Former Ranker's Newbie Life-Chapter 30

Sang-Soo arrived at the meeting spot first. At the sound of slow, dragging footsteps, he turned and saw Theresa approaching.

“You’re here,” he said in a flat and exhausted voice.

“Yeah,” she replied, sounding just as drained.

Both of them had taken a full day off in real life, yet they still looked completely worn out. They knew exactly what was coming, and the thought alone was enough to weigh them down. For a while, they stood in silence, staring into the distance.

Then, as if resigned to his fate, Sang-Soo muttered, “We’re going to get worked to death again, aren’t we?”

Theresa did not respond, nor was there a need to. She didn’t even have the energy to waste on words. The silence between them brought back memories of the day they first met Do-Jin. That was the day it all began.

“Haa... ha... I’m out of stamina. I can’t keep going. Soso hasn’t learned any stamina recovery spells yet, either. If we push any further, I’m going to collapse. We need to head back to town and rest.”

Sang-Soo had been running himself ragged, playing both the role of a puller and a sub-DPS. Naturally, he was the first to hit his limit. Do-Jin, however, had been prepared for this. Without a word, he pulled out a Stamina Potion from his inventory and handed it to Sang-Soo. Most players didn’t even bother carrying these because they were far too expensive for regular use.

Do-Jin handed another one to Theresa. “Use it when you’re tired.”

At the time, they had thought he was a generous person, assuming he wouldn’t hesitate to share high-end consumables with his party members. They soon realized how wrong they were. Nine hours later, it became clear that something was horribly off.

“I think we actually need to stop. It’s not my body... My mental fatigue is stacking up. My vision is starting to blur, and if this keeps up...”

“Same here. My health and stamina are fine, but I keep getting dizzy. I think I need to—”

Do-Jin quickly cut them off. “Ah, don’t worry. Just drink this.”

[Stimulant] 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Without warning, they were each handed a small bottle containing a performance-enhancing drug. They had seen things like this before. Historically, soldiers had been given amphetamines to keep them fighting beyond their limits. The idea was to erase fear, pain, exhaustion, and hunger so they could continue killing until their bodies finally gave out.

The look in Do-Jin’s eyes seemed to say the same thing. Tired? Take a painkiller. Sleepy? Have some coffee. Still drowsy? Here’s an energy drink. If none of that worked, there was always stronger stuff. It seemed like he didn’t want them to rest until they were dead.

For three whole days, Theresa and Sang-Soo were kept awake with stimulants and forced to grind for sixty-two consecutive hours. Out of the seventy-two hours they spent in the game, they had only rested for ten.

Back in the present, both of them had the same thought. They wanted to run away. Yet despite everything, they were still here, waiting for Do-Jin.

“The leveling speed is too damn good. I can’t quit,” Theresa finally said.

“That’s the real problem. We gained one and a half levels in three days,” Sang-Soo replied. “If it were just us, that would have taken ten days—no, at least two weeks.”

He sighed and turned toward Soso, who had arrived at some point. “But what about you? You’ve been quiet. You never even wanted to play this game in the first place. How are you holding up?”

Soso blinked and tilted her head. “Huh? Oh, I’m fine.”

Sang-Soo frowned. “I mean, that guy’s tough as hell, yeah, but isn’t this a little too much? You weren’t even into this game.”

Soso shrugged. “Yeah, but it’s not like I had to do anything. Even when monsters ran at me, he handled everything. By the end, I just sat back and healed. And honestly? Watching you two suffer was pretty entertaining.”

Theresa and Sang-Soo exchanged glances, their eyes filled with nothing but mutual pity. They sighed at the same time.

“If it’s that bad, just quit. It’s almost time for the meeting anyway. When he gets here, just tell him you’re done,” Soso said.

Theresa let out another deep sigh and muttered, “The experience is too good to give up.”

“Yea... same here,” Sang-Soo agreed.

Soso looked at them like they were completely hopeless. At that moment, they heard footsteps approaching.

“Hey there.” Do-Jin said, approaching with a relaxed stride. Unlike the rest of them, he did not look the least bit fatigued. “Let’s get started.”

There was no need for discussion. Without waiting for a response, he turned and started walking. Theresa sighed and dragged her warhammer behind her as she followed.

***

The moment they stepped into the dungeon, it was like a switch flipped in Do-Jin’s head. His expression sharpened instantly, and once again, he took charge of the party without hesitation. There was no wasted movement or unnecessary breaks. He was honed in on the relentless, merciless grind.

The two unfortunate souls shackled to this high-speed slaughterhouse ran, slashed, smashed, and dodged like their lives depended on it. Sang-Soo and Theresa weren’t sure if they were playing a game or working as laborers in some goddamn quarry.

What made it worse was that they did not even have the luxury of hoping for a break. They had already received their daily ration of “medication” before the hunt even started. When Do-Jin handed them their doses with that devilish smile, both of them had the same realization.

This son of a bitch is optimizing the goddamn drug distribution schedule now!

An hour passed. Then two. Then four. Still, the grind showed no signs of stopping. Like overworked miners running on fumes, they kept pulling, smashing, and slicing without a moment’s rest. Their EXP bars ticked upward, and their inventories overflowed with loot.

Despite everything they were gaining, it felt like sprinting in place on a treadmill cranked to the highest setting. It was relentless and exhausting, with no finish line in sight. Their mouths were dry, their bodies slick with sweat, their skin felt like cracked desert sand from the constant cycle of sweating and drying out. And yet, they kept moving.

They’re holding up better than I expected, Do-Jin observed with mild amusement.

Apart from the occasional unforeseen event, all he had to do was keep applying curses. The healer just patched up whatever damage they took and spent the rest of the time kicking back and taking it easy. However, the other two were constantly engaged in battle with practically no breaks or downtime. For them to endure this kind of brutal marathon meant that their mental fortitude was off the charts.

If they had collapsed and begged for mercy, I would’ve adjusted the pace to accommodate them. But instead, they’re gritting their teeth and powering through...

Honestly, it was better than he had expected.

[Do-Jin]

Level: 43

Class: Grimoire of Truth

Strength: 22

Agility: 24

Stamina: 102

Intelligence: 237

Skills (1): [View]

Traits (2): [View]

While the two poor slaves were busy beating the shit out of cursed golems, Do-Jin leisurely checked his Status Window. He had gained two levels in the past four days, and just from today’s hunt, his experience bar had already filled by a quarter. Considering that one day had been spent resting, this meant he had essentially gained two levels in three days, which was an absurdly fast pace.

Of course, experience requirements were starting to ramp up to insane levels, but it was still a damn good result. There was no denying that a small part of this efficiency came from the two lunatics throwing themselves into battle. High-end farming was not just about skill; it was about pure grit and endurance, both of which they had.

All Do-Jin had to do was refresh his curses, yawn a little, and watch the experience roll in. It gave him plenty of time to review his status, process spell analysis through his grimoire, and enjoy the slow, satisfying burn of progress. Feeling content with his comfortable farming session, he turned his attention back to his “teammates.”

Sang-Soo had fully adapted to this grind. This swordsman had begun optimizing his pull routes, figuring out the most efficient way to gather monsters while minimizing movement. At this rate, he was going to achieve enlightenment as a mob-pulling guru.

The dumpling, whatever her name was, seemed to have mastered the art of swinging her hammer as efficiently as possible. It was not so much warrior’s growth as it was a factory worker figuring out how to minimize strain after years of back-breaking labor. Rather than improving as a fighter, she was learning survival tactics like a construction worker trying not to destroy their joints before retirement. Still, progress was progress, and nothing made people learn faster than sheer suffering.

At this rate, I can start pushing them deeper inside.

Satisfied with that thought, Do-Jin turned to the two exhausted wrecks who had just finished dealing with another wave of monsters and were gasping for breath like they had just run a marathon in hell.

“We should probably move to a new spot,” he said.

Theresa, who had been leaning against her hammer for support, reacted immediately. “Move? Is that really necessary?”

Moving meant walking. Walking meant more suffering. Her expression practically screamed, For the love of god, just let me sit down for a minute.

Unfortunately, Do-Jin was not even looking at her. He continued as if her opinion did not matter.

“If we go deeper into the dungeon, we’ll find more monsters and better experience rates.”

There was also a chance they could run into elite monsters or even a boss. Of course, fighting a boss monster in an open dungeon like this was a long shot, but the possibility was there.

As he was considering this, Theresa tilted her head. “There’s not much deeper inside, though. Right, Sang-Soo?”

Sang-Soo, who was still slumped on the ground, simply waved a hand dismissively, as if he was saying, “Do whatever the hell you want.”

Theresa shot him a glare before continuing. “The Closed Iron Mine is basically just this big open chamber after you come through the tunnel. That’s why people call it the Big Room. There’s another, smaller chamber further inside, but people call that the Small Room, and it’s not as good. Since there aren’t as many monsters, no one really goes there unless this place is overcrowded.”

Her tone carried the implication of “How the hell do you not know this?”

Do-Jin’s expression grew serious. There are only two rooms?

That made no sense. The Closed Iron Mine was a massive dungeon. There should have been dozens of tunnels, each leading to various open areas. Then, it hit him. He felt a chill run down his spine as he realized they were never open to begin with. Obviously, someone sealed them off.

“Where exactly is the Small Room?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Theresa was caught off guard by his sudden change in demeanor and hesitated before pointing in two different directions. “Uh... over here and over there.”

Do-Jin’s intense stare made her nervous. Even Soso, who had spent the entire day silently casting heals, finally reacted.

“What’s going on?”

Do-Jin’s voice remained calm, but there was an unmistakable excitement in his expression. “There’s something I need to check. Give me a moment.”

“Wait, wait, I just told you where they are! Every other tunnel is blocked off, and no monsters spawn there!”

Ignoring her, Do-Jin turned and walked toward one of the sealed passages. Theresa groaned, slinging her hammer over her shoulder as she reluctantly followed. Seeing her move, Soso stood as well and hauled Sang-Soo up by the hair, despite his clear intent to stay on the ground.

“Hold on! I’m telling you, there’s nothing there!”

Do-Jin did not stop walking. “I need to confirm something.”

“Confirm what, exactly?”

“I’ll explain once I’m sure.”

When they reached the sealed tunnel entrance, Soso stepped forward and tapped the blockage.

“She’s right. It’s completely closed off. It’s not even collapsed... It’s just solid rock, like it was never dug out to begin with.”

However, Do-Jin saw something different.

It’s been sealed with magic.

The rock formations around the edges looked slightly warped, almost as if they had been pulled inward toward the blockage. It was a classic sign of terrain manipulation magic. Whoever sealed these tunnels had used high-level earth magic to reinforce the rock. It was impossible to tell exactly who had done it, but there was no doubt in Do-Jin’s mind that this was the work of a high-tier mage. The sheer density of the sealed rock meant that even if he threw every spell he had at it, it would not budge.

I’d need at least a Tier 5 mage to melt through this.

Of course, it didn’t mean there was no way to break it open. Hardcore gamers always found a way. Do-Jin ran his fingers across the wall, tapping it a few times before turning back toward the others.

“Looks like you guys are going to have to handle the hunting without me for a bit,” he said, smiling. “I need to take a break and prepare some things.”