The Leap Across the Abyss

“Are you insane? Even for a physical-type awakener like me, this distance is impossible!”

Just by looking at it, the gap stretched at least 15 meters.

No—more like over 20 meters.

‘Wasn’t the world long jump record around 8–9 meters?’

Of course, that was for normal humans.

Among hunters with superhuman bodies, plenty could easily surpass that.

But not me and Yang Jihwan.

No matter how talented we were, we were still students.

Even at our best, 15 meters would be the limit.

“I trust your ability now, but if we fall here, we’re done!”

“True. Well, if you’re that worried, want me to carry you like a princess?”

“No matter how strong you are, this is impossible!”

No way.

From everything I’d experienced so far, I knew it.

I could definitely make this jump.

“Right?”

-Of course.

[The power of the dimensional stone flows into your body.]

[Big Roo – Outlaw of the Eastern Forest]

-A species of giant kangaroo said to leap over the tallest trees in the forest in a single bound.

Clench!

“W-wait!”

There was no time.

I only had one chance to cross this abyss.

Feeling the power fill my legs, I grabbed Yang Jihwan’s wrist.

Then—

“Let’s go!”

Dash!

Like releasing a compressed spring, I kicked off the ground and charged forward.

The closer I got, the farther the other side seemed.

What looked like 20 meters now felt like over 25.

Even most hunters would find that impossible.

But not me—right now.

Step!

“Are you crazy?!”

Boom!

Was that really the sound of a human jumping?

The ground beneath me shattered from the force of my leap.

Our bodies soared higher than ever before.

So high I could almost touch the ceiling.

Yang Jihwan, dragged along by force, shut his eyes tightly, unable to stabilize himself.

“You weren’t actually hoping for a princess carry, were you?”

Right before landing—

I threw him forward.

If we landed together, he’d fall short into the abyss.

Better to crash and roll than fall to his death.

Crash!

“Gah!”

Thud!

Unlike me, who landed with a burst of dust, Yang Jihwan slammed into the wall before collapsing onto the ground.

Behind us, the abyss rumbled ominously.

“You actually jumped across that…”

“I told you. We’re going straight.”

“And you did it while carrying me! Is this… dimensional magic?”

Yang Jihwan stared blankly at the abyss.

He clearly needed time to process what just happened.

But we didn’t have that luxury.

“You coming?”

“……Yeah.”

He stood up, brushing off the dust.

“How is that even possible…”

The professors stared in shock.

They couldn’t believe what they were seeing on the monitors.

“How did he predict the Shadow Wolf ambush? And fight so normally in darkness?”

“What kind of ability is that…”

“Dimensional magic… perhaps? It’s beyond comprehension.”

Out of 20 teams, 9 had already been eliminated.

Five by traps.

Four by monsters.

Meanwhile, Woohyuk’s performance was overwhelming.

“His progress is nearly double that of other teams.”

The second-place team, Won Jonghyo’s, was at 40%.

Woohyuk’s team—

75%.

And still rising rapidly toward 80%.

An overwhelming pace.

“He’s unmatched even among past graduates.”

“He has both navigation and combat ability.”

Amid the admiration, Professor Han Taesoo spoke.

“But in the end, first place goes to the team that defeats the boss monster. It’s still uncertain.”

“Right. No matter how fast they are, two people can’t defeat the boss.”

The professors thought of the boss monster.

The goal was not just competition—but cooperation.

The boss was designed accordingly.

At least five teams—ten people—would be needed.

Even top students couldn’t defeat it alone.

And finally—

Woohyuk’s progress neared completion.

[The power of ‘Big Roo’ has faded.]

[Agility +10 due to superhuman jumping ability.]

[Skill ‘Leap’ has been acquired.]

“Prepare for combat!”

Until now, we avoided monsters that would slow us down.

But not anymore.

The boss room was right ahead.

We couldn’t afford another detour.

And in a dungeon, combat was inevitable.

Better to warm up first.

“Finally, monsters.”

“We’re almost there. No turning back now.”

Yang Jihwan drew his sword.

A real blade—not a wooden training sword.

Sharp enough for low-tier monsters.

“Sniff!”

The scent grew stronger.

Yet there was no visible movement.

Which meant—

“Ambush!”

“Grrraah!”

From the shadows—

figures lunged out.

A sudden attack from the darkness.

Normally impossible to react to—

but we were ready.

Slash!

Yang Jihwan’s sword cut through a shadow.

“Wolves?”

“Shadow Wolves.”

I had scored a perfect 100 in monster studies.

I recognized them instantly.

Beast-type monsters that ambush from shadows.

They could conceal their presence and briefly hide within darkness.

But beyond that, they were just wolves.

Which meant—

once the ambush failed, they were nothing special.

“I’m going in!”

Dash!

There were about eight of them.

Stronger than goblins, but manageable.

“Graaah!”

Without realizing it, I let out a howl.

The dimensional stone’s power was influencing me.

But it wasn’t just a sound—

it carried mana.

The wolves froze momentarily.

Stab!

My blade pierced one instantly.

“Woohyuk! Be careful! They’re dangerous in the dark!”

“I’m fine!”

Slash!

Normally, the strategy was to use light.

But I didn’t need it.

My sense of smell was enough.

Even in total darkness—

I knew exactly where they were.

“Whimper!”

One by one, they fell.

Darkness was no longer their ally.

They tried switching targets to Yang Jihwan—

“Haah!”

Stab!

But he stood in the light.

With nowhere to hide, they were slaughtered.

“Yelp!”

One wolf tried to flee.

“Not happening.”

I sensed its position.

Pulled back my arm.

A technique I had practiced hundreds of times—

weapon throwing.

Whoosh!

Thud!

The sword flew through the darkness and struck true.

The first battle ended cleanly.

“Huff… huff…”

Yang Jihwan breathed heavily.

The monsters weren’t strong—

but it was real combat.

Still—

we had no time to rest.

“No breaks. Let’s go.”

“So… you were right.”

“I told you.”

After the fight,

we reached the boss room shortly after.

[Hidden Quest ‘Blitz Clear’ completed.]

[Reward: 100,000 points acquired.]

‘Nice.’

The points I spent earlier were recovered.

“You’re a monster.”

“Thanks.”

We hadn’t hit a single dead end.

Avoided nearly every unnecessary fight.

By now, we were far ahead of everyone else.

“So… what kind of boss is it?”

“Probably a beast-type.”

Several possibilities came to mind.

Fast ones like Vladi Wolves.

Or massive ones like Owlbears.

Either way—

it wouldn’t be easy.

Creak—

The boss room door opened.

Flames ignited along the walls.

“So not an ambush-type.”

Otherwise, there’d be no lights.

As the room lit up,

Yang Jihwan tightened his grip on his weapon.

Inside—

a foul stench filled the air.

Not wolves.

Not bats.

Something heavier.

Like…

livestock.

As the final torches lit—

it appeared.

“That’s…”

A massive 4-meter body.

Bulging muscles.

A gigantic axe in its hand.

And—

the head of a bull.

“Minotaur.”

A monster with a human body and a bull’s head.

“Damn it… that’s E+ rank, almost D-rank!”

Far beyond anything we faced so far.

An E+ boss—

one of the strongest in its class.

Not something students should fight.

“So… this is why they want teamwork.”

The professors didn’t want solo victories.

They wanted cooperation.

Even this Minotaur was likely weakened.

Otherwise, it would be impossible.

“Woohyuk… this is impossible. We should wait for others.”

Yang Jihwan spoke seriously.

He was right.

Rushing in blindly was suicide.

But—

that’s exactly why I had to act.

‘The harder it is, the bigger the reward.’

The quest was simple—get first place.

But there had to be a hidden reward.

I raised my weapon.

And pointed it at the Minotaur.

“Waiting isn’t really my style.”