Chapter 21
Kim Chunsik's lips twitched.
'Just two weeks? Our reserve team's strength is barely enough to clear a D-rank dungeon at best. And even that would be cutting it close.'
Kim Chunsik approached Jaegun and issued a threat.
"...If you fail, you're dead. Next time I'll bring the entire Black Tiger Raid Team if I have to... I'll hire mercenaries if necessary, but I will kill you."
Jaegun laughed aloud at Kim Chunsik's threat.
"So that means you think highly of me. You're saying you'd need to go all out just to have a chance at killing me?"
Kim Chunsik's eyes widened as if struck in a vulnerable spot.
The figure before him was someone impossible to categorize as either madman or genius.
"I'll be borrowing your reserve team then. See you in two weeks."
Jaegun rose from his seat and left through the door.
Big Bo alternated nervous glances between Kim Chunsik and Jaegun.
The Black Tiger Raid Team's reserve members were the lowest caliber fighters - either underleveled or with combat-inefficient classes. They'd never cleared a dungeon alone before, always mixing with the 1st or 2nd squads.
"Why the hell should we take orders from that bastard? Damn it all."
"It's the boss's command. We've got no choice."
The summoned reserves gathered in the training ground when Jaegun entered with a lazy yawn, Big Bo waddling behind with their gear.
One member bristled at Jaegun's arrogance: "If not for the boss's orders, you'd be dead right..."
POW!
Jaegun fired a Dark Bolt into the speaker's face, melting flesh with dark energy.
"G-g-gyaaaaah!"
Jaegun coldly tossed a regeneration potion. "Shut up. You're trash among trash. No objections - just follow orders. It's the only way rejects like you will clear a B-rank dungeon in two weeks."
The disfigured member poured the potion over his face while glaring, then bowed his head.
'Fucking bastard.'
He didn't dare say it aloud - Kim Chunsik had ordered them to obey Jaegun.
'Frustrating, but even our whole reserve team couldn't take him down,' most members thought, having been crushed by Jaegun in previous dungeons despite similar levels.
Big Bo's defensive specialization made sense, but 'Jaegun's strength is absurd for a mage... what insane buffs does he have? His sword skills are unreal.'
Levels weren't true measures of power among top raiders - gear setups, matchups, PvP experience created intangible strengths beyond stats. The gaming world allowed countless exploits that veterans understood best. Here, only Jaegun grasped these complexities fully.
"We'll start by easily clearing a D-rank dungeon," Jaegun declared. "From now on, address me as Captain with full honorifics."
After exchanging glances, the reserves nodded.
They regrouped at a D-rank dungeon entrance fully prepared yet nervous:
"A D-rank dungeon? We've never cleared one just us reserves..."
"And we're underleveled too. This'll be tough."
Jaegun strolled leisurely at the rear, reviewing their stat sheets:
"Mediocre."
No surprises - anyone competent would've joined the 2nd squad already.
'They exist to support the main teams. Logical - Kim Chunsik isn't completely stupid.'
After assigning positions, Jaegun observed from behind as they fought monsters:
"Block it!"
"Shit, I'm hit!"
"Fall back! Fall back goddammit! You fucking bastards!"
The D-rank monsters overwhelmed the inexperienced reserves:
'Why's that bastard just watching with his hands behind his back? We're getting slaughtered here!'
Their resentment grew as Jaegun issued commands without so much as lifting a finger.
Meanwhile, the members who engaged in direct combat were clearly showing signs of exhaustion.
“Captain, shouldn’t we help those people?” Bigbo said with anxious eyes. It didn’t sit right with him to just watch the fight.
“Trash should deal with trash,” Jagen cut in sharply. The frontline fighters looked ready to point their swords at Jagen any second.
“That’s too har— Wham!” The mage in the back row got smacked on the head by Jagen mid-sentence.
“What? You’re dead meat. Move your asses, you shits! Clear out those damn monsters already!”
The members silently continued fighting. Both their stamina and morale had plummeted.
At this rate, we’ll wipe in the boss fight… Even the combatants thought so. They were reserve members ill-equipped to handle a D-rank dungeon in the first place.
But despite how dire things are… there’ve been no deaths or critical injuries. The mage suddenly glanced at Jagen. He’d positioned them in specific formations. During each skirmish, he’d barked weaknesses and strategies like a drill sergeant.
The frontline was too busy fighting and cursing Jagen to notice, but the rear mages saw the bigger picture.
We’ve survived with minimal losses thanks to his commands. That’s undeniable. With no raid leader Kim Chunsik or seasoned veterans from the first or second teams, their survival hinged entirely on Jagen’s leadership.
Damn… that lunatic actually has skill… It’s not just brute strength. The mage scowled, loath to admit Jagen’s competence.
Skill and personality don’t always align, but this is extreme. Grimacing, the mage cast a lightning spell that pierced through monsters.
They inched closer to the boss room, its door pulsing with crimson light. Once opened, there’d be no retreat.
“Haa… haa…”
“Let’s rest, Captain.”
“We’re spent.”
Jagen eyed the pleading members with disdain before barking, “Everyone rest. Only Bigbo follows me.”
The exhausted members slumped down, gnawing on chocolate bars while healers tended to minor wounds. They assumed they’d recuperate for hours before advancing—
Creak.
All eyes snapped to the boss room door. Jagen was opening it.
“W-what the hell are you doing?!” shouted a member, chocolate bar frozen mid-bite.
Jagen gestured for them to stay seated. “Keep your asses planted. You trash fought passably for once. Bigbo and I’ll handle the rest.”
He yanked Bigbo toward the door. Bigbo’s eyes bulged as he clung to the frame. “No! We can’t! It’s our first D-rank boss! Two of us can’t— I don’t wanna die! I don’t wanna diiiieee!” His screams vanished as the door slammed shut.
“He’s insane.”
“Certifiable. Poor Fatso’s done for.”
“Let’s report the psycho died being stupid,” some jeered, while others stared solemnly at the door:
He’s not just crazy… No madman could’ve carried us this far…
Thirty minutes later, the members rose, certain Jagen was dead—
Screech.
The door reopened. “See something interesting, shits? Let’s go home,” Jagen growled, dragging a bloodied leg. Beside him crawled a barely conscious Bigbo. They gulped healing potions, clutching undeniable boss loot.
The members gaped silently:
Crazy bastard…
The epithet now carried awe. They shuddered, spines tingling as if electrocuted, watching madness made mundane.
A lunatic… but the real deal. This guy’s gonna rise.
Jagen lit a cigarette. “Listen up, trash. We’re hitting a C-rank dungeon day after tomorrow. I’ll list supplies—don’t fuck it up.” He slapped a member’s shoulder, who instinctively bowed.
They surrendered to the truth—if he wielded such power, maybe his shitty personality was tolerable…
