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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: From Rooftop Triumph to Spider Ambush
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A twenty-something guy from South Korea.
Man, what a busy age.
College, military service, building specs, landing a job.
After overcoming all those hurdles, today—at long last—
"I, Ryu Han-hyuk, have finally joined a major corporation!"
On the rooftop of one of the countless buildings casting shadows over Seoul.
That's where I, upon receiving my acceptance letter, let out a triumphant shout.
Born and raised in the countryside, I came to Seoul for university and now, finally, secured a spot at a big company.
After scraping by with part-time gigs in those dark days, I'd forged an unbreakable legend!
And the hero of that legend was none other than me, Ryu Han-hyuk.
"Ryu Han-hyuk, shut it! That's noise pollution!"
Right then, a voice rang out from the apartment just below the rooftop.
It was the rooftop room where I'd been crashing to save every penny I could.
The voice belonged to the landlord's daughter.
We'd known each other since we went to the same university, even if we weren't in the same department.
This joy had to be shared.
I poked my head over the rooftop railing.
"Noise pollution? Who cares—I've got the job! I finally made it as an employee at JC Group!"
"This is news the whole world needs to hear! Lucky bastard Ryu Han-hyuk!"
"Ugh, don't yell right above us. Your voice is ridiculously loud."
"Haha, the unemployed can't match this set of pipes."
"Hey, what'd you just say?"
I quickly slipped down and opened the rooftop room door.
Then I made sure to lock it tight behind me.
Unauthorized entry prevented.
My eyes drifted to the phone displaying the acceptance notice.
All the hardship felt rewarded in one fell swoop.
Some say the real grind starts after you get in, but getting to this point had been such a slog that the joy was overwhelming.
That's when my gaze landed on a lone computer.
It was the one my mom had scrimped and saved to buy me as a big treat when I was a kid.
Our family wasn't well-off.
So I'd babied that computer from the countryside all the way to Seoul.
But no matter what, it seemed like its days were truly numbered now.
Even powering it on felt iffy these days.
"Honestly, I barely turned it on after getting the laptop."
Time to retire it soon.
But first, I should check if there's anything important on it.
I plugged it in and fired it up.
Several long-forgotten windows popped up.
The desktop looked exactly as I remembered.
Proof that I hadn't touched it since getting the laptop—a long, long time ago.
"Oh?"
Then something caught my eye.
Dungeon Replay.
An old game I'd played ages ago.
'Has it really been about ten years?'
It was one of those games where you could leave it running on auto-hunt even after closing it.
That's why, even during my hectic school days full of studying,
I could still dip into it now and then.
Of course, even that fell by the wayside once studies really piled up.
"Brings back memories."
Felt like a kid again.
I launched the game right away.
Whirr—
The familiar hum of the computer filled the room.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Bang bang!
A little later, someone started pounding on Ryu Han-hyuk's front door.
"Ryu Han-hyuk, my mom's grilling meat to celebrate your job offer! Get out here!"
It was his friend—the landlord's daughter.
But for some reason,
No matter how hard she knocked, there was no reply.
In the room where the computer screen glowed,
It was utterly empty.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Clack clack—
Something was moving.
A faint headache throbbed.
Clack clack—
The sound came again.
His mind gradually sharpened.
Thud!
But then came the sound of something slamming down.
The man jerked his head up in shock.
A fairly handsome face emerged from beneath his robe, catching the light.
Ash-gray eyes, slightly dark-toned skin.
Slightly pointed ears unlike a human's.
And finally, the dark elf trait: black-based hair with blue inner tones.
Half Dark Elf.
That was his race.
Just then, something reflected in the man's eyes.
Dim vision, a cavernous plaza that seemed like a cave, and right in front of him.
Thousands of spiders filling his view.
One right in his face.
"What the fu—?!"
Six glowing red eyes.
Beast-like, fuzzy legs.
A massive body split into head and abdomen.
A spider the size of a man was bearing down on him.
Squish!
"Gah?!"
In that instant, the half dark elf felt his leg tear open in agony.
The spider's thrust had ripped through his leg's skin, wounding it deeply.
Hot blood flowed.
A burning sensation followed.
The pain slammed into his head, snapping him fully awake.
The fuzz on the spider's legs wasn't ordinary.
Each hair was a razor-sharp blade.
That brief lapse in focus had been a fatal mistake.
Clack clack!
He realized what the sound in his ears had been.
The spiders' leg tips scraping the cave floor.
Just then, the spider in front of him raised a foreleg.
The half dark elf reflexively kicked off the ground.
Pure survival instinct from his body.
His body felt light.
Thanks to his half dark elf traits: flexibility and springiness.
Thud!
The spider smashed the ground.
The half dark elf rolled aside.
He'd dodged the attack somehow.
Clack clack!
But the spider horde still pursued.
Spiders the size of people.
If even one leg grabbed him, he'd be dragged off and torn apart.
He sprang up,
Swallowing a curse, planting a hand on the ground.
Pain shot from his leg straight to his head.
But he gritted his teeth till they nearly shattered and endured.
In sudden crises, humans panic and make stupid mistakes.
He'd learned that lesson from harsh childhood experiences.
No intention of being a fool.
For now—run.
Humans can think while running.
Thud!
His leg shot forward.
Blood seeped through his pants, but he bit down and powered through.
Think positive.
If it'd pierced his body instead of his leg at the start, instant death.
'This? I'm lucky.'
Positive thinking is a ray of light to break through.
He encouraged himself.
Meanwhile, his brain raced to analyze.
His gray eyes scanned around.
Visual data flooded in.
Red glowing stones embedded in the cave walls secured visibility.
The cave was huge.
Big enough for thousands of spiders to move freely.
'Escape routes.'
A few visible.
But blocked by spiders—not easy.
'Hold off on bolting. If it's a dead end, I'm dead for sure.'
Then, seek other options.
While running, he noticed something.
The spiders weren't outmaneuvering him.
They just chased from behind, oddly enough.
'What gives? They're only tailing me.'
Soon, he spotted a common trait.
For some reason, green smoke poured from every spider's shell.
Sizzle!
That smoke was corroding their shells.
Clack clack—
The more smoke leaked, the slower they moved compared to others.
And it wasn't just one or two.
'All of them.'
Every spider emitted green smoke.
And as time passed, their movements grew sluggish.
'Poison? Are these spiders poisoned?'
He didn't know why.
But one thing was clear.
These spiders were all poisoned right now.
Every last one of the thousands.
Eventually, they'd melt completely and stop.
He sensed it instinctively.
The half dark elf's lips curled up.
Even in this mess, he smiled.
A breakthrough.
Only one thing to do now.
'Run like hell!'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Left foot forward.
Right foot forward.
Simple actions.
But right now, no room for error.
Breath up to his chin, he kept running.
He circled the entire plaza relentlessly.
How long had he been at it?
'In movies, I'd get frustrated watching people collapse from exhaustion in crises.'
But facing it myself, I get it.
Running is brutally hard.
Lesson learned: if there's a next time, build that base stamina.
Stamina is national power.
Crunch!
Suddenly, something collapsed behind him.
New sound, but no time to look.
Just keep running.
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
The sound repeated rapidly.
Finally, he got it.
The green smoke melting the spiders.
It had fully dissolved them.
Exhausted, he glanced back.
Spiders crumbling one after another.
Their bodies liquefied into green puddles on the floor.
A few stragglers still chased,
But they soon collapsed too.
Only then did he stop.
He braced his knees, gasping raggedly.
His legs trembled.
The ignored pain asserted itself.
Hadn't run like this in ages.
He clenched his fist on his knee.
A sweaty, exhilarated grin spread.
"Huuuuh, I won."
Spiders already poisoned.
Lucky leg wound despite the panic.
If either had gone wrong, death.
"As long as you're breathing, you're lucky."
Catching his breath, he looked up.
The plaza was silent.
Thanks to the dead spiders.
The half dark elf reviewed the situation again.
'Why the hell am I here all of a sudden?'
Moments ago, he'd been celebrating his job offer and booting up the computer.
The identity of the half dark elf chased by spiders?
None other than Ryu Han-hyuk.
'Can a person just wake up somewhere else without warning?'
Hypotheticals are pointless.
It happened.
Leg pain and the stench of charred spider proved reality.
So, what could've led to this?
Dungeon Replay.
One thing came to mind.
Dungeon Replay.
The game he'd binged ten years ago.
He scanned his surroundings again.
And realized something.
'Memory from ten years back, but...'
He had an exceptional memory.
Good enough to win awards in memory contests.
There was definitely a place like this in Dungeon Replay.
'If this really is Dungeon Replay...'
Then he's trapped in the game.
Hypothesis over.
Now, recap the situation.
'Woke up already being chased by spiders.'
Spiders seemed poisoned.
'Who did that?'
Obvious.
'Me, duh.'
He looked at his hands.
Removed the gloves.
Slightly dark-skinned hands with scars atop.
Burn marks, probably.
He checked his clothes.
Black robe-style garb.
Light, but leather armor underneath.
He'd noticed while running—heavy, wanted to ditch it multiple times.
But without it, the leg wound would've been worse.
Lifesaver item. Good job.
Also checked the belt at his waist.
Tight, with pouches.
Peeked inside: essentials, it seemed.
Among them, a potion vial.
He pulled it out.
Dark red, blood-like potion.
Opened it—fishy scent wafted.
He stared quietly.
'If...'
This is what he thought it was,
Then he could confirm where this was.
Still seated, he poured it on his leg.
Sizzle!
Agony erupted like fire on the wound; he barely stifled a scream.
"Gruuuuugh!"
Like setting the injury ablaze.
But the effect was stellar.
Scar remained, but the wound closed.
Cold sweat dripped from his face.
Pain fiercer than expected.
'Good call not using it mid-run.'
If he'd tried while fleeing,
Definitely trampled dead on the spot.
'No chance to anyway, but solid judgment.'
Tucked the potion away safely.
Might need it later.
Rifled through the rest.
A dagger like an oversized knife, some food.
A plain white mask and what looked like an ID.
The ID.
His eyes widened at the sight.
⚙ PLAYER ID ⚙ Leyzon
Three letters: his name.
He knew this name.
From Dungeon Replay character creation.
The auto-generated name for his character.
'Confirmed.'
This outfit, the belt pouch on his thigh with the staff-like item.
The spider horde that died from poison moments ago.
The potion that healed rapidly.
And finally,
The half dark elf race.
"I..."
All the pieces fit.
Possessed the auto-hunt game he'd left idle for ten years.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Player 'Ryu Han-hyuk' has logged in.