NPLLD 02

Chapter : 02

Reawakening

Slash!

Seoyul swung his sword, cutting a path through the swarm of ghouls.

BOOM!

Beside him, Lee Han smashed a ghoul’s head with his hammer like he was playing whack-a-mole.

“Way too many… Are you sure we didn’t take the wrong path, you damn observer?”

“If you were navigating, Chief, we’d already be doomed forever.”

“What did you just say?!”

“Avoid the swamp over there—grab the vines and cross over the wall.”

Seoyul pointed ahead, signaling the vines.

Lee Han quickly stored his hammer in his inventory and grabbed the vine at the same time as Seoyul, swinging across to the other side.

“Uuuuuuu!”

The ghouls chasing closely behind fell straight into the swamp.

Bubble—bubble—

It wasn’t an ordinary swamp.

The moment their bodies touched it, bubbles erupted and their flesh rapidly corroded before they sank completely.

“Hup!”

Seoyul and Lee Han landed simultaneously and immediately resumed their run toward the escape gate.

“C-Could you slow down a little…?”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m okay… just a bit tired.”

Han Chae-yeon nodded weakly, her face pale with nausea.

Lee Han frowned and snapped at Seoyul.

“Hey, brat. I’m the one suffering here! She’s heavy as a thousand-pound weight!”

“What do you mean ‘thousand-pound weight’?!”

“You two—can you stop joking at a time like this?!”

Han Chae-yeon snapped angrily, while Seoyul looked at them as if they were hopeless.

“Anyway, how much farther?”

“The gate is just ahead.”

Seoyul pointed forward.

In the distance, near a structure resembling a temple, the gray-white escape gate shimmered.

“Good! Let’s run!”

Once they reached that point—

The Rescue Division’s job would be done.

At that moment—

BZZZZ—

A massive black pentagram spread across the ground.

And behind them—

The dungeon boss, Karakl, was rapidly closing in on four hooves.

“?!”

Lee Han’s face filled with shock.

THUD!

Suddenly, Seoyul kicked Lee Han hard in the back, knocking him out of the pentagram’s range.

“GAAAH! My back! You brat! Your insubordination keeps getting worse!”

Lee Han shouted while protecting Han Chae-yeon—

But when he looked back at Seoyul—

His expression froze.

Seoyul was trapped inside the pentagram.

His movements had slowed drastically—

Like a robot that had just learned how to walk.

Movement Speed Reduction.

He had been hit directly by Karakl’s debuff.

“Y-You…”

“What are you doing?! Run already!”

Seoyul shouted, biting his lower lip.

“Don’t be ridiculous! You think I’d leave my own behind?!”

“If you don’t leave now, we all die! I’ll get out somehow—just go!”

Lee Han lowered his head.

“…I’m sorry.”

“…Don’t act like I’m already dead.”

With those final words, Lee Han sprinted toward the gate at full speed.

Moments later—

Karakl appeared before Seoyul.

“You’ve been toying with us from the beginning, keeping your distance while chasing us, haven’t you?”

—At first, that was the plan. But your meticulous escape did surprise me. For a mere human, how do you know this temple’s structure as well as I do?

“Well… that’s kind of a trade secret. But if you want to know… maybe you could let me live first?”

—………

Karakl fell silent for a moment at the absurd request—

Then—

THUD!

He struck Seoyul’s head with his staff, knocking him unconscious.

Grrrr…

The sound of scraping metal, choking breaths, and beast-like growls blended into a horrifying symphony that assaulted Seoyul’s senses.

Inside the temple—

The escape gate had disappeared.

Seoyul hung there, hands bound, gasping for breath.

“Cough! Haa… haa…”

All his equipment had been confiscated.

Even his upper clothing had been stripped away.

Suspicious that Seoyul might have hidden abilities—

Karakl had three ghouls restraining his limbs.

Thump—thump—

To the rhythm of drums, Karakl transformed his lower body into human legs and began performing a ritual dance.

CRACK!

One of the ghouls lashed a whip across Seoyul’s back.

“AAARGH!”

Even as his flesh tore apart, Seoyul clenched his teeth—

But he couldn’t suppress the scream.

This had already been repeated dozens of times—

Torture, carefully measured not to kill him.

‘Why did I… get involved…?’

He had known.

From the beginning, he knew the enemy was toying with them.

And yet—

He chose to sacrifice himself to let the others escape.

If he had ignored them—

He might have survived.

‘…I couldn’t.’

Seoyul answered his own question.

Call it conviction.

When he was young—

During a dungeon break—

He had been on the verge of being killed by goblins.

And then—

A hunter with beast-like claws saved him.

A-rank Hunter Kang Soo-hyuk.

A member of the Surveillance Division.

He had cried while patting young Seoyul’s head—

Blaming himself for not being strong enough to prevent it sooner.

But none of that mattered to Seoyul.

To him—

That man was a hero.

“I want to become someone like that.”

But reality was cruel.

Hunters were merely tools of large guilds—

Accumulating immense wealth.

They had little interest in saving people.

Ironically—

Those who truly wished to save others—

Rarely possessed overwhelming power.

Because of that, Management Bureau hunters were mocked as NPCs.

No matter what they did—

They couldn’t achieve the best outcomes.

Nor prevent the worst.

Combined with Korea’s weak administration and guild selfishness—

The Bureau never got the spotlight.

Globally—

Korea’s hunters ranked only mid-tier.

In international competitions—

They were known as a declining nation.

Massive monsters.

Criminal awakened individuals.

Could they really protect the weak?

That harsh reality pushed many into apathy.

‘I have to live.’

‘I can’t die here.’

Even facing death—

Seoyul refused to give up hope.

He would survive—

And protect the weak.

“Heh… become an offering to the God of Death, Khan.”

Red smoke flowed from Karakl’s fingertip.

Seoyul activated everything he had.

[Silent Wave activated.]

[Sixth Sense activated.]

[Synesthesia activated.]

His abilities mapped the temple.

Smell.

Sound.

All converted into vision.

‘No escape route… but… something’s strange.’

There was a stone monument.

Even Karakl seemed unaware of it.

Seoyul focused everything on it.

Drip—

Blood flowed from his nose.

Information flooded his brain beyond its limits.

But—

Eventually—

The letters became clear.

Not Korean—

But readable.

[Scout-exclusive skill, Decryption activated.]

[I meet my end here, but my battle is your beginning.

For ages, I have fought the darkness, upholding my conviction. Our victory, forged in blood, will not last forever. The Demon God will awaken again, and on that day, you must rise with the blade I once held.

Courage does not come from ignorance. Do not fear the truth—face it.

Our fate is intertwined. Only united strength can protect this world again.

My path was one of hardship, but it is not the end—it is a new beginning.

You will be stronger than I was. Learn from my failures. Find hope in my victories.

Bring peace to this land—with your own hands.]

‘Damn it! Useless information—give me something helpful!’

[You have encountered literature related to a Hidden Class.]

‘What?!’

Seoyul was shocked.

Class.

The fundamental role of all awakened hunters.

Then—

Another image engraved itself into his mind.

A massive labyrinth.

“AAAAAAARGH!”

The overload intensified.

This time—

Blood streamed from his eyes as well.

“What have you done?!”

Karakl sensed something was wrong.

He slammed his staff into the ground.

BOOM—

The ghouls moved toward Seoyul.

One grabbed his neck—

Trying to snap it.

‘I will not die.’

[Hidden Class: “Labyrinth Designer” is available. Accept?]

There was no hesitation.

“Accept!”

[Class Change Quest Accepted.]

[Forced Tutorial Initiated.]

[Stats will be partially adjusted.]

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Time froze.

Walls of a labyrinth rose from the ground and air—

Colliding endlessly.

Zzzzz—

With a strange sound—

Seoyul and the surrounding ghouls vanished.

“…Where did he go?!”

Karakl stared in disbelief.

“…I survived.”

A dark labyrinth.

As he fell—

Most ghouls were separated.

Only one remained—

Trying to break his neck.

But now—

Seoyul was calm.

With his body fully restored—

And only one ghoul—

CRACK! THUD!

He twisted its wrist—

And slammed it into the ground with a judo throw.

Its ribs shattered.

Its body writhed—

Still moving.

BAM!

Seoyul kicked its head clean off.

Even undead—

Were still low-tier.

“There’s a limit to everything.”

He looked at his status window.

• Name: Seoyul
• Level: 10
• Class: None (Quest in progress)
• Fame: 10
• Gold: 20
• Active Quest: 1
• Stats:
  Strength: 17
  Defense: 16
  Agility: 20
  Stamina: 80
  Mana: 30
• Skill Points: 0
• Skills:
  Synesthesia
  Sixth Sense
  Silent Wave

A map showing enemy positions floated beside it.

“My class… is gone.”

“…Did I really reawaken?”

His previous class—

Nameless Observer

Now—

Everything had changed.

With a mix of shock and excitement—

Seoyul opened the quest window.