The F-rank Hunter Who Turned Into a Golem Is Overpowered Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“Hyung!”

A kid, slightly smaller than others his age, came running with a beaming smile.

“What’s that?”

The boy’s gaze was directed downwards. He saw the large box in the man’s hand.

“Here, a gift.”

The man handed the box to the child, who lifted it with excitement.

“Wow! Is this that Metallic Hero Mark Six?”

“Yeah, buddy. It’s expensive.”

The boy jumped onto the bed and started unboxing it.

Inside was a shiny, metallic robot suit toy.

Click.

“Wow! It moves!”

After inserting the included batteries and pressing the button, the toy began to move. Its joints moved naturally, and the recorded voice of Metallic Hero echoed smoothly.

“Do you like it?”

The man watched with a satisfied smile as the child admired the toy. They were each other’s only sibling and family.

“Thanks, hyung!”

The Metallic Hero figures, which the man started buying to keep his younger brother entertained, had gradually become a collection that even he knew better than his brother.

“That’s a genuine one, from the 12th issue of Metallic Hero Comics—material enhancement version.”

“Really? I’ve only read up to issue 9, so I didn’t know.”

“Take your time, but finish your studies first.”

“Yeah! I ate well and did all my homework because you were coming!”

Though the boy was talking, his eyes were glued to the toy.

The man pretended to be angry, but his heart softened. He had bought it just to see his brother’s happy face.

“Hyung, when can I leave this place?”

After fiddling with the toy for a while, the boy suddenly looked at the man and asked.

“Hmm…”

The man hesitated, debating whether to tell the truth or lie.

“You don’t know, do you? Sigh… If only I had a suit like Metallic Hero. Then I could go outside.”

In the end, the man chose to lie.

“Just three more treatments!”

“Really? Just three more?”

“Yep. I asked the doctor myself.”

“Wow! Then I can go to school? I’ll brag to my friends!”

The boy’s gaze shifted to one wall, where a small shelf displayed various Metallic Hero figures, all gifts from his older brother.

Thump.

The man sat next to his brother, gently patting his fur hat. A lump formed in his throat.

“I have to go now.”

“Already? You only came after a week! Don’t go!”

“I’m busy these days. But next time I come, I’ll bring you Metallic Hero Mark Seven!”

“No! I don’t need it!”

“I need to earn money, so you can get treated and go to school faster.”

“I don’t care about school!”

The boy pouted as if about to cry. The man’s heart ached. He wanted to stay by his brother’s side forever, but he had to work to pay for the hospital bills and the toys.

After a long time of consoling, he finally managed to leave the hospital room.

Knock knock.

The man tapped on the glass window, calling out to his brother.

– “Study hard and listen to the nurses. That’s how you’ll get better quickly.”

– “Ugh, I know that already!”

Whenever this glass window stood between them, both brothers felt a pang of sadness.

– “I’m leaving now.”

– “Come back soon!”

The man smiled at his brother, though he wasn’t sure if it was visible through the glass. His expression turned bitter as he left the hospital corridor.

…..

Lee Do-jae, F-rank hunter.

Among hunters, he was the lowest rank. No notable skills, and his physical abilities were just a bit better than a regular athlete. In truth, calling him a hunter was a stretch.

Because of this, most guilds didn’t accept F-rank hunters. Most people didn’t even acknowledge F-ranks as real hunters.

As a result, most F-rank hunters live ordinary lives. But Do-jae chose to remain a hunter instead of living a normal life.

The Hunter Association arranges dungeon raids for hunters without a guild, taking a commission from the earnings. Do-jae joined these raids.

Of course, with his weak abilities, Do-jae often got injured and faced near-death situations. Yet he never gave up.

Why did he continue as a hunter?

It’s obvious.

Money.

With no other skills, he had to risk his life in dungeons to pay for his younger brother’s medical bills.

His brother had a rare disease, Magic Immunity Deficiency Syndrome, and required expensive treatments.

Just staying in a special room that blocked external magic costs tens of millions of won per year. There was no other way to earn that kind of money except for dungeons.

There was a time when Do-jae questioned why he had to enter dungeons or why he was only an F-rank. But now, he accepted reality.

Even as an F-rank, he was grateful to be able to provide for his brother by working as a hunter.

Recently, he had been saving bit by bit while waiting for a cure to be discovered.

But why is life so harsh on him?

….

It was a routine raid, no different from any other.

No one paid much attention to Do-jae, the F-rank hunter, in such raids.

“Let’s take a break here!”

At the raid leader’s shout, the hunters began to find spots and started resting. The average skill level of the hunters was low, as the association-sponsored raid consisted of weaker hunters. Hence, breaks were frequent.

And now, during this break, Do-jae saw an opportunity to be useful.

‘Let’s start.’

Whoosh.

Do-jae began retracing his steps through the dungeon.

Why? To collect monster corpses.

Monster eyes, tendons, and other parts could be processed into potions or items. This was one of the main sources of income in dungeon raids.

Sling.

Do-jae drew a short dagger and carefully cut open the chest of a leftover creature.

‘Don’t damage the poison sac.’

In guild-sponsored raids, there’s usually a dedicated collection team. But there was no collection team for freelance hunters like Do-jae.

Do-jae, an F-rank hunter, carried a dagger as part of his routine. It was essential for his role in the party: collecting monster parts during breaks, which saved time for everyone later. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was something only he could do.

While rummaging through the corpses of monsters, something shiny caught his eye. He moved closer and saw it—a magic stone.

‘Jackpot!’ he thought. It had been overlooked by others, probably buried under dust and debris. Do-jae, being used to looking for low-grade stones, had spotted it easily.

Magic stones were valuable, regardless of their quality, and Do-jae had a knack for finding them. This one, in particular, seemed to emit a more vibrant glow than any he had seen before.

‘Maybe I can buy Mark Seven with this,’ he thought, thinking of the toy his younger brother wanted. As soon as his fingers touched the stone, however, it began to vibrate violently.

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, an enormous force pulled him towards the stone, and everything went dark.

………

Do-jae awoke to pain coursing through his body, as if he had fallen from a great height. Groaning, he opened his eyes. His surroundings were pitch black, save for a faint, distant light.

‘Where am I?’ he wondered, standing up slowly and checking his phone for light. The time showed that not much time had passed since he last checked—maybe an hour at most.

‘This must still be the dungeon,’ he concluded, noting the lack of cell signal.

He turned on his phone’s flashlight and looked around. He was in a tunnel, the walls covered in strange symbols and markings. As he moved forward, he realized that these were not random drawings—they were ‘runes’, a mystical language known to very few.

At the end of the tunnel, he emerged into a vast, domed structured space, illuminated by some unknown source. The size of the space was overwhelming, like several football stadiums combined.

In the centre stood a massive figure, and as Do-jae got closer, he realized it was a gigantic suit of armor. It was black, made entirely of metal, and stood ominously, like a statue from a forgotten era.

Then, the magic stone in his pocket began to vibrate again.

Taking it out, Do-jae saw that it was glowing brightly, and so was the giant armor. The two began to resonate, filling the space with a pulsating light.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind:

– “To the one who possesses the qualification, the ‘heart of the golem’ shall be granted.”

– Quest activated!

[Quest]

‘Category: Main’

‘Objective: Prove yourself worthy. Survive within the time limit.’

….

“What…?”

A searing pain shot through his chest.

“ugh..”

Do-jae collapsed, losing consciousness once again.