Chapter 10 – This Is １st Circle? (１)

‘What?’

Because an unbelievable character floated there.

‘Strong Wind?’

[Strong Wind]

-Grade: Legendary

-Proficiency: F

Strong Wind.

That magic, too, was a 1st-Circle wind spell.

But it was a wind magic twice as powerful as Blow.

Of course, Jun hadn’t been able to use it.

Even among same-Circle spells, the pressure of Magic Power exerted on the Circle differs with the spell’s power.

Jun’s Mana Circle could not withstand the pressure of Strong Wind.

Because of that, he’d had no choice but to use only Blow, crying while eating his bitter herbs…

And on top of that, the highest-grade reward.

Surely that grade couldn’t be Legendary, could it?

The gift was more than enough to set his heart racing.

Just thinking about the future—hunting with this skill—sent tremors through his whole body.

If this skill’s Proficiency climbed high enough, it would become a truly fearsome spell down the line.

‘A Legendary-grade Fireball and a Legendary-grade Strong Wind combined…’

The sheer power would be nothing short of catastrophic.

“Truly splendid. Thank you. It was an immense honor to witness your talent with my own eyes. I hardly know how to repay this gratitude… Regardless, take this.”

He held something out to Gijun.

It was a badge.

“Wear this with you. It’s the mark that you’ve truly joined our ranks.”

“Ah…!”

Gijun put the badge on right there.

[You have acquired the Seeker’s Badge.]

[All Stats increased by 3.]

Watching him, Ruf turned and spoke.

“When you’re ready, head to the Rapalam Hills.”

“The Rapalam Hills?”

“Yes. A hint about the path you must walk is hidden there.”

“…”

He could smell it.

Gijun answered.

He said he understood.

With that, Ruf vanished somewhere.

‘Alright, then…’

Gijun thought about what he needed to do.

It was hunting.

After all, the Rapalam Hills weren’t some place he could go right this moment.

He’d even acquired a Wind-type spell.

That meant he could now skyrocket his Level.

So, before the Raid, Gijun planned to push his own specs as high as he could.

Besides, his first Raid with the Hwarang wasn’t far off.

He intended to max out his specs before then.

*

Gijun couldn’t believe his own strength even as he witnessed it.

The combination of Fireball and Strong Wind was simply staggering.

Gijun could hunt two or three Striped Sabertooths at the same time.

A Striped Sabertooth was a monster five Levels higher than a regular Sabertooth.

The average level of Players hunting here was well above the mid-20s.

What’s more, no one hunted alone.

But Gijun was only Level 10 now.

And yet a mage was kiting and killing three or four monsters all by himself.

So Gijun’s leveling speed was, to put it mildly, tremendous.

Others cast envious glances his way.

“Fuck. Mages really are the best.”

“Life’s a luck-screwed game of RNG.”

“You think that’s luck? That’s some insane Cash Purchasing.”

“Not even a decent Micro-transaction could get you that kind of firepower, could it?”

Naturally, most Players thought Gijun was a whale who’d spent a fortune.

Gijun didn’t care.

Whatever anyone said, so what?

He just wanted to feel that thrill, again and again.

Crack!

The Strong Wind churned over the Fireball he’d just hurled, a vortex of flame that scorched three Striped Sabertooth Tigers at once.

Then the message flashed before him.

Gijun kept hunting.

His level had already passed twenty.

[Name: Jun]

[Class: Flame Seeker]

[Level: 22]

[Strength: 1+9]

[Agility: 1+9]

[Stamina: 1+9]

[Magic Power: 26+19]

[Skills]

– Mana Handling (E)

– Fireball (E)

– Strong Wind (E)

Level twenty-two.

He’d even pushed Strong Wind up to E-Grade.

Now every skill he owned had Proficiency at E-Grade.

With rising levels and climbing skill Proficiencies, his combat power had grown so ferocious that Striped Sabertooth Tigers were no longer even worthy opponents.

Unfortunately, Mana Handling and Fireball hadn’t budged.

Probably because they were Legendary Grade—the Proficiency bar crawled up at a snail’s pace.

Not that he had any reason to be disappointed.

Gijun had already seen for himself just how devastating the combination of Strong Wind and Fireball—those two legendary Skills—could be.

I’m ready.

He was certain of it.

This one run would be enough to make Hwarang take notice of him.

And so, as a member of the Hwarang Guild, Gijun had finished preparing to enter his first Dungeon!

*

Ha Seol. Choi Junho. Kim Changmin. Park Jueun. Kim Hojin.

The five of them were gathered in front of the Dungeon now.

Every one of these five Players was a Superhuman who had just turned twenty.

But they weren’t your run-of-the-mill twenty-year-old Superhumans.

Because they were all Hwarang’s Superhumans.

That was a source of immense pride.

Joining one of the top guilds in the entire world—wasn’t that practically an honor for the whole family?

Needless to say, their skills were already top-tier among their peers.

“Well, anyway, shouldn’t we hurry up and finish our probation so we can get to some real raiding?”

“You said it.”

Literally.

The reason they’re still clearing low-level dungeons is that they’re still in their probationary period.

It’s a process most Superhumans go through.

For roughly a year, rookies sweep low-level dungeons—building real combat experience while keeping up the pretense of working for the guild.

“I heard they’re already joining main raids.”

“Well, they were already famous.”

“True… They were scouted straight out of the Academy.”

“Tch…”

Of course, not every newcomer at Hwarang gets the same treatment.

There are Superhumans with exceptional talent among them—ones so gifted they skip the low-level dungeon grind and make their mark by participating in main raids.

“Speaking of which, isn’t it today? That guy.”

“Yeah.”

“Baek Gijun… He’s a huge name.”

“He is.”

“Everyone knows him, right?”

“Still, that’s all old news, isn’t it?”

“True. He’s not quite what he used to be.”

They were already overflowing with pride at being Hwarang members.

Hwarang wasn’t a guild just anyone could join.

There was even a saying that the difference between top-ranked Ure and second-ranked Hwarang was just a matter of taste.

And now they were supposed to clear a dungeon alongside some washed-up twenty-seven-year-old mage?

It was something they couldn’t easily swallow.

Then—

“Ah, here he comes.”

Every eye turned in that direction.

They fixed Gijun with a dozen different looks.

He was walking toward them from the far end.

A moment later, he reached the group,

“Hello.”

“Good to meet you.”

Gijun exchanged light greetings with the Hwarang guild members.

Those eyes aimed at him—still brimming with questions.

Probably thanks to whatever story they’d heard about him beforehand.

That he was a 1st-Circle mage.

Gijun met those expressions with calm poise, unfazed.

Not like this is anything new.

To him, those looks were painfully familiar.

No matter when, where, or which guild he joined, the members always wore those same faces.

But one thing was different this time around—his state of mind.

Before, those gazes had always sapped his spirit. Not anymore.

Gijun carried himself with confidence, rock-solid in his certainty of what he could deliver.

“I’ll do my best.”

“That’s our line. Shall we head in?”

And so began Gijun’s first raid under the Hwarang banner.

Of course, not a single person was expecting anything from him yet.

No—far from expectations, only suspicion-laced stares were aimed his way.

*

The moment they passed through the Gate, an entirely new landscape unfurled before them.

‘Finally.’

It meant they’d entered the Dungeon.

The Dungeon’s interior was a cavern.

The kind that couldn’t admit a single ray of light—yet it wasn’t particularly dark inside.

Because light streamed from crystals clinging to the cavern walls.

‘Those crystals—probably set up by the Red Goblins.’

Since this was their habitat, they’d lit it up themselves.

And conversely, that meant they’d just thrown themselves right into the heart of enemy territory.

Straight into the lair of monsters who owned every inch of this place.

Either way, Gijun was feeling pretty hyped.

Wasn’t this his first raid as a Hwarang guild member?

He’d joined raids under various guilds before, sure—but the feeling this time was beyond words.

That said, he wasn’t nervous.

If anything, he was overflowing with ease.

Because he had confidence.

‘I’m sure I can show them a version of me that’s undeniably changed.’

Confidence that surpassed the self.

That was what Gijun had now.

Before long, the assembled Superhumans stood at the Dungeon entrance, ready for battle.

“Let me know when you’re ready.”

It was the voice of Ha Seol, the Superhuman at the very front.

Ha Seol was their Tanker.

“Ready.”

“Then I’ll move out.”

Ha Seol advanced forward, a shield as massive as her own body held out in front of her.

A sharp contrast to the other Superhumans, who were still carrying themselves with a loose, lazy air.

She appeared to be the type who valued principle and order.

Gijun found himself liking that about her.

“Classic FM.”

“That’s exactly why Ha Seol has such good grades.”

“True. Unlike some people…”

“Keep quiet, would you?”

“Pfft…”

Leaving the other Superhumans’ jokes behind, Gijun adjusted his stance as well.

A hint of tension creeping into his posture.

Because right now, from somewhere ahead, he could sense the presence of monsters.

Of course, the playfulness had already drained from the other Superhumans too.

Young as they were, they were still professionals.

Then, the sound of the monsters reached them.

Krrrrr!

This was the moment they encountered their first monster in this Dungeon.

A Red Goblin wasn’t a particularly strong monster.

It was only a little more powerful than a standard Goblin.

But that didn’t mean it was wise to underestimate a Red Goblin.

Red Goblins were several times more aggressive and vicious than ordinary Goblins.

They were far from being monsters you could afford to ignore.

Their grip strength was strong enough to shatter an adult’s bones in an instant.

And because they hunted in packs of at least ten, one moment of carelessness could leave you badly wounded from attacks piercing in from all sides.

“We’re starting!”

At that moment, Ha Seol called out.

She lifted her shield high and slammed her fist against it.

Claaang!

In an instant, a faint glow rippled over the bodies of the Superhumans.

Strength surged through them.

“It’s a Buff that increases defense!”

With those words, she struck her shield once more.

And this time, a wave of energy pulsed outward in all directions.

“?!”

“!!”

The Goblins’ eyes snapped toward her in unison.

It seemed to be a skill that drew Aggro directly to herself.

The textbook Tanker skill, through and through.

Krrrrrrrk!

The Red Goblins charged toward Ha Seol.

At the same time, Gijun murmured a single word under his breath.

‘Fireball.’

No sooner had the word left his lips than a roaring flame blazed to life above his hand.

The Superhumans’ eyes widened slightly at the sight.

‘…What the hell?’

‘Is that really Fireball?’

‘No, the size is already big, but why is the casting that fast?’

Because it was nothing like the Fireball they knew.