Chapter 3
There’s a very famous [sundae soup] restaurant in front of the KT Telephone Office in Wolgok-dong. (T/N: Korean Blood Sausage Soup)
It was so popular that even while I was eating, more than ten people were still waiting outside.
The taste was good, but it was the usual sundae soup flavor.
There was another reason why this place was always packed.
The KT Telephone Office right in front was the Seongbuk-gu branch of the Rogue Guild.
Slurp.
I had wanted to eat this so badly back then.
When I lost my family and everything else, I was so hungry I ate food waste.
The place I went to for survival was that Rogue Guild.
But the world Hyuk-min saw back then wasn’t warm.
It was cold.
“It was hell. But thinking about it now, it makes sense.”
Even though he was already in his twenties, Hyuk-min—stuck at Level 4 because he hadn’t done anything productive—was treated like an outcast even inside the Rogue Guild.
Still, whenever odd jobs came in, he worked like his life depended on it.
He worked hard. He did whatever people told him to do.
A candy rolling endlessly in his mouth—a candy with no bitterness.
He rolled around like that for three years, desperately trying to raise his Level and Stats.
When his Level and Stats finally reached a stable point, he began his proper Rogue life.
What is a Rogue?
A free body that doesn’t belong anywhere.
Someone who knows the minimum requirements to enter Dungeons and Towers—and meets them.
Everyone around me eating sundae soup now was one of those people.
“I heard Choi got wrecked this time. Class C Dungeons are rough.”
“Who knows when it’ll end? It’s been a whole month already.”
“You’re heading to the Class C Dungeon, right? You’re one short—want me to join?”
“Anyone here got Class B Dungeon qualifications?”
“If you want Class B, go to the Rogue Guild. Why are you asking in a sundae soup shop?”
“Because there’s no one at the Guild. You know the drill—when the Guild is empty, you come here.”
This place buzzed with all kinds of Dungeon and Tower stories.
The nostalgia stirred the memory of a strong soul trapped in a weak body.
Back then, I struggled so much just trying to figure out how the System worked.
Thinking about it made me laugh.
—The Haeundae Guild, the number one Guild in the Busan area, has achieved Busan’s Great Unification.
The TV caught Hyuk-min’s attention.
Haeundae Guild?
I knew the name, so I focused on the news.
—As the Azure Lake Guild, the top Guild in Busan’s Jin District, becomes a subsidiary of the Haeundae Guild, experts say that Busan practically belongs to the Haeundae Guild.
A frown formed on my face.
‘The Azure Lake Guild joined the Haeundae Guild.’
I had faint memories of something like that.
I heard that the Azure Lake Guild, in charge of Jin District, became a subsidiary because it couldn’t handle the tyranny of the massive Haeundae Guild.
But that must have been an excuse.
About a year later, the Haeundae Guild changed its name to the Azure Lake Guild, shocking everyone.
‘It was intentional.’
Back then, everyone talked about the Azure Lake Guild.
Hyuk-min had no idea his family had ended up like that because of the Azure Lake Guild, and he had been too busy trying to survive to care.
Still, I remember wondering how such a small Guild managed to swallow up the Haeundae Guild, so it must have been a big deal.
“But I didn’t think it would be today.”
My spoon stopped mid-air.
Suddenly, a thought struck me.
‘So the Azure Lake Guild was trying to take over the Haeundae Guild while doing something at the Shrine at the same time?’
My frown deepened.
The thought made me put my spoon down entirely.
‘Or did the Shrine incident help them take over the Haeundae Guild?’
A bad feeling settled in my gut.
Something was definitely happening.
And the fact that I couldn’t even tell what the danger was, despite sensing it approach, only made it feel worse.
“How much?”
“8,000 won.”
I handed over the crumpled bills and headed to the Rogue Guild.
= = =
As soon as I arrived, I registered as a Rogue.
There was a test, but it was pointless.
Nationwide, so many people died entering Dungeons and Towers without qualifications. People complained about the test being too easy, but nothing changed for years.
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
I received a Rogue License that listed me as Level 4, with Stats not even reaching 10.
As expected, cold stares hit me from every direction.
“That thing’s a Rogue? Seriously?”
“Let him be. Maybe he has a death wish.”
“Didn’t you see him at the bar? There are tons of guys who register as Rogues but never enter Dungeons. They just want to look cool for girls.”
“Hehe, girls these days have high standards. With all the ways to check online, they don’t get fooled. These dudes think every girl in the world is theirs.”
“Hope he dies in a Dungeon. Tsk tsk.”
“He doesn’t know anything about Dungeons. What’s he going to die from? He’ll just rot away—like what’s hanging down there. Hehe.”
I had felt this before, but feeling it again after so long made it feel new.
The societal contempt for Rogue Licenses in this era hit me all over again.
It was obvious almost everyone here was glaring and whispering until I stepped outside.
Ignoring them, I grabbed a passing taxi.
“Dongmyoap Station, Exit 5.”
I headed toward today’s main objective.
= = =
About three years from now?
When I first tried to walk the Rogue path properly, I heard stories like this at that sundae soup restaurant.
—You know the White Elephant Dungeon near Exit 5? That Dungeon’s actually a gold mine.
—Ah, that Class C one?
—Yeah. Orcs spawn there, and it’s rated Class C.
—People complained for years. If Orcs group up, that’s Class B. Why rate it Class C? Didn’t they rage once, saying they’d kill everyone?
Lost in thought, I arrived at my destination.
“Here.”
I handed the driver the last of my money.
Walking into the alley near Exit 5, a tall school wall stood at the end.
That was the place.
“This place had tons of rumors.”
Inside the school grounds, people walked around without a worry.
Two old tombstones, and between them, a staircase leading underground.
The famous Class C Dungeon.
“It was the same back then.”
Even with a Dungeon this dangerous inside a school, no one did anything, and everyone just walked around.
It was surprising, but that was part of why this Dungeon had so many stories.
‘Because it wasn’t dangerous.’
Most Orc Dungeons are Class B, but this one was Class C for a reason.
This Dungeon wasn’t dangerous.
Monsters usually attack anyone nearby, but this Dungeon stayed silent…
Until the day it was cleared and vanished.
Step. Step. Step.
As I passed the tombstones and entered the Dungeon, people finally glanced at me.
“What? He’s going in now?”
“He’ll probably look and come right back.”
But no one stopped me. That showed how long this place had been here.
I descended the stairs into darkness.
At the bottom, blue torches ignited, lighting the Dungeon.
“So this is the gold mine.”
Inside the wide cavern-like Dungeon, 30 Orcs looked straight at me.
Just looked.
They didn’t move. Didn’t growl. Just stared.
That was why a group of Orcs—predators among monsters—still resulted in a Class C rating.
Grrr.
It was bizarre.
Orcs should have charged at me instantly, but they didn’t.
Ignoring them, I scanned the room and nodded.
“That’s why no one thought a Dimensional Bag would be here.”
Aside from the Orcs, I could see why most Guilds avoided clearing this Dungeon.
The Magical Power Level was so low even the old me would’ve given up.
—They say the Magical Power Level’s low, so the rewards suck. How’d that place become a gold mine?
—A crazy Guild tried clearing it as a test. Guess what dropped?
Thinking about the reward made me grin.
“Let’s see.”
Who would’ve guessed?
This low-reward, high-risk White Elephant Dungeon was actually…
A Dungeon containing one of the world’s extremely rare Dimensional Bags.
“Ah, that’s it.”
The Orcs weren’t here to attack.
That old bag was hidden subtly among them, quietly eating away at the Dungeon’s mana.
They were here to protect the Dimensional Bag.
Grrr…
“You noticed?”
Staring at the Bag for too long must’ve triggered them.
The silent Orcs shifted.
One by one, they bared their teeth.
Their killing intent made my skin crawl—especially at Level 4.
“Don’t worry. This’ll be quick.”
I looked at the Dimensional Bag and murmured:
“Regression Mode.”
= = =
Step. Step. Step.
The path out of the Dungeon.
Regression Mode faded slowly, starting from where the sunlight reached.
My short hair, drenched in blue Orc blood, lengthened back to its original state.
My blue blood–soaked beard vanished.
My muscular arms and legs—and the leather coat soaked in blood—returned to their original form and disappeared along with the blood.
“A good start.”
In my hand was the old bag.
“Nice.”
I left quietly, clean, and without a drop of blood—moving fast but calm.
Exactly ten minutes later—
A massive tremor shook the school grounds.
Rumble.
“Huh? Wh-what?”
“Are monsters coming out?”
“Aaaaah!”
Chaos erupted.
And the Dungeon closed on its own.
= = =
Leaving the school, I walked toward a deserted alley.
There, I emptied the Magic Stones from the Dimensional Bag.
Warm black jewels streaked with dried blue blood.
They were the monsters’ hearts—valuable items in this world.
“Hoo… let’s begin.”
I was nervous.
I never owned a Dimensional Bag in my past life either.
They were rare artifacts—so rare that people would pay anything to get one.
And now it was in my hands.
With a tense breath, I lifted the Bag toward my Status Window.
Then—
Tring.
[Would you like to activate the ‘Inventory’ System?]
[ Yes / No ]
The message I had been waiting for.
—Dimensional Bags store items regardless of size and mass, and you can retrieve them anytime. But even better, they create an entirely new System window for it.
“Yes.”
As soon as I spoke, the ‘Yes’ button pressed.
Chang!
The Bag was sucked into the Status Window in a flash of light.
And a new window opened.
[Inventory]
The legendary System—open at last.
Then—
Flash!
Another burst of light exploded in front of my eyes.
“This light…!?”
I recognized it—and welcomed it.
Who would refuse an unexpected gift?
[You have acquired a Title.]
My heart pounded as I checked it.
[Pioneer]
—You have activated the Inventory System for the first time in Korea.
—You have pioneered a new path no one else has taken.
—All Stats +10.
A Title. A stat boost. And the word “first.”
“Ah…”
Only then did I realize:
This was long before the Inventory System became known.
“So right now… I’m the only person in Korea with the Inventory System?”
Being the “first” made the Title feel like a perfect blessing for the path ahead.
Clench.
I tightened my fists, feeling my newly strengthened Stats.
Feeling it firsthand made it clear.
My direction was set.
Monopoly.
“Let’s see.”
Azure Lake. Hanbit.
“I’ll take everything from you too.”