Jinwoo’s heart began to race . It was because the size of the box was familiar to him . He quickly unwrapped the box and opened it,
‘It is!’
His eyes opened wide . There was a golden key inside of the box . An Instant Dungeon key that he had been wanting for a long time . The information box popped up on the key .
ring~
The Demon Castle Key
Rarity: S-rank
Type: Key
Key to enter an Instant Dungeon .
Usable in Daesung Tower .
“S-rank?”
His voice was raised . Of course, there was no guarantee that the rarity of the key indicated the difficulty of the Dungeon, but it would not be an unusual conclusion to have . After all, the Instant Dungeon he had entered with the E-rank key was as easy as an E-rank Gate’s Dungeon .
What if this key’s Dungeon was S-rank? It would be difficult to clear it even with a team composed of only S-rank Hunters . The probability of success would be 50% .
Above the B-rank, the difficulty of a Gate increases at a geometric rate . In the past 10 years since the Gates first started appearing, only a handful of S-rank Gates had opened across the world .
‘And Jejudo[1] was one them…’
After South Korea’s Hunters failed to clear the Dungeon on the island, the S-rank Gate underwent a Dungeon Break, and the island became uninhabitable and was now abandoned by the country .
Jinwoo looked at the key in his hand .
‘This is something that I wanted?’
There was one potential silver lining . Compared to the first key, which “moved” him into the Dungeon, this key stated that he could “enter” the Dungeon[2] . Jinwoo concluded that the difference in the wording meant that he could move in and out of the Dungeon . Even if the key disappeared like last time, he still had the return stone in his inventory . He would not be imprisoned by an invisible wall again .
‘Well, I shouldn’t throw away a rare opportunity like this . ’
He would confirm the Instant Dungeon with his own eyes .
-2 . The Demon Castle-
Jinwoo stood in front of the Daesung Tower . With exactly hundred floors, the building reached high towards the sky . Fitting of a skyscraper, even looking up at it from the ground gave a sense of vertigo .
It was currently night, and there was practically no one in the area . The absence of humans created a gloomy atmosphere .
‘But just in case…’
Jinwoo looked around and lowered the hood over his head tightly . If someone saw a man disappear into thin air without a Gate in sight, it would surely cause a disturbance . In the case that he gets caught on the surveillance cameras here and there, a little anonymity would be useful .
As matter of fact, there was someone who was watching Jinwoo .
‘What’s he up to?’
The security guard that was posted in the lobby of the building looked at the shady, hooded man who was loitering in front of the building . The guard rose from his seat and walked over to take a closer look, then was caught off guard in shock .
“W-what?!”
The hooded man that was walking towards the building suddenly disappeared without a trace . No matter how long the guard stared at the spot, not even an insect could be found .
“Er… Must’ve been seeing things…”
The man turned to go back inside but then saw something in the corner of his eyes . He screamed and fell to the ground .
“Ah! What the hell?!”
The hand that was floating in the air disappeared again .
Jinwoo retracted the hand that he was holding out .
‘It’s connected to the outside . ’
Unlike last time, there was no invisible wall blocking his exit . The key also did not disappear but remained in his pockets . Jinwoo confirmed that he would be able to exit and come back whenever .
‘Alright, the path to retreat is secured…’
As he did not know if the rarity of the key corresponded to the difficulty, Jinwoo was being a lot more careful than usual . He took off his hood and turned around .
“…”
It was a scenery that invited despair .
Moments ago, when he took few steps towards the Daesung Tower, the world before his eyes changed in an instant .
Could this even be called a Dungeon?
In front of him was an entirely new world .
In place of the Daesung Tower stood a massive tower .
‘Can’t tell if it’s a castle or a tower . ’
The tower that stretched towards the sky was surrounded by a crimson flame . Instead of being on fire, it was more like the tower was holding the fire back .
“A tower on fire…”
This felt like a more fitting description of the place than a Demon Castle .
Jinwoo took steps toward the tower .
flare!
As he got closer, the sound of the fire roaring became louder .
‘Could I even get inside?’
Even if he could, there was another problem . The last Instant Dungeon used the subway station as the template for its levels . If this one used Daesung Tower as its, Jinwoo would have to clear a hundred different levels of monsters . He could not imagine just how long that would take .
‘Hmm?’
He stopped, feeling a powerful presence near the tower’s gate . Taking a closer look, he saw a black beast, the size of a bull, rolled up on the ground sleeping . Jinwoo took out the Casaka’s Poisoned Fang .
ring~
Casaka’s Poisoned Fang
Rarity: C
Type: Dagger
Attack Power +25
Inflicts ‘Paralysis’ and ‘Bleeding’ on attack .
‘Paralysis’: The target has a chance to become immobilized .
‘Bleeding’: The target will lose 1% health per second .
A dagger made of Casaka’s poisoned fang, still dripping with its poison .
You may keep this item in your inventory .
You may sell this item in the shop .
Although its attack power wasn’t that high, its special effects had already proved themselves in battle .
‘It’d be nice if I could just kill after paralyzing it . ’
Jinwoo slowly approached the beast, quieting his footsteps as best as he could . But he could not hide from the monster’s sense of smell . The beast soon started to rise, sniffing the air .
‘Shit . ’
Jinwoo clicked his tongue . The beast’s form, standing up fully, raised three separate heads towards Jinwoo .
‘Gatekeeper of Hell, Cerberus’
A vicious looking hound with three heads . Its heads were adorned by its name in red letters . This meant the monster’s level was high .
‘If it’s red, does it mean it’s the same as the centipedes from the penalty zone?’
He recalled running for his life from the centipedes . After all, he was just level 1 back then .
‘I’m different now . ’
In a short period, Jinwoo had experienced an explosive growth . The monster before him was definitely strong, but it did not give off a feeling of overwhelming pressure . This was ascertained with Jinwoo’s sense stat .
He had not raised the attribute thoughtlessly . Valuable points were invested into it so that it could help him determine whether to fight or run from an enemy .
Grrrrrl!
The Cerberus registered an enemy and bared its teeth . The beast’s tail caught Jinwoo’s eyes momentarily . The long, whip-like tail decorated its tip with powerful flames .
‘Fangs and tail . The thing’s attack pattern will have at minimum two moves . ’
Jinwoo gulped . The Cerberus slowly closed the gap between the two, then stopped right before the Hunter and stared .
‘Is it looking for an openi-’
The Cerberus suddenly leaped towards him .
Woof!
Jinwoo was caught off guard .
‘It’s fast!’
Jinwoo quickly slid underneath the Cerberus’ body and dodged its bite . Landing on the ground, Cerberus immediately turned around and bared its teeth across all three heads .
Bark! Bark Bark!
The fangs between its jaws shone in the light .
ring~
The effect of the title, ‘Wolf Slayer’, has been activated .
Wolf Slayer
All stats increased by 40% against beast type monsters .
A title given to a hunter experienced in slaying wolves .
Jinwoo felt his body becoming lighter .
‘I can feel it!’
The Cerberus charged at Jinwoo . Jinwoo rapidly took backward steps, trying to distance himself from the Cerberus’ advances, and repeatedly blocked its bites with his dagger .
slash, slash, slaaash, slash!
clang! clang clang! clang!
The sound of the metal clashing against the fangs rang loudly . Although he was swinging the dagger with an incredible speed, it was all he could do to block the Cerberus’ attacks .
‘I’m being pushed back even with the title buff!’
The Cerberus’ agility had surpassed his expectations . Jinwoo tried to turn the tide of the battle with a skill .
Bloodlust has been activated .
The target’s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled .
Jinwoo was shocked .
‘It didn’t work?’
The Cerberus’ whipped its tail at Jinwoo .
snap!
Jinwoo reflexively lowered his head to dodge, but this stopped his legs temporarily . The Cerberus did not miss the opportunity; one of its heads bit down on Jinwoo’s left shoulder .
“Uwaaaaak!”
Jinwoo stabbed its forehead with all his strength .
stab!
Paralysis has been inflicted .
The target’s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled .
Bleeding has been inflicted .
The target’s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled .
whimper!
The Cerberus yelped and backed away . Thankfully, Jinwoo managed to drive it off before the other heads could also bite down, but the damage was done to his left shoulder . His left arm hung limp at his sides, the joints mangled . The beast’s jaws had a terrifying bite .
Jinwoo furrowed his brows . Compared to the small damage he had inflicted on the Cerberus, his own injury was far greater .
‘If only paralysis or bleeding had stuck…’
Jinwoo glared at Cerberus with disappointment .
Suddenly, the beast’s eyes started turning red .
‘Huh?’
grrrrrl
A frightening pressure washed over Jinwoo .
‘What?’
The Gatekeeper of Hell, Cerberus has used ‘Rage’ .
It will enter a state of rage for 3 minutes .
Cerberus’ all attributes are doubled .
Cerberus’ cannot feel any pain .
Jinwoo cried out in frustration,
“What?!”
A magic beast, no, a monster using a skill?!
The Cerberus kicked the ground and charged .
‘Shit!’
Jinwoo could not react in time; his swinging dagger bounced uselessly off the beast’s head . All three heads bit down on Jinwoo .
crack!
“Argh!”
Jinwoo clenched his teeth . The beast had simultaneously clamped down on Jinwoo’s neck, sides and thigh . It continued its momentum and slammed Jinwoo into the castle’s gates .
slam!
Jinwoo’s health plummeted to the ground .
“Cough!”
Health: 411 / 3,602
ring~
Your health has fallen below 30% . ‘Unyielding Spirit’ has been activated .
All damage received is reduced by 50% .
Thanks to the Unyielding Spirit and his physical damage reduction, Jinwoo managed to avoid an instant death .
“Kuh…”
His eyes shot open .
Translator’s Notes:
[1]: “Jejudo” (???): An island province of South Korea . Considered the “Hawaii” of South Korea, it is a popular destination for tourists (both domestic and foreign) and honeymoons .
[2]: Sorry, in my attempt to be concise in the translation of the first key, I didn’t really emphasize the difference between “moved into” and “enter” .
Sponsored Content
I Alone Level-up: Chapter 28.
.
Jinwoo’s heart began to race . It was because the size of the box was familiar to him . He quickly unwrapped the box and opened it,.
.
‘It is!’.
.
His eyes opened wide . There was a golden key inside of the box . An Instant Dungeon key that he had been wanting for a long time . The information box popped up on the key . .
.
ring~.
.
The Demon Castle Key.
Rarity: S-rank.
Type: Key.
Key to enter an Instant Dungeon . .
Usable in Daesung Tower . .
.
“S-rank?”.
.
His voice was raised . Of course, there was no guarantee that the rarity of the key indicated the difficulty of the Dungeon, but it would not be an unusual conclusion to have . After all, the Instant Dungeon he had entered with the E-rank key was as easy as an E-rank Gate’s Dungeon . .
.
What if this key’s Dungeon was S-rank? It would be difficult to clear it even with a team composed of only S-rank Hunters . The probability of success would be 50% . .
.
Above the B-rank, the difficulty of a Gate increases at a geometric rate . In the past 10 years since the Gates first started appearing, only a handful of S-rank Gates had opened across the world . .
.
‘And Jejudo[1] was one them…’.
.
After South Korea’s Hunters failed to clear the Dungeon on the island, the S-rank Gate underwent a Dungeon Break, and the island became uninhabitable and was now abandoned by the country . .
.
Jinwoo looked at the key in his hand . .
.
‘This is something that I wanted?’.
.
There was one potential silver lining . Compared to the first key, which “moved” him into the Dungeon, this key stated that he could “enter” the Dungeon[2] . Jinwoo concluded that the difference in the wording meant that he could move in and out of the Dungeon . Even if the key disappeared like last time, he still had the return stone in his inventory . He would not be imprisoned by an invisible wall again . .
.
‘Well, I shouldn’t throw away a rare opportunity like this . ’.
.
He would confirm the Instant Dungeon with his own eyes . .
.
. .
-2 . The Demon Castle-.
.
Jinwoo stood in front of the Daesung Tower . With exactly hundred floors, the building reached high towards the sky . Fitting of a skyscraper, even looking up at it from the ground gave a sense of vertigo . .
.
It was currently night, and there was practically no one in the area . The absence of humans created a gloomy atmosphere . .
.
‘But just in case…’.
.
Jinwoo looked around and lowered the hood over his head tightly . If someone saw a man disappear into thin air without a Gate in sight, it would surely cause a disturbance . In the case that he gets caught on the surveillance cameras here and there, a little anonymity would be useful . .
.
As matter of fact, there was someone who was watching Jinwoo . .
.
‘What’s he up to?’.
.
The security guard that was posted in the lobby of the building looked at the shady, hooded man who was loitering in front of the building . The guard rose from his seat and walked over to take a closer look, then was caught off guard in shock . .
.
“W-what?!”.
.
The hooded man that was walking towards the building suddenly disappeared without a trace . No matter how long the guard stared at the spot, not even an insect could be found . .
.
“Er… Must’ve been seeing things…”.
.
The man turned to go back inside but then saw something in the corner of his eyes . He screamed and fell to the ground . .
.
“Ah! What the hell?!”.
.
The hand that was floating in the air disappeared again . .
.
.
.
Jinwoo retracted the hand that he was holding out . .
.
‘It’s connected to the outside . ’.
.
Unlike last time, there was no invisible wall blocking his exit . The key also did not disappear but remained in his pockets . Jinwoo confirmed that he would be able to exit and come back whenever . .
.
‘Alright, the path to retreat is secured…’.
.
As he did not know if the rarity of the key corresponded to the difficulty, Jinwoo was being a lot more careful than usual . He took off his hood and turned around . .
.
“…”.
.
It was a scenery that invited despair . .
.
Moments ago, when he took few steps towards the Daesung Tower, the world before his eyes changed in an instant . .
.
Could this even be called a Dungeon?.
.
In front of him was an entirely new world . .
.
In place of the Daesung Tower stood a massive tower . .
.
‘Can’t tell if it’s a castle or a tower . ’.
.
The tower that stretched towards the sky was surrounded by a crimson flame . Instead of being on fire, it was more like the tower was holding the fire back . .
.
“A tower on fire…”.
.
This felt like a more fitting description of the place than a Demon Castle . .
.
Jinwoo took steps toward the tower . .
.
flare!.
.
As he got closer, the sound of the fire roaring became louder . .
.
‘Could I even get inside?’.
.
Even if he could, there was another problem . The last Instant Dungeon used the subway station as the template for its levels . If this one used Daesung Tower as its, Jinwoo would have to clear a hundred different levels of monsters . He could not imagine just how long that would take . .
.
‘Hmm?’.
.
He stopped, feeling a powerful presence near the tower’s gate . Taking a closer look, he saw a black beast, the size of a bull, rolled up on the ground sleeping . Jinwoo took out the Casaka’s Poisoned Fang . .
.
ring~.
.
Casaka’s Poisoned Fang.
Rarity: C.
Type: Dagger.
Attack Power +25.
Inflicts ‘Paralysis’ and ‘Bleeding’ on attack . .
‘Paralysis’: The target has a chance to become immobilized . .
‘Bleeding’: The target will lose 1% health per second . .
A dagger made of Casaka’s poisoned fang, still dripping with its poison . .
You may keep this item in your inventory . .
You may sell this item in the shop . .
.
Although its attack power wasn’t that high, its special effects had already proved themselves in battle . .
.
‘It’d be nice if I could just kill after paralyzing it . ’.
.
Jinwoo slowly approached the beast, quieting his footsteps as best as he could . But he could not hide from the monster’s sense of smell . The beast soon started to rise, sniffing the air . .
.
‘Shit . ’.
.
Jinwoo clicked his tongue . The beast’s form, standing up fully, raised three separate heads towards Jinwoo . .
.
‘Gatekeeper of Hell, Cerberus’ .
.
A vicious looking hound with three heads . Its heads were adorned by its name in red letters . This meant the monster’s level was high . .
.
‘If it’s red, does it mean it’s the same as the centipedes from the penalty zone?’.
.
He recalled running for his life from the centipedes . After all, he was just level 1 back then . .
.
‘I’m different now . ’.
.
In a short period, Jinwoo had experienced an explosive growth . The monster before him was definitely strong, but it did not give off a feeling of overwhelming pressure . This was ascertained with Jinwoo’s sense stat . .
.
He had not raised the attribute thoughtlessly . Valuable points were invested into it so that it could help him determine whether to fight or run from an enemy . .
.
Grrrrrl!.
.
The Cerberus registered an enemy and bared its teeth . The beast’s tail caught Jinwoo’s eyes momentarily . The long, whip-like tail decorated its tip with powerful flames . .
.
‘Fangs and tail . The thing’s attack pattern will have at minimum two moves . ’.
.
Jinwoo gulped . The Cerberus slowly closed the gap between the two, then stopped right before the Hunter and stared . .
.
‘Is it looking for an openi-’.
.
The Cerberus suddenly leaped towards him . .
.
Woof!.
.
Jinwoo was caught off guard . .
.
‘It’s fast!’.
.
Jinwoo quickly slid underneath the Cerberus’ body and dodged its bite . Landing on the ground, Cerberus immediately turned around and bared its teeth across all three heads . .
.
Bark! Bark Bark!.
.
The fangs between its jaws shone in the light . .
.
ring~.
.
The effect of the title, ‘Wolf Slayer’, has been activated . .
.
Wolf Slayer.
All stats increased by 40% against beast type monsters . .
A title given to a hunter experienced in slaying wolves . .
.
Jinwoo felt his body becoming lighter . .
.
‘I can feel it!’.
.
The Cerberus charged at Jinwoo . Jinwoo rapidly took backward steps, trying to distance himself from the Cerberus’ advances, and repeatedly blocked its bites with his dagger . .
.
slash, slash, slaaash, slash!.
.
clang! clang clang! clang!.
.
The sound of the metal clashing against the fangs rang loudly . Although he was swinging the dagger with an incredible speed, it was all he could do to block the Cerberus’ attacks . .
.
‘I’m being pushed back even with the title buff!’.
.
The Cerberus’ agility had surpassed his expectations . Jinwoo tried to turn the tide of the battle with a skill . .
.
Bloodlust has been activated . .
The target’s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . .
.
Jinwoo was shocked . .
.
‘It didn’t work?’.
.
The Cerberus’ whipped its tail at Jinwoo . .
.
snap!.
.
Jinwoo reflexively lowered his head to dodge, but this stopped his legs temporarily . The Cerberus did not miss the opportunity; one of its heads bit down on Jinwoo’s left shoulder . .
.
“Uwaaaaak!”.
.
Jinwoo stabbed its forehead with all his strength . .
.
stab!.
.
Paralysis has been inflicted . .
The target’s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . .
.
Bleeding has been inflicted . .
The target’s resistance was too high . Effect cancelled . .
.
whimper!.
.
The Cerberus yelped and backed away . Thankfully, Jinwoo managed to drive it off before the other heads could also bite down, but the damage was done to his left shoulder . His left arm hung limp at his sides, the joints mangled . The beast’s jaws had a terrifying bite . .
.
Jinwoo furrowed his brows . Compared to the small damage he had inflicted on the Cerberus, his own injury was far greater . .
.
‘If only paralysis or bleeding had stuck…’.
.
Jinwoo glared at Cerberus with disappointment . .
.
Suddenly, the beast’s eyes started turning red . .
.
‘Huh?’.
.
grrrrrl.
.
A frightening pressure washed over Jinwoo . .
.
‘What?’.
.
The Gatekeeper of Hell, Cerberus has used ‘Rage’ . .
It will enter a state of rage for 3 minutes . .
Cerberus’ all attributes are doubled . .
Cerberus’ cannot feel any pain . .
.
Jinwoo cried out in frustration,.
.
“What?!”.
.
A magic beast, no, a monster using a skill?!.
.
The Cerberus kicked the ground and charged . .
.
‘Shit!’.
.
Jinwoo could not react in time; his swinging dagger bounced uselessly off the beast’s head . All three heads bit down on Jinwoo . .
.
crack!.
.
“Argh!”.
.
Jinwoo clenched his teeth . The beast had simultaneously clamped down on Jinwoo’s neck, sides and thigh . It continued its momentum and slammed Jinwoo into the castle’s gates . .
.
slam!.
.
Jinwoo’s health plummeted to the ground . .
.
“Cough!”.
.
Health: 411 / 3,602.
.
ring~.
.
Your health has fallen below 30% . ‘Unyielding Spirit’ has been activated . .
All damage received is reduced by 50% . .
.
Thanks to the Unyielding Spirit and his physical damage reduction, Jinwoo managed to avoid an instant death . .
.
“Kuh…”.
.
His eyes shot open . .
.
.
.
Translator’s Notes:.
[1]: “Jejudo” (???): An island province of South Korea . Considered the “Hawaii” of South Korea, it is a popular destination for tourists (both domestic and foreign) and honeymoons . .
[2]: Sorry, in my attempt to be concise in the translation of the first key, I didn’t really emphasize the difference between “moved into” and “enter” . .