Chapter 5: I Am Alive

Whoosh.

Early in the morning, inside the Free Dungeon near Daejeon City.

A rapid flow of mana occurred, and a transparent gate appeared. Then, a man emerged from within it.

Yunho took a deep breath as soon as he stepped out.

"Whoosh! Huh!"

It feels like a dream. His death in the dungeon, and the three years he spent in a strange world with no memory. After overcoming those adversities, he finally returned.

'I'm back.'

The scenery is familiar. A dungeon?

'This is the Daejeon Free Dungeon.'

The dungeon system on Earth is not much different from that on the continent of Elon. There are free dungeons that anyone can enter and private dungeons exclusively owned by specific guilds or companies.

The Five Dragons Dungeon, which used to belong to Yunho, was created on land that had been passed down through his family. Therefore, it naturally became a private dungeon.

The Five Dragons Dungeon was valuable because it was located within Daejeon City, making it easy to access, and because it featured wild animals instead of undead monsters.

The Gray Wolf, an easy-to-hunt beast-type monster, provided the guild with a steady income from the leather and crystals obtained from killing them.

The difficulty level was not too high, allowing for stable profit generation. If he hadn't been greedy and just stuck to this place, he wouldn't have lost his life in a dangerous dungeon.

But Yunho fell for the temptation.

He was lured by his friend and deputy guild leader, Kim Kyung-il, who promised to give him a rapid level-up in a high-difficulty free dungeon.

"Damn it!"

The memory of this made his uncontrollable anger surge.

"Shit, damn it..."

He would never forget the shocking betrayal from his trusted friend and beloved wife.

'They're probably living well, aren't they?'

That thought made him even angrier.

'Please be happy now.'

So that they would feel even more pain when they fell into hell.

'First, I need to check the time.'

Yunho immediately headed to Daejeon City after leaving the free dungeon.

What time is it? How much time has passed?

Is it a separate dimension? Or is it a connected timeline that flows simultaneously?

If it's the former, almost no time would have passed. Since Yunho moved to the continent of Elon around January 2020, it would still be that time.

But if it's the latter, three years would have passed, making it January 2023.

This is very important. It's the first thing he needs to confirm. It will determine the direction of all his future actions.

It wasn't difficult to check the date. He found out as soon as he entered Daejeon City.

"Phew, it's 2023."

Three years have passed.

The same amount of time that Yunho spent living on the continent of Elon without his memory has also passed on Earth.

'Damn, in fantasy novels, time usually doesn't pass even when you return...'

But reality isn't like novels...

Now that he knows time has passed, he needs to find out what happened during those three years.

'I can search the internet... I'll go to a public library.'

He couldn't go to an internet cafe because he had no money, so Yunho headed to the library.

Although a considerable amount of time had passed, Yunho was a native of Daejeon and knew where the library was. After retracing his memory, he finally found a district library.

Sitting in front of an empty computer, he searched news articles and information sites from January 2020 to January 2023.

The keywords were Five Dragons Guild, Five Dragons Dungeon, and his name, Jung Yunho.

The first result was a short newspaper article about him.

Judged dead without a body? That's possible.

In fact, it's quite common in the hunter industry. Due to the nature of the job, hunters often die without leaving a body.

The photos in the newspaper showed his wife, Choi Hye-jung, wearing a black mourning dress and weeping.

Why isn't my heart aching?

Maybe I'm wrong? It's possible. I might have misunderstood my wife based on that bastard's words!

The next article...

"Huh? Merger and acquisition?"

So it happened. I expected it, but it still hurts.

Another article, a photo of Kim Kyung-il holding a bouquet of flowers and smiling broadly, with his wife Hye-jung clapping and smiling brightly beside him.

...Of course. She's a devil. How long has it been since her husband died?

'But... Myth Group.'

Was the force Kim Kyung-il relied on the Myth Group?

So, the guild acquisition offer Yunho received three years ago when he was the guild leader was actually from the Myth Group?

The Myth Group is a large corporation that owns hunter guilds. It mainly focused on distribution and was ranked around 10th in the business world.

The Myth Group owns many private dungeons. They are large and lucrative, producing not only crystals but also dungeon herbs.

Why would such a nationwide corporation be interested in a small dungeon in a rural area of Daejeon?

The mystery was quickly solved.

"Ha!"

This is it.

An iron mine. Not a resource from Earth but a dungeon resource. Mana iron ore, the most common among dungeon minerals, but also the most versatile.

On Earth, iron ore with a 60% iron content is considered high-grade. Anything below 30% is considered low-grade waste.

But if it's from a dungeon, it's different. Who cares about the grade! Even 20% is a blessing.

Once you put it into a blast furnace and extract the iron, you can produce mana-imbued pig iron, or mana iron. Adding a small amount of mana iron to steel products significantly improves their quality.

"Shit, it's a goldmine."

A goldmine? It's more like a super goldmine. It's like having a small oil field!

Now it makes sense. Anyone would be tempted.

It had enough value to betray a 20-year friendship.

For three months before his death, banks and companies had consistently expressed interest in purchasing the guild. That means they already knew. They probably tried to swallow it whole at first.

I don't know how Kim Kyung-il got involved, but one thing is certain: Yunho was the only one who didn't know.

'I was the only one who didn't know.'

How stupid was I!

Everyone in the guild probably knew, but I was thoroughly controlled. After all, an F-grade guild leader is often ignored.

'What a fool.'

It's my fault.

Not recognizing my friend, being betrayed by my wife, and not fully controlling the guild as its leader... If I list them, there are too many to count.

And the biggest underlying cause of all these problems is one.

Yunho knows it all too well.

I'm weak. It happened because I was weak. Being weak and possessing a treasure was my sin.

I already realized this before I died. As an F-grade guild leader, how many humiliations did I endure for wearing clothes that didn't match my status!

'...But now, things are different.'

They're not just different.

'I need to set everything right.'

I will reclaim it.

My father's legacy, the dungeon, and the guild.

I will take revenge.

On everyone who was involved in my death.

Failure is not an option. I have the power. If I use it properly...

'Now, there will be no more excuses.'

In the past, I was a wimp, and even when I suffered humiliation, I could at least defend myself.

It's because I'm weak. I couldn't help it. If I had been a B-grade hunter, I wouldn't have lived like that! Various excuses.

But from now on, self-justification won't work. If I have the power to devour the world and still get taken away, and if I still end up failing in life...

'I will commit suicide.'

I will never let that happen. So, I need to be cautious.

'First, I need to inform them.'

That the F-grade hunter, who was thought to be dead, is actually alive and well.

'It will be interesting.'

I'm curious how they will react...

* * *

The Hunter Management Bureau is located in Daejeon City Hall. It's an independent department separate from the city hall.

It has various departments, including hunter registration, grade renewal, crystal management, and item equipment evaluation, and it also operates a state-recognized guild.

Yunho first visited the registration department.

"How can I assist you?"

"I want to reissue my hunter license."

"Ah! I see. Did you report it as lost?"

"No."

"Please place your thumb on the fingerprint scanner."

Yunho complied with the registration officer's request.

"Huh?"

The officer showed a slight look of surprise.

Yunho smiled and said, "I'm supposed to be dead, right?"

"Ah! Yes, that's right."

"I had an incident. There was a major accident."

"Ah!"

"I almost died but survived..."

The officer seemed to understand. He didn't show any suspicion, as such incidents are quite common.

Being a hunter is a dangerous job. They face death almost every day while dealing with wild animals and monsters in dungeons that don't exist on Earth.

It's the highest-paying job, but the physical and mental stress is extreme.

'Post-traumatic stress disorder.' It's a common condition among hunters, as common as athlete's foot among soldiers.

Many hunters quit or run away. Some even fake their deaths.

But they always come back. They realize that, despite the danger, no other job can bring in as much money as being a hunter.

The registration officer thought Yunho was a hunter who had run away and returned.

"To revive a canceled identity, we need your DNA information."

"I know."

"Please sign this DNA information usage consent form."

"Sure."

After Yunho signed the document, the officer pricked his finger with a small needle to draw blood. To become a hunter, you must provide your DNA to the state.

The results came quickly.

"Hmm... It matches."

Now, the first step is taken.

"There's something you should be aware of."

"What is it?"

"Once the system is updated and the notification is complete, various problems may arise."

"Such as...?"

"For one, there will be a fine. You can pay it in installments, so take your time. The bigger issue is the legal disputes with insurance companies and inheritance."

That's what I wanted. There should be disputes. They will be the ones suffering, not me.

"Usually, people entrust these matters to a law firm. Would you like me to introduce you to a lawyer?"

"No, thank you. I'll handle it myself."

The registration officer definitely doesn't know who I am. If he did, he wouldn't be acting this way.

When this news breaks, the whole country will be in an uproar. The original owner of a 400 trillion won mana iron mine.

Yunho was excited. He was the one involved, yet he found it thrilling.