The Return Of The Greatest Strengthener

Chapter 5

[You hunted monsters in the dungeon alone, even ones stronger than you.]

[You’ve been awarded 4 stat points.]

[You’ve received a reward.]

[You’ve acquired the trait ‘Level Up’.]

‘4 stat points. Not bad.’

Usually, clearing a dungeon only gives about 2 stat points.

That made sense—most people didn’t go in alone.

They worked as a team.

‘This way is better, though.’

Even better, he could keep all the mana stones for himself.

Eugene carefully packed the mana stones into his bag.

‘I’ll need to hire a porter later.’

After all, the bag wasn’t limitless.

There was only so much space for mana stones.

Thankfully, the monsters were weak, so their mana stones were small.

Clink.

A large mana stone stood out.

Eugene’s eyes lit up.

“This must be the boss’s mana stone.”

It glowed more brightly than the others—an E-rank mana stone.

Actually, maybe it was closer to E+.

‘Perfect for strengthening gear.’

Sure, money was important.

But even more important was strengthening.

If he had materials like this, he needed to use them wisely.

‘Oh right, I could strengthen my bag too.’

Might as well do it now.

His whole body was aching from the aftereffects of enhancement anyway.

He put down his bag. Eugene’s hand began to glow.

“Enhance.”

[Skill ‘Soul Enhancement’ is being used.]

[1+ Ordinary Backpack]
Weight reduced by 30%

“Nice.”

Ordinary bags had a limit to how much they could be enhanced.

So, even a 30% reduction was pretty good.

He slung it over his shoulder, feeling how much lighter it was, and smiled with satisfaction.

‘Still, my whole body aches.’

Physical enhancement.

The name made it sound grand, but really, it just meant enhancing a body part—like earlier, when he boosted only his knee.

It used a lot of mana and caused serious muscle pain.

Not something he wanted to do often.

‘I’ll have to recruit a warrior later.’

Luckily, he already had someone in mind.

With that, the small rewards were done.

Now for the important part: the main reward.

‘Level Up.’

Eugene smiled as he opened the trait window.

[Trait: Level Up (1)]

When you defeat an enemy, you absorb part of their experience.

You can use accumulated experience to increase your level.

Each level-up gives 1 stat point.

Your level will be displayed next to the trait name.

Cannot be enhanced. Your current level is too low.

“!”

Yes!

Eugene clenched his fist.

The trait he had wanted so badly…

In his first life, he had given it up to Park Seungcheol.

That was because only a limited number of people could get this trait.

So he gave up back then—but not this time.

‘If I take all the gear and skills for myself, that’s enough.’

And even better—

‘I didn’t expect to be able to enhance it.’

He had guessed it might be possible.

After all, the reason he evolved into a Soul Enhancer in the first place was because of “Enhancement.”

But right now, enhancing skills or traits isn’t possible.

If he messed up, it could even cost him his life.

‘I’ll settle for this much for now.’

Eugene smiled, satisfied.

“All 4 stat points into Magic.”

[Magic increased by 4.]

He opened his status window.

[Status Window]
Name: Han Eugene
Class: Soul Enhancer (Enhancement)
Trait: Level Up (1)
Unique Skill: Soul Enhancement

Stats:
Strength [5]
Agility [5]
Endurance [5]
Magic [15]
Unused Points: 0

Uses magic to enhance skills, gear, etc.

Your soul is clear and whole. The Soul Enhancer’s power is boosted.

“Nice.”

His magic stat had gone up by 5 since entering the dungeon.

And now, the ‘Level Up’ trait was officially his.

‘It’s a bit of a shame I didn’t get the Absolute Success trait, though.’

But that could come later.

The Absolute Success trait lets you succeed once per day, no matter what the enhancement chance was.

Early on, it wasn’t that useful…

But later?

When you’re facing 10% or 0.1% odds, it was a game-changer.

‘This stuff isn’t bad either. I’ll sell it.’

He felt like a walking gold goblin.

Eugene had cleaned out the dungeon’s rewards and packed everything carefully.

It was just too bad he couldn’t reach the loot under that cliff.

‘Not that I had the space to carry it anyway.’

“Alright. I’ve got everything—”

Time to head out.

[You have successfully cleared the dungeon.]
[You may now leave the dungeon.]

Wooooong!

The dungeon exit appeared in front of him.

Eugene stepped through, expecting to see just a few guards outside.

“…Huh?”

But what greeted him wasn’t a quiet, controlled scene.

Instead, he found himself in a factory full of people, completely packed.

The moment he stepped out, dozens of eyes turned to him.

…Why are there so many people here?

***

20 years ago, after the Great Catastrophe, dungeons appearing became normal.

Now, they were so common that this era was even called the “Stabilized Age.”

People had gotten used to Hunters, monsters, and dungeons.

So much so that now, whenever a dungeon appeared, YouTubers and reporters would rush over to film it.

“Hey! Can’t you control the crowd properly?!”

“You can’t enter right now! This is private property! You could be sued for trespassing!”

“Who are you to stop me? I have every right to go in!”

“We have the right to report on dungeons! You’re violating our rights!”

—

Han Taemin, the team leader sent by the Hunter Association to handle this sudden dungeon appearance, ran a hand through his hair.

His face was visibly tense and frustrated.

‘Seriously… why did a dungeon suddenly appear here of all places?’

Normally, dungeons appeared randomly, sure.

But there were at least some warning signs.

This time? None at all.

‘And it’s a Red-Rank dungeon, no less.’

A dungeon ranked Red was much more dangerous than others of the same level.

To clear it, you’d need twice the usual number of hunters or hunters of a higher rank.

‘I heard someone went inside… hope they’re okay.’

Apparently, one of the factory workers had entered the dungeon.

Whether he was fearless or just reckless, Taemin wasn’t sure.

‘Either way, this is a mess.’

Taemin rubbed his face.

This factory was secretly sponsored by the Mir Guild.

It wasn’t public knowledge, but anyone in the business knew.

If you were just a regular hunter or didn’t have connections, you probably didn’t know…

But those kinds of people didn’t matter much to the big players anyway.

‘So this is what came from that “Soul Enhancer Mass Production” idea…’

At first, it seemed like a good project.

But if you looked at the results, it was clear—

It wasn’t mass production.

It was exploitation.

The Hunter Association and big guilds had turned a blind eye because it wasn’t their problem.

But now? That hands-off approach was coming to an end.

‘Now that a dungeon showed up here, this whole operation is finished.’

The factory manager was in no state to answer questions.

The rest of the workers were panicking and useless for now.

There was one younger guy who gave a few answers, but they weren’t reliable.

“Hm.”

Just then, a man with red hair and glasses stepped out from the crowd.

Cha Jungwoo.

A B-rank hunter from the Mir Guild.

He was considered a “promising talent” in the magic class.

But behind the scenes, he was known as the Mir Guild’s fixer—or in other words, their “hound.”

If he looked relaxed, that meant one thing:

‘They’re planning to cut all ties and clean this up.’

Taemin’s expression twisted.

Everyone in the industry knew the Mir Guild was secretly backing this place.

If that got out, the guild could take serious damage.

And yet here was Cha Jungwoo, smiling calmly—

Meaning they were abandoning the place completely.

They probably already erased all traces of their involvement.

Maybe even used magic to erase their presence entirely.

Cha Jungwoo casually looked around and walked up to Taemin with a friendly smile.

“It’s been a while, Team Leader.”

“…Yeah. Long time no see, Team Leader Cha.”

“You’re not looking so great these days.”

“Haha, that’s what happens when you work in government.”

Hunters in the Hunter Association were technically public servants.

They got some tax benefits and a stable salary, but compared to guild hunters, it was way less.

They also didn’t go into dungeons as often, so guild hunters often mocked them as “cowards.”

“Heh, yeah. Government worker.”

‘This son of a…’

Cha Jungwoo was no better.

He was just a mid-tier B-rank hunter, but thanks to his work as the Mir Guild’s fixer, he made himself look way more important.

Adjusting his glasses, he gave a sly smile.

“Our Mir Guild expresses our deepest regrets.

Luckily, since this factory had already sold off the nearby dungeon’s rights, the Hunter Association won’t be held responsible.”

“…Haha, right.”

So they’re planning to throw the factory manager under the bus, huh?

Han Taemin clicked his tongue silently.

Cha Jungwoo was still smirking as he turned to look at the factory.

Right there, inside the factory, was a dungeon entrance sealed with thick chains.

***

“By the way, I heard someone went into the dungeon. Did they come out?”

“Not yet. It hasn’t been that long, and they went in alone.”

“If they come out, it’ll be a miracle.”

Cha Jungwoo’s voice showed zero hope.

And honestly, that made sense.

All the factory workers were low-level enhancement users.

They couldn’t fight at all.

If, by some miracle, one of them did clear the dungeon, the Mir Guild might have kept them instead of cutting ties, maybe even recruited them.

But—

‘That’s just impossible.’

The failure of this dungeon raid was already assumed.

That’s why the Mir Guild had decided to cut their losses early.

It was the smarter move.

After all, they could just buy the dungeon rights and send in real hunters later.

And truthfully, that decision made sense.

Who would actually believe that a factory worker—someone treated like a replaceable part—could clear a dungeon alone?

Even Han Taemin, a member of the Hunter Association, didn’t expect that.

***

And then, it happened.

Wooooong!

The dungeon entrance started to shake violently.

The chains that blocked the entrance snapped and fell to the ground.

Normally, after the first person enters, the entrance would seal after 10 minutes.

So if it was opening again now—

‘Someone’s coming out?’

Did someone actually clear the dungeon?

Han Taemin’s eyes widened in shock.

But compared to him, Cha Jungwoo—more experienced in the field—remained calm and uninterested.

“Probably just used a return stone,” he said.

Ah, right. The return stone.

Han Taemin quietly pushed down the hope rising inside him.

Woom!

“Hyung!”

A young man walked out of the entrance.

He had a blank expression, and his hair was a mess like he hadn’t cut it in ages.

He looked like just another factory worker.

The only difference was that he was taller than average—and honestly, kind of good-looking.

‘Hmm.’

Cha Jungwoo narrowed his eyes at the man.

He was wearing special glasses—Scouter Glasses, an item.

They were a standard tool that let you read an enemy’s current power level.

Even though the glasses didn’t show a person’s full potential—only their current power level—

‘Most hunters stay at the level they awaken with anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.’

The number that appeared on the Scouter Glasses was E.

A weak, average level.

“Nothing impressive,” Cha Jungwoo muttered.

Still, the fact that someone survived a Red-ranked dungeon alone was… worth noting.

And he didn’t come out crying or crawling.

He walked out tall and calm.

He was even carrying a heavy-looking bag—maybe he brought something back.

But that was it.

Just because someone was a bit brave didn’t mean they’d get hired.

This world wasn’t that easy.

Strength.

That’s what really mattered.

Yes, you could grow stronger over time… but early stats made a huge difference.

So for someone like him, it didn’t mean much.

***

Bzzt!

The “E” on the glasses flickered like static.

What was that? A glitch?

Cha Jungwoo quickly took off the glasses and put them back on.

The number stayed the same, so he shrugged it off.

‘Guess it’s nothing.’

Sometimes items acted up.

Even though they weren’t electronics, they sure acted like they were.

“…He looks fine. Must’ve just used a return stone,” Cha Jungwoo said.

“Probably ran away. Got lucky,” another replied.

Han Taemin sighed inside.

This could’ve been a chance to slap the damn Mir Guild in the face…

But work was work.

Putting his professional face back on, he approached the young man who had just come out of the dungeon—Yujin.

“Hello there. I’m Team Leader Han Taemin from the Korea Hunter Association.”

“…Nice to meet you. My name is Han Yujin,” the young man replied slowly.

Han Taemin assumed he was just nervous.

But Yujin was actually taken aback.

He had seen this man die four years ago—but here he was, alive.

It was a little surreal.

“Did you bring anything out of the dungeon? We can help you sell it through the association.”

“Hm… What are the current prices like?”

Looks like he brought something good, Han Taemin thought.

Usually, this kind of thing was handled by low-ranking staff.

But right now, they were short-handed.

Besides, if this kid had potential, maybe Han Taemin could recruit him.

He handed over his business card.

“We try to get you around 10% higher than the standard price.”

“In that case—”

Thud!

Yujin dropped his bag to the ground.
In his mind, he quickly reviewed what was inside:

30 mana crystals, 4 stone spears, 2 stone axes, and a shaman’s staff.

That’s what he’d collected.

‘E-rank mana crystals go for about 500,000 won each…’

If he sold all this, he’d make a decent amount.

“You’re selling all of this?”

“Yes.”

Han Taemin’s face stiffened.

The items in that bag were not the kind you get just by being lucky.

Even the spears looked like ones used by Hobgoblins!

Then Yujin tipped the whole bag over.

Clatter!!

“!!!”

“M-Mana crystals?!”

A pile of shining crystals spilt out.

And these weren’t just lying around in dungeons.

You had to kill monsters to get them.

Everyone’s attitude instantly changed.

Bringing out this much loot meant Yujin had actually cleared the dungeon on his own.

“With all this, you’re only offering me 10% extra?”

“…”

“Well?” Yujin asked.

He wasn’t looking at Han Taemin.

He was staring straight at Cha Jungwoo as if he knew something.

Cha Jungwoo’s face hardened.

“These mana crystals and items…” Yujin said,

His eyes still locked onto Cha Jungwoo’s.