Chapter Six: The Unforeseen Variable
The echo of Minwoo's frantic blows faded, leaving a thick, unsettling silence in the cavern. The air, heavy with the stench of death, felt still and lifeless. He stood panting, his body screaming in protest, the throbbing pain in his arm a constant, biting reminder of his new weakness. The level-up notification had given him a reprieve, a much-needed boost to his Vitality, but he was far from invincible. This was not a victory to be celebrated; it was a desperate, messy survival.
He moved to the center of the cavern, his low Strength making it difficult to carry the rough, splintered oak branch. He looked at the four motionless Cave Crawlers, their chitinous carapaces cracked and broken. He had purged the dungeon, but a cold unease settled in his gut. The Gate's core, the pulsating heart that should have appeared upon the final kill, was nowhere to be seen. The system had said the dungeon was "purged," but something was wrong.
Just as he was about to check his status window, a new sound cut through the silence. It wasn't the low clicking of monsters, but a soft, terrified whimper, coming from a dark recess of the cave. His Sense stat flared, his mind instantly on high alert. He was not alone.
He moved cautiously toward the sound, the oak branch held high. Tucked behind a large, jagged boulder, huddled in the fetal position, was a girl. Her clothes—a high school uniform identical to his—were torn, and a deep, bloody gash was visible on her forehead. Her face was pale, and her eyes, wide with shock and fear, were fixed on him.
"Stay back," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Don't... don't hurt me."
Minwoo froze. He knew her. Not as a friend, but from the future. Her name was Hyejin. In his past life, she was a renowned healer, a hunter who had risen through the ranks with an unparalleled ability to support a team. She was famous for the skill she was supposed to get from an F-rank Gate in an abandoned city park. A skill she would use to save thousands of lives.
Wait, he thought, the truth dawning on him with a sickening jolt. She's supposed to be the one who gets the skill. I just killed the monsters. Did I... did I just mess up the timeline?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, another system alert popped up in his vision, a new mission, but this one was different. It was for both of them.
[System Alert: New Objective Discovered]
[Objective: Awaken the 'Seed of Life']
[Description: The Gate's energy is not fully purged. A hidden remnant remains. Locate and defeat the remaining monster to unlock the hidden rewards.]
"Seed of Life." Minwoo instantly knew what it was. It was a secret, hidden boss that only appeared when a hunter with a specific potential was present. In his past life, Hyejin had stumbled upon it. It was a single, low-level monster, but it was the key to her awakening. Defeating it would grant her a skill that was the foundation of her healing abilities. But the monster was not a brute; it was an illusionist, a tricky little creature that could only be defeated by a hunter with exceptional Sense.
He had the Sense, but she was the one with the potential.
He lowered the branch, his grip loosening. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said, his voice flat but reassuring. "My name is Minwoo. I'm a hunter."
The girl, Hyejin, looked at him with a glimmer of disbelief, then a new kind of fear. "A hunter? You... you killed them?" she stammered, gesturing to the dead Cave Crawlers. "I was just... I was just sitting on a bench, and a purple shimmer swallowed me. Then I woke up here. Where is this place?"
Minwoo realized he had no time for explanations. The Gate's energy felt unstable, and he had a new objective to complete. He had to guide her to her destiny, not only for her sake, but for the future he knew. He couldn't let his accidental interference cause a ripple effect that would cost lives down the line.
"This is a Gate," he explained simply. "We're in a dungeon. We need to find the exit, but there's one more monster we have to deal with." He pointed to a small, glistening pod on the cavern wall, which was glowing faintly. He knew it was the source of the illusionist monster.
"You have to be the one to defeat it," he told her, his gaze intense. "That pod... it's a special monster. It'll grant you a skill you need."
Hyejin stared at him, her fear giving way to confusion. "Me? I can't. I'm just a student. I don't know how to fight."
Minwoo's mind raced. He was still a Level 2 with low Strength and a makeshift weapon. He couldn't kill it himself without risking a severe injury that would leave him helpless. He had to be her shield, to protect her as she fought a monster he couldn't even see. He had to turn a terrified student into a hunter, right here, right now, to save the future.
This was a different kind of war than he had ever fought. Not with brute strength or a powerful sword, but with strategy, knowledge, and a desperate gamble on a girl he just met.