01x05 - A Pretty Good Deal

[bunniefuu]

You saw the hottie, yeah?

Do you mean the E-rank?

I sure did.

Oh, his body is ridiculous.

He has an average face, but he
does kind of lean toward cute.

Guy looks scrawny until he takes
his shirt off, and it's like, oh damn.

When did we admit a
patient as ripped as that?

Not ringing any bells for me.

He didn't really stand
out much at first.

Apparently he started exercising
though, and it did his body good.

There's no way.

It takes more than a couple
of days to build up muscle.

Excuse me.

Mr. Jinwoo Sung.

Huh?

I'm sorry.

No, my fault entirely,
so please don't be.

His muscles are incredible.

Was he always this hot?

I mean, surely he was, right?

Do you need something from me?

Oh, yes!

I just came to see how you're feeling
since you're being discharged today.

I'm honestly feeling pretty good.

That's wonderful.

Stop by reception whenever you're ready
and we'll get your paperwork filed, okay?

Sure.

Thank you for everything.

Oh, and...

What?

If it's alright, may I have your
phone number before you go?

You want... my phone number?

Yes. Long as you
don't mind, of course.

Must have a test result or two
they still need to send me.

Yeah, that's not a problem.

Hello and good morning, everyone.

Joining us today, we
have a very special guest.

I'm Yoonho Baek and
I run the White Tiger Guild.

As one of just seven S-Rank
Hunters in the entire country,

I imagine your schedule stays pretty
full, so I appreciate you fitting us in.

Apart from talk show
appearances and gate exploration,

what exactly is
a Hunter's life like?

Busy, for sure, with
lots of training involved.

Hunters are gifted,
but far from perfect.

Getting out of touch
with the field of combat

can dull our instincts, no
matter how enhanced they are.

So you train every day.
That must be exhausting.

In my case, no.

Before I became a
Hunter, I was a firefighter,

so staying in good
shape was just routine.

My comrades' lives are at stake. Not
being at my best could mean the worst.

That thought alone keeps me on my toes.

That's some motivation.

{\an8}The White Tiger Guild are very
fortunate to have you as their leader.

Oh crap! Is that the time.

Hey, Jinwoo!

Good morning, Jinah.

Oh, what? You're already up.

Been awake a while now.

Have fun at school.

There are leftovers from
last night's dinner in the fridge,

if you're... hungry.

Okay, so, have you
been working out?

Uh... yeah, a little.

You also look a lot
taller, which is weird.

Abs I can understand, but height?

It's kinda cool. I guess that
even guys in their 20's can grow.

I'll see you later!

Hey, hey.

Don't forget an umbrella.

No, that's heavy,
and it's so nice out.

Yeah, look up the word
heavy when you get to class.

Oh, give me a break.

It's better to be
safe than sorry.

All right.

Gee, thanks. Bye, pushy.

Be careful out there.

I'll save the running for later.

Man, I really am jacked.

Talk about a stat boost.

Bet I could become a bodybuilder
if I keep investing points in strength.

Speaking of, I've got
some points to divvy up.

But where?

That is the question.

Strength resists the damage I can do,

but that's pretty useless
if I can't land any hits.

Agility should help with that.

I'll definitely increase those two.

Can't go wrong with vitality either.

Perception has come in
handy, but intellect?

Seems magic-related,
so do I really need it?

Okay, I've got it.

That looks good.

Hello, Jinwoo Sung speaking.

You finally picked up.

I am so sorry. Been
stuck in the hospital, sir.

I take it you're calling to
ask about the rent, right?

Right.

Still waiting on this month's payment.

But I can't push it
back if money's tight.

No need. I'll send it right away.

Oh, I'll keep an eye out then.

You take care of
yourself now, young man.

I will. Thank you, sir.

I don't know if this change I'm going
through is a reawakening or what,

but now that I'm able to slay
goblins without almost dying,

making rent shouldn't be too hard.

That said, it won't
exactly be easy either.

Bottom line, if I want to earn good money,
I have to go through higher-ranked gates.

Trouble with that...

is no sane person will let an
E-rank hunter just cruise into those.

Maybe I'll get re-evaluated.

A higher rank could let
me access better gates

and make some extra
cash just from the publicity.

Eh...Might get too
much publicity, though.

Reawakenings are
newsworthy as it is.

But a hunter who can level up
and get stronger by the day?

That's unheard of.

I can practically
see the headlines.

All eyes would be on me,

and the nail that sticks
out gets hammered down.

No.

I think it'd be for the best
to keep my secret to myself.

At least, until I have a
solid grasp on this power.

Confirm.

Hey there.

The name's Dongsuk Hwang.

And mine's Jinwoo Sung.

E-rank, right?

Yes, sir.

Oh, hey, you're him! The dude that's,
like, known for being horrible!

If memory serves, you're called the
weakest hunter of all mankind?

Are you serious?

That's enough out
of both of you.

So much for starting
things off on the right foot.

No, it's fine.

E-ranks can be laughably
bad. Will that be an issue?

Not as far as I'm concerned.

We need you to meet the quota, and
that's more important than your rank.

I told you over the phone, but....

you're mainly here for the headcount

since we need a minimum of eight
hunters to enter a C-rank dungeon.

Half the party has to be C-rank,
too, but we've got that covered.

You aren't going to
be fighting in there,

so we won't be sharing
any of the spoils with you.

You'll still get your two
million for participating, though.

Not bad, eh?

Four C-ranks and two sub-D-ranks.

Not bad at all.

Just tell me what I have to do, sir.

You'll be in charge of hauling our bags.

We've got food, spare clothing, gear.
First aid kit's somewhere in there, too.

First aid?

There isn't a healer on this squad?

Independent parties
like ours have a hard time

retaining healers, as
I'm sure you can imagine.

We do all our raids without
a healer, so we're used to it.

Huh.

A strike squad with nothing
but tanks and damage dealers.

Are they crazy?

Going in without a
healer really bugs me.

Just sign on the dotted line
and we can be on our way.

I recognize the party is not liable for
anything that occurs inside the dungeon.

Sure.

Here.

Thank you.

Hello there, fellow
temporary recruit.

My name's Jinho Yoo.

I'm a 21-year-old D-rank hunter, and I
signed up as a quota guy just like you.

I see.

A D-rank with that gear?

Is this kid a trust fund baby?

It's your first C-rank raid ever?

Don't you worry. I'll be
there to keep you safe.

Awesome.

Let's move out.

Those bags look really heavy.
Think that you'll be okay?

Yes. Uh, thank you.

Oh, come on, bro. I'm younger than you,
so just drop all the please and thank yous.

Works for me.

Did you hear about the president of
the firm who was handling this site?

He fled overseas two months ago
with the 900 billion he embezzled,

while the workers and investors
were left holding the bag.

Just look at me rambling
without reading the mood again.

For some strange reason, I've never been
great at picking up on social cues. Ever.

Here we are.

Damn, that is one
huge, swirly light.

Don't see gates this
big very often?

We really don't, which makes me
feel like it should be ranked higher.

You know what I mean, boss?

The association folks said it was
a C-gate after checking it twice,

and they're pretty
thorough about that stuff.

C-rank or not, a gate with its own
postal code seems bad, right?

Well, the size of the gate
doesn't really tell us anything.

The magic power within is what
counts, so I think we'll be just fine.

When Mr. Hwang said they checked it,
he meant they measured its magic.

We wouldn't even be allowed
to raid it if it were B or higher.

Larger guilds handle the
more dangerous dungeons.

Hmm, your brain's kinda
blowing mine away, Jinwoo.

I may be an E-rank, but I
have been doing this a while.

Don't get cocky.

It's still your first C-rank raid.

Okay, follow me.
We're going in.

Yes, sir! Steel yourself,
and let's go!

Yeah, right behind ya.

Hey Kyuhwan, a little light.

Sure.

Well, this is different.
No beasts to greet us?

Awfully dark for a dungeon, too.

Yeah, where are the glowstones
in the walls that light the way?

A pitch-black dungeon.

Reminds me of the
Cartenon Temple.

Hey, quick question.

What do they mean
by glowstones?

Oh, they're shiny rocks.

It's common to find them all over the
ground and walls of cave-like dungeons.

They give off this faint light
that illuminates the area.

I wouldn't mind having
a few right now.

So, an essence stone is the kind
you recover from a magic beast,

a mana stone is what you can
mine from the dungeon itself,

and then there's a glowstone that has
a more practical use of lighting caves.

Seems easy to mix them up.

You'll get the hang
of it soon enough.

What if it's a bust?
Just a big, empty cave?

What do you think? Could a dungeon
without a single magic beast even exist?

Quiet.

I hear them.

They found us.

They just haven't
shown themselves yet.

Everyone ready?

We're ready!

What moves is a group.

Lives in the dark, but it's drawn
to light when they sense it.

We're dealing with insect types!

Insects?

Dammit! No wonder it's dark!

What do you see
over there, boss?

Bunch of nothing.
They're hiding.

Don't tell me
it's an ant colony!

Great! Now you
haven't jinxed us!

The sound's getting closer!
Where the hell are they?

Too many tunnels to choose!

There!

Kyuhwan!

On it!

I'll draw their attention away!

Right!

Stick with me, Jiwoo! I'll keep
you safe from these things!

What are you waiting
for, huh? Come get me!

He's got every creepy crawly
to head straight for him!

A taunt skill. No
wonder he's C-Rank.

Hey! On your left, Jinsuk!

Yeah, I got him.

I'll help!

No!

Just stay back!
I'm counting down!

Five, four, three, two, one, zero!

Have a piece of this!

Very nice!
Now finish it!

Aw, hell yeah!

Nice chemistry.

They've obviously been
working together for a long time.

Still, since they operate without a
healer, they're a little too aggressive.

And Jinho...

His fancy gear makes
up for his lack of skill.

Everyone's doing
fine, I guess.

But...

Something feels off.

Is that the last one?

Well?

Yeah, that was all of them.

We're done here, you guys.

It's looting time!

Gather up the essence stones
and divide the lot by seven!

Yes, sir!

Favorite part of the job.

Same.

That was some call
you made, Jinwoo.

Those bugs about ambushed us.

Glad to help.

How were you able to tell they
were attacking us from above?

Instinct.

Then your instincts are
very sharp. b*at me dead.

Hey, boss!

Get a load of this!

The wounds on these bugs...

No w*apon of ours made those.

Exactly.

And they're not burns
from magic, either.

I'm not sure what did this,
but they weren't just k*lled.

These suckers were torn apart.

Maybe they had a turf battle
with some other magic beast.

Which implies that there's
a more dominant creature

than these freaks crawling
around in here somewhere.

Huh.

What could be big
enough to prey on these?

That was amazing!

Like, did you see me slash
that one bug down the middle?

Yeah.

So your sword and all of your
armor... Bet they weren't cheap.

Uh, you're right.

They were a gift from my dad.

He wanted to honor
my first raid and all.

Well,....

just make sure to watch your
back. I get the sense we'll need to.

Six... Seven... Eight... Nine...Ten!

Whoa! Did a b*mb just
go off in our building?

Settle down. It's a
standard occurrence here.

It's just the Guildmaster training.

That much damage from one hit?

Damn.

Well, that didn't get me
anywhere near warmed up.

Hey!

Can I get a cleanup crew in here?

Are we there yet?

The size of a dungeon has nothing to do...

Nothing to do with its rank, right?

I was listening when you talked
about magic power ratings.

Does that mean this dungeon
is vast, but mostly empty?

Sure does.

Dude, it must be hard lugging
around all that stuff in this huge place.

Really, bro, I don't mind helping you.

They're really not as
heavy as you would think.

I'm also getting paid without fighting
magic beasts, which is a pretty sweet deal.

Or at least, I thought it was.

Now it seems too sweet.

What's this nagging feeling?

We're a battle-tested
party without a healer.

And they needed extra members.

Another half-dead one!

Nice.

Thanks!

Something's up with this place.

We've covered a ton of ground,

but none of the beasts we've
come across are healthy.

Every insect since that first
swarm has been injured or dead.

There's a boss in here
somewhere. There's gotta be.

A gate wouldn't have
opened if there wasn't.

Hang on.

Kyuhwan, light the way ahead.

Sure.

This path definitely leads
to the boss chamber.

Stay alert.

Jackpot!

No way!

Look at all of
these mana crystals!

They're just so beautiful!

They aren't worth as
much as essence stones.

But this all?

It's gotta be worth
billions, if not more!

You know, boss, I bet even your brother
would be jealous of a find like this.

Dude, shut up!

Why did you have to bring
up the boss's brother, huh?

Not cool!

Dongsoo.

What'd I tell you?

You don't always get to
be the one who's right.

Better not expect your big
brother to bow down to you now.

Cause this score is just the thing
to make my strike team blow up!

Hey Jinwoo, can I see the contract that
you signed before entering the dungeon?

There's something I want
to double check for you.

Okay.

Excuse me, Mr. Hwang, sir?

According to Jinwoo's contract,
he should be in on this.

Battle drops are the only
thing he doesn't get a share of.

Since mana crystals are excavated
as opposed to being dropped by beasts,

shouldn't this particular find be
split eight ways instead of seven?

Well, of course!
Let's split it all evenly.

Fair is fair, after all.

But first, there's some
company we should see to.

The dungeon boss!

In case you didn't know, rookie, the
gate will close once that thing dies.

Mining and carrying out
this truckload of crystals

comes before exterminating
the colossal spider.

Fortunately, it
seems to be asleep,

which gives us the
perfect chance to excavate.

So, where's the gear?

I mean, I wasn't expecting there to
be a treasure trove of mana crystals.

I left all of the transport and
mining tools back with my ride.

Told you! Don't I always say
be prepared for anything?

I'm really sorry.

Guess it can't be helped now.

Why don't you two stay here
for a bit and protect our prize?

We'll go get the
mining equipment.

Stay here! This is the boss's lair!
We have the lowest ranks!

You'll be just fine.

That thing looks like it's
sound asleep on a full stomach.

I doubt anything could snap it
awake unless you did it intentionally.

Even so...

This is your first raid,
you'd think you know better.

Jinwoo's in the same boat since
this is his first C-rank dungeon.

Have a little faith, will ya?

Take a break.

Actually, I need a break
with my team, too.

Got lots to discuss.

Regulations say you need eight
members to take on a C-rank dungeon.

Their squad only consists of six.

We do all our raids without
a healer, so we're used to it.

Used to it...

Suggests they've taken on a fair share
of C-rank dungeons before this one.

So why recruit Jinho and me instead
of having regular temps on call?

Alright.

Go ahead and seal off the
entrance to the lair, Kyuhwan.

No! No!

Considering the timing,
I think they just betrayed us.

I knew it.
Those bastards.

In a hunter's line of work,
you run into some real crooks.

Our job will always have some risk.
Mistakes and accidents are bound to happen.

But since those accidents
occur inside gates,

it's easy for anyone
with ill intent to commit a

crime and then never see
their offense come to light.

It's not like there are
surveillance cameras in there.

And without living witnesses,
there's zero evidence.

Sometimes weak people get used
as bait to lure out the magic beasts,

or they get left behind.

Cast aside. The way
lizards lose their tails.

They're really
trying to k*ll us!

All because they want
more lousy mana crystals?

If I...

If I hadn't brought up that
stupid contract, then maybe we...

No.

We were in their trap.

They were ready to strike us down
on the spot after one wrong move.

More importantly...

Jinwoo!

I said I would protect you, so that's
what I'll do! Somehow I'll manage!

We could get out from there if we needed.
But I bet they thought of that too.

A C-Rank boss.
An E-Rank hunter.

This thing's on a whole other level.

Other level?

No.

I take that back.

Jinho, don't move.

I'm gonna fight this thing.

Wait. You mean like fight fight?

I mean this one's mine.