Chapter 3: Solo S-Class Summoner

The Return of the Summoner Master

"Phew, this is really... a mess. If his pulse wasn't beating, I'd say he was a corpse."

It had been two hours since Lee Hye-yeon and her team members found the man.

The motionless man.

Above him, the fairy race 'Fairy' (★★★) extended her hands, using a healing skill.

"At least it's fortunate. If it weren't for the guild leader's summon, this person would have been in a bad state here."

"Whatever could have happened to him?"

"Judging by the wounds, it seems he was badly beaten by a monster."

As they were examining the man's body with their eyes, it happened.

Twitch!

The man's fingers moved slightly.

A faint groan escaped through his weak breath.

"Ugh... Ugh..."

The pain he felt.

In his returning consciousness, system messages that had been suppressed appeared in his field of vision.

"Huh? What is this...?"

The last scene he saw was the collapsing labyrinth.

But what he saw now was clear.

"People...?"

The man and woman looking down at him with curious eyes were definitely human.

People he hadn't seen for about 100 years, except for his comrades.

"Are you okay?"

"Are you regaining consciousness? I'll wiggle my fingers, tell me how many there are!"

Looking at the muscular man frantically wiggling his fingers and the woman who looked to be in her mid-20s, Jin Do-yun felt a tear well up in his eyes.

He didn't know why.

Just...

'...I'm back.'

Emotions welled up inside him.

Perhaps it was the sudden sense of nostalgia.

'I'm back.'

The Summoner Master, Jin Do-yun.

He had returned after 100 years.

* * *

Slurp!

Leaning against the cave wall, Jin Do-yun hastily ate the emergency cup ramen the team members had.

He was hungry, but the taste of ramen after 100 years was truly amazing.

'Wow, really... it's so good it makes me cry.'

Although there was no kimchi or egg, just the flavor of the seasoning made his heart feel light.

His tongue was happy.

"Hehe, you must have been very hungry. Eat slowly."

Someone approached with a warm smile.

The man introduced himself as Lee Chung-soo.

The people who ran the guild 'Pungun.'

They didn't feel uncomfortable around Jin Do-yun, whom they had never met before.

At first, they were cautious, but they soon relaxed.

The tension that had been building up was suddenly broken by the sight of him eating the ramen without any defenses.

'To think such people exist in this harsh world.'

They must just be naturally kind.

Deeply moved, Jin Do-yun smiled and nodded.

Then he buried his nose in the bowl again.

'Anyway, should I check the information?'

As the hunger and pain subsided, he became curious about his condition.

He needed to check the rewards and the new summon he had tamed.

- S-Class, Destruction Dragon 'Demolition' (★)

A relatively simple status window.

The important part is the summon, not the summoner.

'The number of summon slots has increased.'

Originally, summoners could only tame one monster.

However, Jin Do-yun had managed to increase it to three during his master days.

Thanks to the achievement system that rewarded him for clearing special dungeons.

'This is really hard to achieve.'

Jin Do-yun tried to recall his glorious self from 100 years ago.

The moment when he was the idol of all summoners.

But his memories were hazy, like a fog.

Too much time had passed to remember everything.

'This is all pointless.'

He was already exhausted.

Honestly, he thought he had done enough.

He had entered the labyrinth, which everyone was hesitant to enter, driven only by a sense of duty.

Sighing inwardly, Jin Do-yun rolled his eyes and flipped through the status window.

- Sturdy Body (S-Class): The skin and teeth of a dragon are extremely tough.

- Sealed.

- Sealed.

...

- Sealed.

'Really S-Class...'

He couldn't believe it.

That terrifying dragon.

The existence that the world's best summoners, who had evolved over 100 years, could not defeat, he had tamed.

'But what does it mean?'

Actually, he felt nothing.

He no longer had the will to fight.

If he had to find something left in him, it would be...

'...my comrades.'

Yuria and Geoffrey, who had sacrificed themselves to give him a chance.

The system said they were definitely alive.

'I need to find my comrades.'

The promise to treat them to ramen.

He had to keep his promises.

Slurp!

Before he knew it, the last noodle had slipped down his throat.

"Ah, it's delicious..."

Jin Do-yun placed the empty bowl on the ground with a thud.

Then he looked at the people in front of him.

They were probably much younger than him.

Although they looked to be around the same age, Jin Do-yun had lived for over 100 years.

But they didn't know that.

He had no intention of telling them.

Even when he was active as a Summoner Master, he always wore a mask.

He kept his real name and face a secret.

He hated being bothered.

The reporters who clung to him and the media that constantly tried to invade his private life.

Jin Do-yun detested such things.

Of course, regardless of that, Jin Do-yun was not the type to show respect to someone younger.

He had a rather eccentric personality.

"Thank you, I'll definitely repay this favor someday."

With a light greeting, Jin Do-yun stood up.

Now he needed to go outside and see how the world had changed, and where his comrades were.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Lee Hye-yeon asked in surprise.

"Hey, cup ramen guy. I don't know who you are, but it's better to stay here. There's a B-Class monster outside."

Lee Chung-soo also tried to stop Jin Do-yun.

'B-Class monster?'

He had cleared the final labyrinth.

There was a monster?

"If you want to die after we just saved you, there's nothing we can do."

"Hmm..."

Now that he thought about it, it had been noisy outside.

'Let's check the situation first.'

He would figure out what happened later.

The immediate problem was more important.

Jin Do-yun turned his head toward the exit.

Then he closed his eyes.

'B-Class monster causing this much vibration...'

From the nature of the vibrations, it seemed to be very aggressive and had an insect-like smell.

Analyzing the faint sound of wings and the slight creaking of joints.

"It's just a Great Mantis."

"Huh?"

Lee Hye-yeon's eyes widened in surprise.

There were countless monsters in the world.

He had identified one just by his senses.

'And...'

He had called a B-Class monster 'just' a Great Mantis.

To him, it was nothing special.

"How do you know that?"

"Huh? What?"

"How do you know without seeing it?"

Lee Hye-yeon sensed that he was not an ordinary person.

"Um... I just know."

"Huh?"

"I just know."

Jin Do-yun had caught countless monsters over several hundred years.

From F-Class to A-Class.

There was no monster he hadn't seen in 100 years.

Surviving in such a place, predicting who was coming from a distance was as easy as eating cold porridge.

Of course, he couldn't compare to Geoffrey.

"By the way, are you trapped here?"

"Uh? Oh, y-yes!"

"Phew, looks like I can repay the favor quickly. I can't stand owing someone. I'll help with that, okay?"

He stretched and smiled.

Lee Hye-yeon was stunned.

A B-Class monster would require dozens of people from a large guild to safely eliminate.

What was this man relying on?

'He can't be an A-Class summoner...'

A-Class and above summoners were treated as national treasures.

It would be impossible for one to be lying in a remote cave.

If he were missing, the media would have gone wild.

"Anyway, I'll help here. Let's call it even for the treatment and the ramen. Okay?"

"..."

"What's wrong, why aren't you answering?"

The three men and women stared blankly at the cheerful Jin Do-yun.

"Hey... cup ramen guy."

Lee Chung-soo stepped forward.

"Huh?"

"Maybe you've been out for a long time and your mind is a bit off... Hmm."

Although he said that, Lee Chung-soo was also skeptical.

The world is wide and there are many strange people.

"Whatever."

Jin Do-yun clapped his hands to change the mood.

"First, bring out all your summons. If you want to live."

A moment of silence.

Finally, Lee Hye-yeon made a decision.

"Let's follow him. We have no other choice right now."

The mantis was still trying to break into the cave.

They had to grab any straw they could.

The three men and women activated their senses and summoned their creatures.

"Good, the young lady has quick judgment. You'll live long."

Jin Do-yun smiled and assessed the team's summons.

He had no intention of summoning Demolition.

You don't use a nuclear weapon to swat a fly.

"One fairy, a Crimson Wolf, and an Imp? All C-Class. Not bad, not bad."

"How do you know that just by a quick look...?"

Lee Chung-soo looked incredulous.

"Are you a guild-affiliated summoner?"

"Guild-affiliated... Yeah, there was something like that..."

Jin Do-yun tilted his head back, recalling the past.

Yes, there was definitely a guild, and he had been very closely involved with it.

"I think I registered."

"Your registration card?"

"I lost it."

After entering the labyrinth, about ten years later, he had discarded all his possessions.

The golden registration card that marked him as a Summoner Master, the mask he used to wear...

They were just a burden in battle.

"Then, what's your rank? Why aren't you summoning anything?"

"That's a secret."

He couldn't summon Demolition here.

He didn't know how big it was, and he didn't want to reveal his full strength to strangers.

"Don't joke around! Are you saying you'll face a B-Class monster with just three C-Class summons? Guild leader, this guy seems crazy..."

Lee Chung-soo burst out, but Lee Hye-yeon raised her hand to stop him.

"Uncle Chung-soo."

"Yes?"

"Let's trust him once."

Her low voice and determined eyes.

Indeed, she was the leader of a small guild.

She had a certain charisma.

"Is there any other plan?"

"Ah, ahem."

Lee Chung-soo stepped back, looking embarrassed.

'Well, I can understand his reaction, but...'

Jin Do-yun watched for a moment and continued.

"The Great Mantis has a fatal weakness. If you tear off its wings, it will stop moving for ten minutes. Everyone should know this, right? It's basic."

"I've read that in the textbook. But... how do we tear off those wings?"

"Don't worry about that."

No textbook could match the knowledge of a Summoner Master.

The knowledge he and his comrades had accumulated over 100 years.

"There's a way. Follow my instructions now."

Swallow!

The three men and women swallowed hard at Jin Do-yun's words.