar in sight.

The stench of rot hung thick in the air, and corpses littered the ground all around. One peculiar detail: every one of them wore armor straight out of the Middle Ages.

As they walked, alert and scanning their surroundings, Lee Ayeon broke the silence.

“Which guild trained you before you came in here? I knew you were strong, but beating our captain? I was totally shocked~!”

A sword glinted in Lee Ayeon’s hand. Its unusual gleam marked it as a fairly good piece of gear.

“I got lucky. Let’s focus on the Quest.”

Ha Gangwoo answered coldly. A slick manner, a slippery tone, the type who knew how to handle people. Best to keep his words few.

But Lee Ayeon just smiled with her eyes and kept talking.

“Aww~ I didn’t peg you for the stiff type~ You know, being too tense is what makes you mess up~~. You’re a S-Rank Trait holder, right? Something explosive? I’m an A-Rank Trait holder myself. Detection is my strong suit. So loosen up~ If something shows up, I’ll let you know right…”

Mid-sentence, slick as ever, Lee Ayeon’s expression flipped in an instant.

“Something’s up ahead.”

She’d said her Detection was solid — seemed to be true.

‘Hmm…’

Ha Gangwoo still hadn’t sensed the presence at all.

‘Is my Sense stat too low?’

Just as doubt flickered through Ha Gangwoo’s mind —

Groooooan—

Something approached from about a hundred meters ahead. Lee Ayeon’s words had proven true.

“A knight… zombie??”

To be precise, it looked like a corpse clad in knight’s armor. Its chest to abdomen was torn open, blood still dripping steadily.

Just how strong was a D-rank monster, anyway?

‘Hard to tell.’

Ha Gangwoo strained to gauge the monster’s aura, but couldn’t reach a clear judgment.

Was it similar to Kang Seongbin? Probably his low Sense stat was keeping him from reading the enemy’s power properly.

‘I definitely need to invest more in Sense.’

The moment the thought crossed Gangwoo’s mind—

Lee Ayeon squared her stance, her expression dead serious.

“Let’s go! I’ll provide support!”

‘Support?’

Gangwoo blinked in confusion.

How did party hunting even work? He’d never done it before—he had no frame of reference.

‘Just do it the usual way.’

Making up his mind, Gangwoo leveled his gun.

Bang!!

The shot rang out—and clanged off the knight’s armor.

The bullet punched through the shoulder plate. Black blood oozed from the wound.

Groooan—

But the Undead Knight barely faltered, trudging forward step by heavy step.

‘No effect?!’

Even without the Explosive Round activating, the impact should’ve done something—he’d felt enough raw power from these shots before. The panic crept in.

“Guns don’t work well on Undead monsters! Aim for the head!”

Lee Ayeon offered the advice, then muttered something under her breath. Looked like she was activating a skill. Suppression, maybe?

Gangwoo gripped the gun tighter and stared the knight down.

‘The head, huh.’

The slow-approaching Undead Knight’s head looked smaller than his pinky nail.

‘A waste.’

He had no confidence he’d hit it. Sixteen rounds left. No way he was burning them on some trash mob.

Tap— Gangwoo charged instead. He opened his palm and began the Incantation for a Fireball.

Whoooosh— A small, flickering flame crackled to life in his hand.

‘Max it out!!!’

[10 MP consumed.]

[2 MP consumed.]

[2 MP consumed.]

[2 MP consum…]

….

…

..

His MP drained like water through a sieve.

Undead monsters should be weak to fire!!

Tap— tap— tap—

In a blinding burst of speed, Gangwoo closed the distance.

The moment the Undead Knight entered his range, he hurled the Fireball with everything he had.

Whoosh— Was it because his Strength hit 80? A simple arm swing tore through the air as the fire streaked forward.

Boom!!

The Fireball slammed into the Undead Knight and erupted in a wash of flame.

‘Nice!!! Huh?’

Just as he thought the skill had landed clean, the Undead Knight’s silhouette emerged through the fire.

The Undead Knight had blocked the Fireball with its massive shield.

‘Ranged attacks really aren’t my thing.’

It was a lesson he’d learned over every fight so far. Ranged attacks were vulnerable to shields—easily blocked by any obstacle in the way.

‘Close the gap!!’

Gangwoo made the call in an instant and surged forward. The very moment his foot hit the ground—Bang—a sonic crack split the air.

Ssssssssssh—

He rode his momentum across the ground and plunged fully into the undead knight’s guard.

‘Straight Punch.’

This time, he activated Straight Punch.

A faint blue light coalesced into his fist with a low hum.

[MP consumed: 3.]

[MP consumed: 3.]

[MP consumed: 3.]

[MP consumed: 3.]

[MP consumed: 3…]

*Pour every last drop of Mana into this!!*

Just as he was about to throw the punch packed with maximum force—

A flash—

His eyes met the undead knight’s. As if it had tracked his every move from start to finish!! Case in point—

*Whoosh-* The undead knight’s sword was already slicing through the air.

‘Huh?!!’

The difference in level was unmistakable.

*Whoosh-* The sword swung closer, cutting the air. A chill ran down his spine.

Stay still and he’d lose his neck!!

But Ha Gangwoo made a split-second decision.

‘I’m attacking!!’

The F-grade Gray Leather Armor set from the Starter Package! He chose to trust that item.

*Whoosh- Fwish-*

Gangwoo’s fist shot toward the undead’s head. The undead knight’s sword raced toward Gangwoo’s neck.

That was when.

*Chak-* The undead knight’s movement stopped.

Black Mana coiled around the undead knight’s body.

‘Lee Ayeon?!!’

Lee Ayeon had cast a Debuff skill.

A smile tugged at Ha Gangwoo’s lips.

‘So this is what a Party feels like.’

Gangwoo threw his fist straight ahead.

*Thwack!!!!!!!!*

The Straight Punch landed square on the undead knight’s head.

A satisfying crack of impact rang out with it.

*Ding-*

[Undead Knight defeated.]

[700 EXP earned!!]

[700 bonus EXP earned from Perk effect.]

[1,300 Gold earned.]

[Level up!!!]

Pleasant chimes rang in his ears.

And so, Ha Gangwoo’s first party hunt came to a successful end.