Chapter 39

—Mr. Ryu Taeyoung.

"Yes, Mr. Seo Jehyun."

...What now? Ryu Taeyoung waited uneasily for Jehyun’s next words.

—I was running away just now, and I found a Gate nearby being guarded by these illegal guild members.

"What?"

—I actually have an appraisal skill. I can assess a Gate’s danger level.

What? Ryu blinked, speechless for a moment.

"Mr. Seo Jehyun. That’s dangerous—don’t get close. I’ll handle it when I arrive."

He finally managed to issue a warning, but Jehyun’s response ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) wasn’t compliance—it was new intel.

—This Gate... the waves are irregular. Just like the Sokcho dungeon.

"......!"

The Sokcho dungeon. Recently reclassified from C-rank to A-rank in the blink of an eye.

Back then, SH Guild hunters sent to support had been massacred, and it had taken Haeseong’s own Im Haekyung to clear it.

Afterward, Im Haekyung had even given interviews about how dangerous the dungeon had been. Not that Im Haekyung had ever truly been at risk—an S-rank hunter doesn’t come that close to dying. The ones who nearly died were the SH hunters who went in with him.

Still, if even an S-rank described it as “dangerous,” then it was truly a hazardous dungeon—one where you couldn’t predict when a break might happen, nor how you’d even clear it.

The thought made Ryu’s chest seize cold.

"Mr. Seo Jehyun, please, move away from the area and wait for other hunters to arrive."

—No worries. I’m in a safe place right now.

How the hell could someone be safe in the middle of a kidnapping site? Suspicion crept up—but Jehyun’s next words swept it away.

—But these illegal guild members just entered the dungeon to claim the reward.

What? Ryu almost slammed the brakes in the middle of traffic.

"What did you just say?"

***

One hour earlier.

With my current condition, taking on three awakened hunters head-on was impossible. Originally, I’d planned to just identify the Gate type and wait for rescue.

But one guy’s status window was far too interesting to ignore.

Name: Bae Inho

Age: 28

Rank: E

Title: –

Main Skill: Mimic View (D)

Growth Limit: C

Normally, even F-ranks displayed at least two skills. Specializing in only one was inefficient.

But some hunters did exist with only a single skill.

Like Seong Uijae, one of Korea’s three S-ranks until last year. He hadn’t died—he’d simply chosen one of his dual nationalities. Korean–Australian, he’d eventually picked Australia after steady offers. Of course, the internet flamed him as a “traitor who sold out his country for money,” but he didn’t care. Not because he had a reason—he just didn’t use the internet.

And the reason I knew all this in such detail? He’d been a major figure in the original novel.

Anyway—back to the point.

Hunters who only relied on a single skill usually fell into two categories: those whose other skills were garbage, or those whose one skill was enough.

Which type Bae Inho was didn’t matter. What mattered was that this skill was useful.

Mimic View (D). The name said it all—it copied others.

Not their actual bodies, but it fooled the perception of anyone looking. Inho himself wasn’t significant, but the novel had featured another extra with this exact skill, so I knew exactly how it worked.

'This... might work.'

Dopamine fired through me, shoving back the fatigue.

'All I need is the right moment.'

The guards rotated patrols: two held position while one walked the perimeter. When one finished, another took over. Soon, it would be Inho’s turn.

I waited.

Finally, it came.

"Heading out."

"Don’t smoke, just do a lap and come back."

"Yeah, yeah."

He trudged away. I trailed behind, waiting until he was far enough from the Gate that no one would come running.

"Nothing out here..."

'Now.'

No hesitation. I slipped in from behind, locking a rear choke around his neck.

"Guhk—!"

'Shit, no strength.'

Even squeezing hard, he didn’t pass out immediately. He writhed, twisting, harder to control than expected. I smashed my knee into the back of his leg, dropping his balance, then hooked my legs around his to pin him down. His face turned red, veins bulging under the choke.

"Khhrghh—"

Plan B. I tightened my grip, pressed his head down into my chest, and pulled out the stun gun. A low-power jolt, and his body seized before collapsing stiffly to the ground.

'Can’t believe I had to work this hard...'

It wasn’t just bad condition. Hunters’ strengthened physiques scaled with rank. Admitting that my body was weak—it pissed me off. My head rejected it.

But hey, I’d accomplished the objective. I stripped him of his clothes.

'This looks... sketchy.'

By the time he stirred, I was already in his outfit. Before he could scream, I clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Shh. Quiet."

His hot breath against my palm made me recoil in disgust. I shook it off and warned him:

"Stay quiet. You don’t want me to zap you again, do you?"

"..."

"Okay? Understand?"

He nodded. Perfect. I waved the stun gun under his nose.

"Now. Use your skill."

"S-skill...?"

"Yeah. The one where you copy people."

"How do you...! You want me to—pretend to be you?"

At least he caught on quick. When I nodded, his face drained pale.

Eventually, he obeyed. After some “physical persuasion,” Bae Inho used his skill to copy my appearance.

Mimic View (D) has been activated.

'Wow... it’s uncanny.'

Looking at my own face from the outside was surreal. Creepy, even. Not a mirror, not a photo—this was me, alive and moving.

Suppressing the unease, I ripped a strip from his shirt, shoved it in his mouth, and bound his wrists with the rest.

"...!"

"Stay put."

He thrashed, forcing me to restrain him again. With my exhaustion creeping in, it was tempting to just ditch him. But I kept on plan.

Mimic (S) has been activated.

Mimic View (D) has been activated.

"...!!!"

The moment I copied his appearance, his eyes bulged. Even gagged, he screamed with his eyes.

"Keep the skill up and cooperate. Got it?"

I grabbed his cheek, meeting my own eyes. Only when he nodded did I release him.

"Let’s go."

Together, Bae Inho and I—now swapped—returned to the group.

The guards, chatting casually, looked up. At first, they greeted us warmly. Then their faces froze when they saw “Bae Inho” in my grip.

"Oh, you’re back."

"What took so—"

"Dragged this bastard back. Tried to escape."

I dropped him to the ground with feigned irritation. The others immediately glared at him.

"What? He tried to escape?"

"Yeah. Caught him right outside."

For good measure, I added:

"By the way, this guy’s an appraiser."

"...What?"

"The hell are you talking about?"

'Alright. Showtime.'

I smacked “Inho” across the face, keeping my expression deadly serious.

"Turns out there’s a reason Seokgyung-hyung told us to keep an eye on him. Claims he’s got an appraisal skill. Says this Gate? The waves are fluctuating, but it’s actually weak as shit."

"You’re talking different than usual..."

Shit. Did Inho normally not talk like this? I brushed it off.

"I’m tired, that’s all. Just had a scrap with him. Anyway, point is, he wants to enter the dungeon."

"Didn’t Seokgyung-hyung say he wasn’t letting him in?"

"Yeah. But he doesn’t want to miss the reward."

"Reward?"

I paused for dramatic effect, then whispered conspiratorially:

"He says the dungeon reward... is a new skill. Says it’s a Quest-type dungeon."

For the record, that last part—the “Quest dungeon”—was the only true thing in this entire scam.

The status window shimmered.

Agitation (A) has been activated.